Oct 27, 2015 01:50 PM
5132 Views
?Price - 9/10(? 12, 999)
Build Quality - 9/10
Specifications - 8/10
NOTE TO BUYER - If you need more than 16 GB, Xiaomi has launched a 32 GB Mi 4i. If you need a good cover, you can consider the Heartly Armour Case.
Display - 9/10
Camera - 9/10 back and 8/10 front
Speaker - 7/10
Battery - 8/10
CPU - 9/10
GPU - 8/10
? PROS:
Premium feel, light as a feather
Superb form factor, comfortable to hold and operate
Clear screen, slim bezels, sunlight display really works
No heating issues with latest update and 2nd Gen Snapdragon processor
Sharp back camera, sufficient front camera
Dual flash for different light conditions
Decent battery, lasts one full day
Dual 4G sim
Smooth but limited MIUI 6, could be better
Great for gaming
Supports HEVC/H.265 videos natively, so great for movies and videos
Free Screenguard from Xiaomi if you register your mi 4i on their website
? CONS:
No Micro SD slot(This can be a dealbreaker)
Speaker could be louder
Phone is slippery despite matte finish, definitely requires a cover for grip
Not a big upgrade from Mi 3, apart from the processor
MIUI is not the best OS, I think vanilla Android is better
No point in 4G capability since only a few cities have 4G network
? IN THE BOX:
Sorry for the long review below, but I didn't want to miss anything:(
I have attached some photos to this review, which I clicked with the Mi 4i. All the filters are in the MIUI camera app. I hope they can give you an idea of how good the quality is. I have also included the Xiaomi Mi Pad next to the Mi 4i to give you an idea of the size. They look like brothers.
I owned a 1st Generation Moto G before I bought this, and I was not sure about the Mi 4i. The Moto G has no expandable memory, so I am stuck with 16 GB. I have always required more space because I like to carry a lot of music with me. But I ordered the Mi 4i despite this shortcoming, because apart from the memory issue it has great specifications.
The packaging of Xiaomi products is very classy. It comes in a plain cardboard box with simplistic designing, and all the necessary accessories are included inside. Makes for a great gift. No headphones are included with the Mi 4i. You can check out an awesome pair of Xiaomi Mi Piston 2 headphones by clicking on the link.
The Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB RAM and MIUI 6(User Interface) work together to deliver a nearly flawless experience. You can see that MIUI is heavily influenced by Apple iOS, while maintaining the open-source attitude of Android. Unlike the Xiaomi tablet, this Operating System works well on phone. The OS is updated regularly, and this version is based on Android Lollipop out of the box.
The Snapdragon processor and native video player support the latest video format x265. This format fits full HD movies in half the space. This means 1080p movie in~1GB!
Gaming is smooth, Asphalt 8 and FIFA 15 run for hours without any lag whatsoever. I never experienced an overheating issue, but some users were reporting heating for intense 3D games and benchmarking apps. The issue should be resolved with this updated Snapdragon. All functions such as wifi and bluetooth work perfectly, and it does well under heavy multi-tasking. I find that the MIUI launcher has limited customisation. The best way to solve this is to install Nova Launcher. The premium features of this app are incredibly powerful and pirated APKs are available online. If you like the application, I urge you to buy it through the Play Store and support the developer, it only costs 200.
The screen is vivid and does a great job with colours. Picture and video quality is outstanding, and colours are warm. I feel the Moto G has a brighter screen, but the Mi 4i has warmer colours. It is responsive and no touch-lag was noticeable. I personally don't like big devices, so I think the 5" screen is the right size for portability and usability.
The 13 MP main camera is well tuned and takes excellent pictures and videos. The front camera(for video chat) is also a decent 5MP and does good quality video recording. The dual flash is a great feature when you require lighting of a warmer kind.
The mono speaker on the back is clear but could have been louder. The inbuilt DIRAC sound card has been specially designed to work with Xiaomi headphones. I have a pair of Mi Piston 2 headphones, and when you change the audio settings to match the headphones, it makes the bass thump and gives the sound a studio feel. The improvement is tremendous.
The battery lasts one full day, and charges to 40% at hyper speed if you use the included charger and cable. But for the size(3120 mAh) and big.LITTLE technology of the Snapdragon 615, I feel it should last longer. Unlike the Mi Pad, the Mi 4i phone does not have "performance" and "balanced" modes.
The biggest problem I have with the phone is that memory cannot be expanded. I carry a lot of data and like to use my phone as a portable storage device, but this is not possible with the Mi 4i. It only gives 12.77 GB to the user, which is even less than the 12.92 GB offered by my Moto G. Vice President of Xiaomi Hugo Barra explained that "microSD cards are vulnerable to failure and in most cases malfunction in various conditions". Although he is right, I think this is a compromise we must make to enjoy the benefits of more memory. If the memory cannot be expanded, then the phone must be available in 32/64 GB models.
Google and Apple have also given up on expandable memory, because they want users to move to cloud storage. However, this is only feasible in western countries where wifi is almost everywhere. In India, access to the internet is not always available, which is why most people like to store their data on their device. Using the cloud to store data also creates more security risks, and I can't shake the paranoia of China trying to steal my information.
Apart from this, the phone is very slippery despite the matte finish. I have already dropped it twice from about 3 feet height, but it has survived both times without scratches. You will definitely need to buy a cover for the phone. The grey colour is also more attractive than the white because it blends well with the screen and bezels.
Lastly, MIUI is good for first-time smartphone users and dummies, but too limited for advanced users. Original Android would have been best, but no AOSP ROM is in sight. I feel these are important issues, which is why I reduced one star in the rating.
The Mi 4i has all the ingredients of a flagship and is outstanding value for money. But 13 GB of space and no expandable memory is stupid. Maybe the more expensive 32 GB version is a better choice.
