Xiaomi Mi4 – Focusing on the details

For several years until recently unknown in the world of Chinese brands Meizu and Xiaomi, and Oppo, became recognizable. In about the same period, two or three years, major Chinese manufacturers, Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE, also seriously improved its position in the global smartphone market, but in general, this situation means one thing – Chinese companies are confident steadily gaining momentum in the smartphone market . And if just three years ago it was believed that the Chinese smartphone – it’s just a misunderstanding, over which you can laugh, especially on the translation of the menu, but today the situation is completely different. Due to small businesses, again Meizu and Xiaomi, as well as a new project OnePlus, users around the world can buy a top-end smartphone for approximately one and a half times lower than the one asking for the flagships of the major manufacturers. Especially in policy sales top devices at very low prices is the company succeeded Xiaomi. A new smartphone, Xiaomi Mi4, and I want to tell you briefly.

July 21 in Beijing, China, the company unveiled its new Xiaomi flagship – Mi4. Very interesting characteristics, and some other parameters of the device on a good budget-priced.

I will begin, as usual, with characteristics.

Features Xiaomi Mi4:

Materials: plastic, metal, glass
Operating system: Android 4.4, MIUI V6
Network: GSM / EDGE, UMTS / HSDPA, LTE
Processor: Quad, 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon platform 801
Graphics: Adreno 330
Memory: 3 GB
Flash memory for data storage: 16/64 GB
Card Slot: no
Connectivity: Wi-Fi (a / b / g / n / ac) Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.0, jack microUSB (USB 2.0, MHL, USB-OTG) for charging / synchronization, 3.5 mm headset jack, NFC
Display: IPS LCD (Sharp), diagonal 5 “, 1920×1080 pixels, 441 ppi, automatic backlight adjustment
Main camera 13 megapixel with autofocus and flash, f/1.8 video is recorded at 1080p
Front camera 8 MP, f/1.8, Wide (80 degrees)
Navigation: GPS (Support A-GPS), Glonass
Extras: accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor
Battery: 3080 mAh
Dimensions: 139 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm
Weight: 149 grams

If you are familiar with the Chinese market from a popular brand of smartphones, to which Xiaomi, certainly true, you probably have already compare the features of last year’s flagship, Mi3, with the characteristics of the flagship fresh, Mi4. And most likely, too, thought that it was from the point of view of technical progress is not bright, at first glance, breakthroughs. On the one hand, the break is nowhere in particular, on the other – there is still scope for increasing the amount of RAM, screen resolution, and cameras, as well as many other features. And no matter what the end user has the characteristics of this race is invisible, invisible to the eye as the difference between FullHD and QuadHD screen resolutions.

Fortunately for us, the users. Xiaomi decided to focus on the new flagship in the secondary, as it seems at first, the details. And personally, I am sincerely grateful to the company for this step!

But still want to start with a small criticism. Xiaomi company has never hidden that Apple tries to follow and imitate them in many ways, they do not hide it in numerous interviews, a competing brand, Meizu. In China, like Apple, and that people’s love for the American production company applies not only to users, but also for business executives. This year Xiaomi love for Apple and the desire to follow them came to some, in my opinion, absurd-MiPad, new tablet Xiaomi, appeared outwardly literal copy Apple iPhone 5C, larger in size.Interesting move, because you can not say that Xiaomi blatantly copied its tablet design for tablet Apple, not at all, they took the design of the smartphone, is also not the main, and, say, resize it, thus obtaining MiPad. But the final result is still secondary to design completely, and the fact of such an obvious copy, without a gram of their ideas, I personally seemed too primitive for the company level Xiaomi.

C new smartphone situation, fortunately, is not controversial, although a clear desire Xiaomi bring to his new Mi4 as much as possible “iPhone” is still clearly seen.

Xiaomi Mi4 made of plastic, glass and metal, if the materials used to describe briefly. In the heart device is stainless steel frame, so the perimeter of the smartphone turned metal. Front side – safety glass, the back of the smartphone is made of plastic.

If you look at the side of the machine, it is easy to see the similarities with Apple iPhone 5/5S, from the front or from the “back” – with models of Huawei and ZTE. However, all my thoughts about the design of subjective, and I do not claim any guarantee certain point of view. I personally design Mi4 seems a little unfinished, because I see in it a lot of other devices, but at the same time, it should be noted that Xiaomi Mi4 looks decent.

An important detail in a new Mi4 – removable panels. This is the first feature from the category of those “parts”, which focused in Xiaomi instead continue to race diagonals, permits, megapixels and other parameters. Within a few years the idea of interchangeable sockets offered by Motorola smartphone Moto X, one of the largest producers and not supported. In fact, why provide users with removable panels, if you can make a cover-band-aid or non-removable glass zalyapyvaetsya after taking the first smartphone in hand? But supported the idea of a new OnePlus One, review of which you may have read, as well as in Xiaomi Mi4.

Will be available for Mi4 many exchangeable sockets, some plan to make non-standard materials (wood of different breeds and invoices, for example), others will be simulated.

The second important part of the new Xiaomi Mi4 – diagonal and therefore size. After the huge five-inch screen with Mi3 (smartphone to this day remains one of the largest such display diagonal) I personally have been fears that if Xiaomi decide to make a device with a diagonal of 5.5”, it becomes more than a Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Fortunately, the new Xiaomi Mi4 display is still a five-inch, but the dimensions of the smartphone compared to Mi3 decreased. Most importantly, the reduced width, seriously affecting the ease of grip smartphone.

HTC One (M8) (5”) – 146.4 x 70.6 x 9.4 mm, 160 grams
Nokia Lumia 930 (5”) – 137 x 71 x 9.8 mm, 167 grams
Samsung Galaxy S5 (5.1”) – 142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm, 145 grams
Sony Xperia Z2 (5.2”) – 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm, 163 grams
Xiaomi Mi4 – 139.2 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm, 149 grams

Across the width of the housing Xiaomi Mi4 is one of the most “thin” smartphone with a screen diagonal of 5”, it can be compared only to that of other “Chinese» – ZTE Nubia 5S (width 68.8 mm) or Huawei Ascend P7 (68.8 mm).

The display itself is used in Xiaomi Mi4, typical of the flagships 2013-2014 – IPS matrix, 5” diagonal, 1920×1080 pixels, 441 ppi. Thickness frames left and right of the screen – 2.63 mm, according to the Xiaomi (check then ruler!).

Now about the characteristics. Used Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-processor with a frequency of 2.5 GHz. Inside 3 GB of RAM and 16/64 GB of internal flash memory for data storage. Alas, but the memory card Xiaomi still despise, as in most other Chinese companies. That is, there is no slot. But there is Bluetooth, NFC, dual-band Wi-Fi and USB-enabled USB-Host and USB-OTG. There is support for fourth generation networks (LTE, 4G), there is no fear that when ordering the device from China, you can not use it in our networks 4G.Battery capacity in the new device – 3080 mAh.

The main camera with a resolution of 13 megapixels, autofocus and flash, aperture f/1.8, sensor Sony IMX214. The front camera has a resolution of 8 MP, f/1.8, here also used the sensor from Sony (Sony IMX219), to the same wide-angle front camera. With autofocus or not – is not yet clear.

Smartphone will run most likely running an updated version of the sixth MIUI, based on Android 4.4. While information on Xiaomi Mi4 official Chinese website is accompanied by references MIUI V5.

In addition to the smartphone, Xiaomi yet submitted and “intelligent bracelet” or “fitness bracelet”, as anyone familiar. Basis Xiaomi MiBand – small aluminum body with stuffing, dustproof and waterproof (certification standard IP67), and removable straps. The choice will be a large number of straps of different materials, different colors and sizes, and the base strap, as noted on the website, made of very good materials and will not cause skin sensitization (of course, where a stone flew).

Do bracelet has a minimum set of functions – counting activity (number of steps, distance, etc.), sleep mode when the device captures different phases of sleep and then wake up the owner at a specified time, a notification about new events (missed calls). For ligament «Xiaomi Mi4 + Xiaomi MiBand» provides the function quick release smartphone is enough to bring to the screen the hand while wearing a bracelet, and voila, the device is unlocked without a password or swipe.

Claimed battery life – up to 30 days, operating temperature range – from 70 to 20 degrees, of course, to be MiBand firmware application on Android. The cost of the bracelet – 79 yuan, translated into understandable us money is about 450 rubles.

Conclusion

Do Xiaomi turned once again shake the world? Probably still not. The new flagship of the company does not excite the imagination, does not cause feeling incredibly new and terribly tough product. But the paradox is that the time has come when it is the product of a steep feeling less interested not only users who are tired of yearly change flagships, but also manufacturers. Xiaomi company born as a “startup” (true, then this word has not been used as the name of any team friends doing another useless application or service), and the first time was necessary to attract the attention of users. Xiaomi and now it is perfectly possible, but the example Mi4 we see the progress of trying to be first in everything and surprise everyone there is a shift towards the development of the brand and products, and a new accessory – a glaring example. And he Xiaomi Mi4 – an example of a balanced leader. And shake the world Xiaomi no longer want, likely because it just showed the sales figures of previous devices.

Even if these data are seriously overstated, the very name of Xiaomi, flitting from one year to the world’s news media, is an indicator. And the company, apparently, feels good.

Xiaomi Mi4 16GB will be sold for about 320 dollars (11 000), Mi4 64GB – $ 400 (14 000). Preorders for the smartphone will start in late July, and when it will begin to sell and distribute through the network (dealers, of course), is still unknown.

In my opinion, Xiaomi Mi4 turned out the most successful of the entire line «Mi Phone». Excellent characteristics are combined here with low price, as usual, but the Xiaomi worked on size, did not increase the screen size and focus on minor, according to many other manufacturers, things: design, form, able to change the appearance of the product after purchase, and repeatedly.