Let’s start with the conclusion, Although Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro is positioned similarly to previous phones in the same series, but in my opinion it has a full pack of upgrades. It’s no longer just a phone to attract female users, let’s see what it has to offer.
By the way, if you want to get your hands on this possible Xiaomi 14 Civi phone early, you can check it out on Gizmochina shop – Geekwills here.
Unboxing
The Civi 4 Pro has this Leica logo on the packaging, SO it’s clear that this time the Civi 4 Pro supports Leica algorithms.
However, it’s worth noting that the selfie cameras don’t have the Leica supports. But I’m 100% sure that female users won’t complain about it, because they tend to opt for third-party camera apps when it comes to taking selfies.
In addition to the phone, the package comes with a clear case, charging cable, and a 67W charger.
Design
Back to the Phone. The version I got is named spring field green, which is a color that most people will like.
The back of this version is designed with PU and decorative panels, which make its pattern unique to all the other phones in the market. No doubt this will be the best-selling color variant.
The camera module is very small, and it is smoothed out around the camera.
The Civi 4 Pro has a 6.55-inch four-sided micro-zone screen, similar to that of the Xiaomi 14 Pro.
It has a tiny curvature around the screen and is no different from a straight screen, as far as the experience goes.
I chose the Vivo X100 Pro for a comparison, you can also see how narrow the bezel exactly is.
When I got my hands on this phone, my first impression was: it is really light! This version I have in my hand is just 179g.
Comparing it to the 236g iPhone 15 Pro Max, it feels like it’s only half the weight of an iPhone. In terms of thickness, compared to the latest iPhone, you can clearly see the difference.
So I must say this phone has the best feel in the hand among all the phones we have reviewed this year. It is thin and light enough while having a lot of curved design.
In terms of peripherals, it has dual speakers, IR remote control, NFC and more, but it’s worth noting that the phone comes with a Z-axis motor, so the vibrations won’t be as good as those flagships.
Screen
The screen of the Civi 4 Pro is not only designed in the same way as the Xiaomi 14 Pro – it is also made of the same C8 panel and has a resolution of 1.5K, the screen is undoubtedly the highlight of the phone.
Performance
The Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro uses the newest combination of ‘Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 + LPDDR5 + UFS4.0’, a standard flagship combination. Just for the record, Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro is the world’s first smartphone that comes with the 8s Gen3. While this chipset sounds very close to the 8 Gen 3 in terms of naming, it is almost the same as another mid-ranger, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen3 in core specs.
So if you’re only concerned about performance, you can basically take it as an overclocked version of the 7+Gen3. However, they are not exactly the same, the 7+Gen3 has downgraded the band, ISP, etc.
My biggest complaint about this chip is in the cache, the 8s Gen3 only has a mere 4MB of L3 cache, which will most likely affect the performance of this chip in some tasks.
I also ran some tests for it, the 8s Gen3 performs very close to the 8 Gen2, so overall this is still a decent chip.
Gaming tests, FIRST, Genshin Impact, we set it to the Highest Graphics Underwater, average frame rates were 42fps with low power consumption during gameplay.
It’s clear that the 8s Gen3 isn’t firing on all cylinders. Later in the game, the power consumption was even just under 4W. So being Thin and light, or having good performance, there is only one way to go, isn’t it?
In the less stressful game PUBG mobile, we set it to smooth graphics and extreme frame rate, the game ran at 60fps throughout and consumed just 2.94W.
So, the answer is clear, the 8s Gen 3 is a good chip with good performance and power control, but Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro opted for a conservative performance strategy, because it is positioned as a thin, light, and photography phone.
Camera
The cameras on the Civi 4 Pro have been upgraded across the board, compared to the Civi 3 it not only has an extra telephoto camera, but the main camera and ultrawide have also been enhanced, as well as support from Leica algorithms.
First, I tried the selfie camera, the Civi 4 Pro has an 18mm and a 26mm selfie camera.
not only can you take close-up photos of your face, but also portraits with some background.
Compared to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the Civi 4 Pro’s selfie camera has more beauty options such as “Makeup” and “Teeth”.
But just like most phones, it can not get the edges of the hair quite right.
In terms of the main camera and ultrawide, we compared it with the Xiaomi 13, and in this photo, you can clearly see that the white balance of the Civi is more accurate than the Xiaomi 13, and in the shadows, the Civi has less noise.
In this night shot, the Civi also has sharper details, this billboard shot shows off the HDR capabilities, you can clearly see the text on the billboard.
As for the ultrawide camera, both phones are close in both the center and edges of the photo.
The phone’s 2x telephoto camera is equivalent to about 50mm, which is perfect for portraits. I took some photos with the Lecia portrait and Master portrait separately, you can pause and take a closer look. I really like the skin texture in the photos, to be honest.
Battery & Charging
The Civi 4 Pro has a 4700mAh battery that supports up to 67W Mi-Tubro charge. Compared to the 4500mAh battery of the Civi 3, the Civi 4 Pro has some minor upgrades.
in terms of battery life, let’s compare it to the Xiaomi14 which has a similar battery size and you can visually see the difference.
There are no surprises when it comes to charging speed. It takes about 49 minutes to fully charge the battery.
Conclusion
So there is no doubt that this Civi 4 Pro or Xiaomi 14 Civi or Xiaomi 14 Civi, is the best Civi phone. But obviously, it’s not for everyone, if you have requirements for weight, looks, and photos, then the Civi is a good choice. But if you just want performance, maybe the cheaper Redmi K70 is a better choice.
