Xiaomi mi4

[Thunderboltedge]

Since I haven't found any thread about this phone on this section I am opening a new one also to share opinions and comments.

Here a brief description:

"The Mi4 has a 5.0-inch touchscreen with a display resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD). Inside the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with a quad-core 2.5GHz processor and an Adreno 330 GPU. Two storage options are available, the 16GB and 64GB both with 3GB of RAM. The phone does not support microSD cards however.

It has a 13-megapixel rear facing camera with dual-LED flash and video recording capabilities up to 2160p@30fps. It's front facing camera is pegged at 8-megapixels. It runs on Android 4.4.3 Kitkat."
I ordered it so I am very curious to handle it.

 

[MRU]

Its OK, nice enough phone. Know someone who bought it instead of a iPhone 6 and they're happy. Was just over €400 here for the model they got.

Its just a shame that the MiUi OS still hasn't gone full language native - still traces of indecipherable Chinese text in places leaving the GUI feel a little like an afterthought especially for non Chinese speaking countries.

Stock apps are quite nice though....

 

[Thunderboltedge]

I am back to give a feedback about this device after a week, for whom who may be interested.

i definitely recommend it! For 326 $ I think it will be tough to get something better.
Gorgeous screen of 5' (which is the max I can handle, I am definitely not a phablet fan).
What I find absolutely amazing is the attention to the details (metal frame and construction quality, and the detailed apps, for instance the meteo app keeps changing the icon showing the weather and real temperature without opening it).

Camera good (not the top of the top but coming from a nexus 4 it looks like a huge improvement). Skype conversation fine and the 3gb ram makes it jump whatever it does, super fast and no-lag machine.

What it really makes it above the standard IMO is the battery life, it lasts 1 day and half easily (and me i am always in H+ or 3g during the day). The 3080 battery for a 5" FHD is a very optimised choice, it lasts very long compared to the standard devices (except probably SONY).

About the MIUI is up to you, me I find it a very good compromise to have a clear and easy-to-use OS but with the high level of personalisation the Android guarantees.
(Me i Flashed the multi language packaged released by the italian community, they did a very smooth work ).

Of course having to be shipped from China the insurance in case something is wrong with it is not comparable with normal device.

I hope it helps, if you have any doubts, this is a not regrettable choice!

 

[MRU]

Thanks for the feedback. Does the language pack do away with the traces of Chinese that linger in odd places?

 

[Thunderboltedge]

No, now when they ship it you already receive the MIUI v6 where english is already in it. No traces of cinese anywhere except the chinese apps (3) of Market etc.
You would not be able to get rid of them but I did when I flashed the ROM.

Probably what you said happened the first items when the new MIUI was not yet well translated.

 

[MRU]

No, now when they ship it you already receive the MIUI v6 where english is already in it. No traces of cinese anywhere except the chinese apps (3) of Market etc.
You would not be able to get rid of them but I did when I flashed the ROM.

Probably what you said happened the first items when the new MIUI was not yet well translated.

Thanks .... I may recommend it as an alternative to iPhone on a mid budget so. It's a shame the 16gb doesn't come with expandable storage. Though the m4i does I believe.

 

[Thunderboltedge]

The M4i for my understanding is a laggy version for India (laggy in the sense it does not have the 801 but the 615 clocked at 1.5 or something), but he does not come with expandable storage neither. This seems to be the new direction the main producers are taking (Apple already did, now Samsung).

For the target of this device I am not sure the iPhone consumer would like it. It is true the inspiration of the body (iPhone 5s), or the software is clear but it remains an Android device with a very mature and stable UI.
I would say it is more for someone looking for a 5inch device with high level of quality. I was in this situation and all top devices where with 5,2" or more, so in this limit range you can find few choices:
a Z compact line, maybe the Samsung with 5.2' (if you do not reject Touchwiz as I instinctually do, or you have the MI4.
Of course there is the iPhone 6 but I did already have my experience with an iPhone, not missing it right now.

It looks and feels a bit like the Samsung Alpha line for the material and touchfeel, of course with higher level of components and specs.

 

[MRU]

I've seen a Mi 4 for sale for €250 ... Might buy it at that price just to try MiUi and its apps

 

[Thunderboltedge]

Definitely, be careful about the 4 versions available MRU.
There is the LTE version compatible with the 4g in Europe but there is also a version with 2gb RAM (Black is available only in this terms). I recommend the 3gb, also because the usage of RAM of the MIUI is quite insane, so 2gb will downgrade a bit the overall performances.
Me with the 3gb I am always with 1,3/1,5 max of RAM available.
Despite this the storage is well optimised, the system do not take as much as I though. (Of course the 16 gb for someone will be too constrained, especially if you play)

 

[MRU]

Yeah I was looking at the 3G version with 3gb. I noticed the LTE version isn't compatible with Vodafones 800mhz band here anyway (though it would work on other carriers here).

I was thinking of getting the 16gb as I wouldn't be intending to hold onto the phone. I would try it out and then would gift it to a relative eventually. They don't need much storage and don't store music or games on a phone,

 

[Savor]

It has been around since last year and looks too much of an iPhone. But for anyone who never got the OnePlus One and want a smaller form factor like I do, then Mi 4 is the next best bet. No removable battery and micro-sd slot is a downer and will start to affect someone in the longer term if they settle for the 16 GB variation.

I like MIUI 6 though. It isn't perfect but it seems more stable and looks cleaner than MIUI 5. But it eats RAM. The standby time and overall battery life might be better than on stock custom Android. No wakelocks. MIUI is five years old now, might not be for everyone, but it is highly optimized. I would love to see Mi 4 sold in the Philippines but Xiaomi seems to have more of their attention for two of the most populated countries - China and India. And they stopped selling Mi 3 months ago. The most recent device they sell here is the Redmi 2. Probably a better deal than Moto E (2nd gen) with removable batt and micro-sd slot.

Xiaomi have good products and affordable. Better value than most Asian brands including ASUS, Acer, Meizu, Huawei, Lenovo, ZTE, and Gionee. A new American company called InFocus released a few handsets here but Xiaomi still offers better value. Getting a Xiaomi or legit Meizu smartphone can be quite RARE to do in the US but they sell millions in China.

 

[Thunderboltedge]

Agree Savor,
That's the second best after OPO, if you perceive already the One as too big or large for your needs.