Advertisement

Xiaomi MiBox Can Only Be Used in Mainland? Xiaomi Once Pledged To Tackled the Problem in March

Recently, net users reflected that MiBox bought in China couldn’t get recognized by iCNTV in foreign countries. It caused its inability in using any Internet related function and performing native playbacks independent from networks. Later on, more net users reflected the problem that both standard and enhanced versions can’t get recognized except in Mainland China.

 1

With some broadband in China being blocked by iCNTV, those users have no access to radio and television serial numbers.


Net users verified and found that, neither newly-bought nor wiped MiBoxes could get recognized by iCNTV except in Mainland China but if apps supporting Launcher (such as VST) was previously installed MiBox can be used after changing default starter. In this way, net users suggest that if you want to use MiBox out of Mainland China, you should get pre-boot authentication in Mainland and install a third party launcher in case of the aforementioned situation and you shouldn’t do the wiping work before using it.2

MiBox officially stated since MiBox didn’t start its service overseas, iCNTV hadn’t built a website abroad. Due to that, iCNTV did authorization limits in areas other than China, causing MiBoxes in those regions couldn’t play the content iCNTV provided. Also, it suggested users wait till the limits be cleared.

 3

In reality, backing to March this year, numerous net users consulted Xiaomi similar problems. Xiaomi then responded as above. Yet the problem remains a problem, MiBox gives no explanation.

 

Can HiSilicon end Qualcomm’s monopoly on China’s 4G market?

b32d54edfbef54504db682d7d6d5be8d_w_680_h_425

 

Qualcomm remains at the top as 4G race heats up

 

This year has been a booming year for China’s 4G market as the number of 4G subscribers and cell phones have grown from April to June at a rate of 30%-50%. It is Xiaomi’s most successful year since it was founded with more than 26 million phones sold early this year and making a profit of 33 billion RMB (5.3 billion USD). Such an achievement has turned Xiaomi into the biggest rising star in the Chinese cell phone market. However, in the last several years, many cell phone companies have started releasing 4G phones leaving Xiaomi in the dust.

 

Thanks to the advantage they have in TD-LTE patents and due to the potential of the massive Chinese market, China has successfully started negociations with Qualcomm which has already promised to temporarily suspend patent fees for three-mode cell phones (TD-LTE/TDSCDMA/GSM). This is a victory for Chinese intellectual property rights. However, this leads to another problem. Right now, most 4G phones in the Chinese market use processors from Qualcomm. It was reported that 80% of processors used by Chinese 4G phones early this year were provided by Qualcomm. From what happened with Xiaomi, we know that a shortage in processors from Qualcomm is inevitable no matter how popular it is. We can also see how important support from Qualcomm is for a brand to grow based on what happened to OPPO. Qualcomm makes money from patent licensing fees and cellphone processor sales. Because China used to have a stronger patent share in LTE, they could require Qualcomm to lower patent fees and charging ratio as well as change their charging methods for FDD, WCDMA, and CDMA. However, Qualcomm insists to hold exclusive talks with each cell phone company, and furthermore, due to monopoly they over the 4G chipset market, cell phone companies have no choice but to begrudgingly ask Qualcomm to lower patent licensing fees.

 

Can HiSilicon end Qualcomm’s monopoly?

 

       Currently, HiSilicon is the only manufacturer for 4G chipsets besides Qualcomm and MARVELL. Recently, there have been news that Lenovo and Meizu want to start partnerships with HiSilicon. My guess is that HiSilicon and Meizu’s partnership is only a  business affair, while more will come out of HiSilicon’s partnership with Lenovo considering how powerful the latter is. According to statistic reports from Digitimes Research, in 2013, Lenovo, whose sales were second to Samsung, had to pay expensive patent licensing fees to Qualcomm. If Lenovo decides to use a HiSilicon chip, then it may set big example for other companies. It is not very common to see rivals like Lenovo and Huawei to work together so Lenovo using a processor from Huawei’s HiSilicon clearly has great significance.

 

The 4G market in China has gone in full blast with about 14.8 million 4G phones sold in June, but the only Chinese cell phone chipset maker that has a chance against Qualcomm is HiSilicon.  HiSilicon must take on the task to end Qualcomm’s monopoly of the 4G market.

 

Huawei Ascend Mate 3 may be revealed at the 2014 IFA, has 2GB RAM and 6-inch high definition screen

       Huawei has already started sending out invitations to the top media outlets in China for the 2014 Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) where there is a big chance that they will unveil the Ascend Mate 3 to the world for the first time. In the meantime, rumors and news about Huawei’s latest product have been spreading like a wildfire. In fact, information on the Mate 3’s specifications was released by Antutu early this week.29_1jSMBJlaA

 

According to Antutu, the Ascend Mate 3 will have a very narrow frame and sport a 6-inch high-definition display screen and a 5mp front camera and 13mp rear camera. It supports 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory space and its processor is HiSilicon’s Kirin 920 octa-core chipset. Its operating system is the Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS.

The Dbphone T19 has 1.4GHz MTK processor and 5-inch screen

This year, Dbphone has been releasing new smart phones non-stop. Besides the 4G phone D Play, they will also release a phone with the model number “Dbphone T19.” This phone has a more fashionable design and pretty good specifications becoming one of Dbphone’s best 3G phones so far.

1-140I1163610a9

 

 

The Dbphone T19’s design is simple and nice and it’s available in black and white.

1-140I1163554X1

 

 

According to Dbphone, the T19 uses Mediatek’s MT6292M octa-core processor which has a main frequency of 1.4GHz. It has 2GB RAM and 16GB memory. It also sports a 5-inch screen, a front-facing 2 mp camera, and a rear-facing 13 mp camera. It does not have a very powerful battery, only having 1850 ma. It also supports TD-SCDMA and GSM dual-SIM and its operating system is the Android 4.2 OS.
Its quoted price in Dbphone’s official stores is 999 RMB (161.80 USD). If the information about the phone’s specs is true, then this is a pretty good price.

Intki cuts price of E80 to 599 RMB (97.02 USD), has 4.7-inch screen and 1GB RAM

Back in April, Intki made a low-key release for their octa-core phone, the E80, at the price of 999 RMB (161.80 USD). They later lowered it to 799 RMB (129.41 USD), and now, Intki is at it again. This time they lowered the E80’s price to 599 RMB. 1-140I11P5443I

 

Overall, the specifications of the Intki E80 are very average. This phone runs on the 1.7 GHz MT6592 octa-core chipset. It has 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM and is expansion card-supported.  It has a pretty small screen measuring only 4.7 inches with a resolution of 1280 x 720. It also sports a front-facing 5 mp camera and a rear-facing 13 mp camera but according to customer comments, not everyone seems to like them. The E80 is powered by a 1800 ma battery and uses the Android 4.2 OS. It also supports TD-SCDMA and GSM dual-SIM.

1-140I11P604K2

 

 

Quick Review: InFocus M810 uses 2.5GHz processor, sports a 5.5-inch FHD screen, and only costs 9,988 NTD (332.99 USD)

InFocus releases M810 at the lowest price possible

 

Today (July 30), InFocus released its new phone as they do every year, the InFocus M810. This device uses the Qualcomm S810 processor (2.5GHz), sports a 5.5-inch FHD IPS display screen, has 16GB ROM, 2GB RAM, and 5mp/13mp camera. It is only 6.9mm thick. Furthermore, in addition to using Taiwan’s LTE network, it also supports CDMA and WCDMA, and so, works with the five main telecommunication operators in Taiwan.

tunacat_3_4851_87297e86abd62d40eade3dca8d5a5aba

 

Besides its high specs, the InFocus M810 also boasts a high cost performance ratio. A single phone only costs 9,988 NTD. This phone is set to hit the market on July 31 and will be available in black and gold (the gold version comes out in August).

Sports a sleek metal design with a frame made of aluminium alloy

 

The InFocus M810 sports an excellent metal design sporting a case made of Gorilla Glass 3 that is covered with anti-fingerprint coating. The rear case is available in black and gold.

 

The M810 is just 6.99mm thick but because it sports a 5.5-inch screen, it uses a battery that has 2600mAh (undetachable). The phone also uses a frame made of aluminium alloy and the buttons are designed in the way that is similar to Sony’s.

tunacat_3_4851_fd787525a7c88d585af31224b9ee661f tunacat_3_4851_0dbdc890fa726d7d1d914bdc24c06529 tunacat_3_4851_c0c0561dd77f088ba688703bf87e24bf tunacat_3_4851_8307f4dc30a022223aa51bc80c198e85 tunacat_3_4851_847c69971b0796d2256d6b5e97b203f5

 

The black version does not let out a very bright flash. Underneath the InFocus logo on the back is an NFC induction zone. Unfortunately, it does not support wireless recharging.

tunacat_3_4851_69063a3c31c21a98b5eb8f23922a24bf

 

The sides of the phone are made of aluminum alloy and only have a width of 6.99mm.

tunacat_3_4851_17f6fd99c6d9dd6351bd121652a0875e

 

Right side: These are not SIM card slots. One of them is a microSD memory card slot which can provide up to 64GB.

tunacat_3_4851_194febe8dd46f8691d5dae60992fa773

 

On the top: Micro USB port, noise-cancelling microphone, and 3.5mm earphone jack.

tunacat_3_4851_a7d980c30905315f7b24d629756c24a8

 

Left: The volume and power buttons which can be operated by one hand.tunacat_3_4851_863a97035cb8ae9063aeb3fbc6a013a9 tunacat_3_4851_2a7a4f86009ba35a97e567edc8f96e36 tunacat_3_4851_c6ea0cb5f1f53028ef3417fd41f0ddff tunacat_3_4851_9e1199d7db29a6dc3bee678a22b1ff0b tunacat_3_4851_2dd9c069be046e4b0c7d979020660888 tunacat_3_4851_8dcd3aa4d9d0f5e88b1715b48e6d2d02

 

5mp/13mp camera

 

The InFocus M810 uses a Sony Exmor R 5mp/13mp dual camera. The main camera has a F2.2 aperture and can cover a 28mm wide angle. It also has a built-in image processing engine from iCatch. The camera has several features including panorama mode, HDR, etc. It can also record 1080p videos.

tunacat_3_4851_89c60a30668b1f9b9b02fdd5648e6a3a

 

The rear-facing camera has 13mp and LED flash.

tunacat_3_4851_25bfd70eebb49f45b83447b2012230f3

 

The front camera has 5mp.

tunacat_3_4851_b1cd441180d20462c702bf8787ad6e3b tunacat_3_4851_7fda838c91d9ecc5c7c97aebe0c4a125 tunacat_3_4851_b0b8ea14bbef5e84601249619ec8ff01 tunacat_3_4851_5ae5655f58a81795cd69ea15afb8977f

 

It uses Android KitKat

 

Regarding the InFocus M810’s software, this phone uses the Android 4.4.2 KitKat for its operating system and the InLife UI for its interface. It can be exchanged for a simpler and more feasible mode for the elderly. Furthermore, this phone has a lot of built in functions. Because it uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor (2.5GHz) and has 2GB RAM, it offers excellent performance, scoring 36583 in the Antutu benchmark exam.tunacat_3_4851_d89724173c9694d1a395bde3657f6089 tunacat_3_4851_7b61aab6c188be3263f9bff474841739 tunacat_3_4851_e596b7113fb6b04dfa723ec8f5e51952

The M810 comes with many third-party apps.

tunacat_3_4851_7d0a3ae2c36c25409aebef9f388f4294

 

If older users find many of the InFocus M810’s functions too complicated, they could change the interface to simple mode which enlarges the interface’s tabs and font.

InFocus M810: the Xiaomi Mi4 Killer is coming?

infocus1

Now is a good time to be a Chinese smartphone company; the rest of the world is waking up to the quality products available at incredibly competitive prices. The big names such as Huawei and Oppo are pretty well-known now, but there are a lot of other smaller companies with a surprising amount to offer in terms of imagination and design flair. InFocus is one of these, they’ve just announced the InFocus M810 smartphone and it has a few surprises of its own.

infocus2

InFocus’s new flagship M810 is thin and sharp, although the black and gold colour scheme isn’t likely to suit everyone’s taste. The slender device measures only 6.99mm thick and made of metal, so no cheap plastic to be found here. The IPS display is large at 5.5inch with a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

infocus3

 

It’s certainly a good-looking phone, but its not all about the looks, it has the specs to go with it. The hardware consists of a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, there’s 2GB RAM and 16GB of onboard storage which is expandable via MicroSD. The rear camera is 13MP and includes a Sony Exmor R sensor and dual LED flash, quite a beast. The front shooter is a perfectly acceptable 5MP.

infocus4

The battery is 2600mAh, and non-removable, and the handset is running Android Kitkat 4.4.2. The connectivity options are all present and correct, with Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, wi-fi and LTE supported. It compares very well with other flagship phones and the price is very good for what you get. It is going to be on the market for a reasonable $330, but unfortunately it is only scheduled for release in Taiwan.

The options for those outside Taiwan then are to either wait and hope that the InFocus M810 is made more widely available by InFocus, or to get hold of one through a third party seller, even with the inevitable price increase of getting hold of the phone in this way you’re likely to be getting a bargain. Either way, InFocus are certainly a very capable device manufacturer and one to watch over the next few years. It can’t be long before InFocus join the bigger names if they keep producing devices of this quality.

 

The Huawei Ascend D3 uses the Kirin 920 octa-core processor

Antutu recently released information on the hardware of Huawei’s Ascend D3 which is set to come out later this year.

1406768610894

 

According to Antutu, its model number is Z100. In addition three other versions were discovered (Z100-TL10,Z100-CL00, and Z100-UL00). These versions will use three different operators.

It sports a 6.1-inch 1080p display screen and runs on the Kirin 920 octa-core chipset. The low-end version has 2GB RAM while the high-end version has 3GB. It also has a front-facing camera with 5mp and a rear-facing camera with 13mp. Its operating system is the Android 4.4.2.

 

1406768628846

 

According to Huawei, the Kirin 920 uses the Mali-T629 GPU, but according its results in the Antutu benchmark tesk, it uses the Mali-T624. The reason for this is unclear. However, it was actually reported that the Mali-T628 is actually a codename for the T624.

Lei Jun: No NFC for Mi4 due to too few users

1406703438515

 

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun answered questions from netizens in a Q&A session hosted by digi.ifeng.com. Many of the questions concerned the 4G edition of the Mi4. Leijun explained that the reason that the reason why the Mi4 that is out right now does not support 4G is not because they do not have the technology but that it is matter of releasing it at the right time. There have also been problems with the recently leaked black edition. Some say that there are problems with the paint peeling off. Lei Jun said that he was using the black edition and did not see any problems with the painting.

 

Xiaomi, which is still a pretty new company, has been made a lot of attempts on developing their products over the years. They even included NFC mode but due to very few users, it was scrapped. They have also implemented infrared mode which will hopefully receive a better response.

 

 

 

Photos of what might be the Meizu MX4’s screen panel and blueprint leaked

With the release of the Xiaomi Mi4, will Meizu’s next flagship phone follow?

 

Photos what appears to be the Meizu MX4’s display screen panel and its blueprint were recently leaked online. We can see some information about the MX4 in the blueprint. As the photo shows, the MX4’s front screen does not look that different from the MX3’s although the frame is a bit narrower. According to the blueprint, the MX4’s screen might be covered by an AF plate to help prevent fingerprints. Although the blueprint has a lot of measurements, because the photo does not cover the entire blueprint, we can only see that the phone’s frame is 2.2mm (each side is 1.1mm). No other measurements are shown.

 

Of course, whether or not this is actually the MX4’s blueprint remains to be seen. Even though it definitely has Meizu’s classic style, we cannot rule out the possibility that it is one of at least four new devices that Meizu plans to release this year.

s_c3de8f0d49604ed4a4faa2d75350c6b0 s_7eb4560804a24fb198a3b73544de4f8f s_02dfe32949b34f73bb3eb89facc094e0 s_898679f722254853b5375a9b634d9c0c

First look at the Coolpad 9971: Has 3GB RAM and 2K screen

Coolpad’s newest phone was recently revealed by Antutu. Its model number is Coolpad 9971. Based on the name, there is no doubt that it is part of the Daguan series.1-140H9160924592

 

The Coolpad 9971 does not have a display screen as big as the Daguan 4’s, measuring only 5.5 inches. However, it has greater resolution (2560 x 1440). It uses the Snapdragon 801 processor (2.5GHZ). It also has 3GB RAM and 5MP/13MP cameras. Its operating system is the Android 4.42. Overall, the screen and memory specs are excellent.1-140H9160P4440

 

From the specs, everyone may think of the Daguan 5 which had its first snapshot leaked online a while ago. However, unlike the 9971, the Daguan 5 is supposed to use the NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor.

 

If both are the latest devices in the Daguan series, then there should be a gap between the dates they will be launched. We should find out when the 9971 is coming soon as the Daguan 5 is said to come out this September.

Huawei Ascend Mate 3 to face Samsung Galaxy Note 4 this September

Huawei is currently working on their next device. We already know that the Huawei C199 and Huawei Honor H60 have already been listed in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s website, and it looks like the new Ascend Mate 3 will be launched this September.

 

A giant curtain was lifted over the smart phone market after the release of Samsung’s Galaxy Note series. Huawei has always wanted to compete with the Galaxy Note with their Mate series.20140729_152919_178

 

No official news on when the Galaxy Note 4 has been released but rumors say that it should come out in September. Huawei will also launch the Mate 3 in September hoping to crush the Note 4.

 

According to reports, the Huawei Mate 3 sports a 6-inch display screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and uses the HiSilicon Kirin 920 processor. Furthermore, three versions will be released at the same time, and should support the three big mobile operators in China.

The next Red Bull phone will use MTK’s new MT6595 chipset

It was recently announced that the next-gen phone of ZTE’s Red Bull series will use MTK’s newest processor, the MT6595 octa-core LTE SOC, replacing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips which were used in previous phones. 1-140H9144552609

 

No other details were released so we can only guess that this phone is going to be the Red Bull 2 but they will probably change the name due to special reasons.

 

As of now, we cannot make any guesses about this phone but if it uses the MT6595, then it should probably have good performance. By using this chipset, ZTE hopes to sell this phone at the terminal market at around the 1K5-2K RMB market. The design of the next Red Bull phone should not hold back the power of the MTK6595. We will have to wait a while until they announce a release date.

How is the Xiaomi MiBand?

87373df3f89fa9932a9c6c58cc75e309_w_680_h_425

 

On July 22, during the launch of the Xiaomi Mi4, Lei Jun announced the release of Xiaomi’s own armband, the Xiaomi MiBand. So, how is it?

Two kinds of armbands

 

       Many companies take a different approach in releasing smart armbands. There are the 360 safety bands which needs access to the company’s official network just like a pocket-size telephone. It is the only device whose sole function is to point out the user’s location.

 

There is definitely a market for this. Even though the 360 is still undergoing beta testing, there are already hundreds of expensive copies in Taobao per week. This should definitely be useful for children and the elderly, especially those with dementia.

 

Another type of band is the accessory type, the kind that has to be connected to a cell phone by Blu Tooth. The MiBand is the second type.

 

How practical is the MiBand?

 

       The MiBand is actually not that practical as it does not offer the functions that most users need and it’s the MiPhone’s apps that actually do the job. For example, the MiBand has a pacemaker feature which can only be accessed by downloading the pacemaker app on Xiaomi’s app store. Why not use the MiPhone as a pacemaker instead of spending money on an armband? The MiBand is really more an interesting digital toy than an actual tool.

 

However, regardless of how impractical it is, its sales are pretty good since it is more affordable than most armbands at 79 RMB (11.32 USD).c291b01517f3e6797c774c306591cc32_mw_680_wm_0_wmp_3

 

The potential of wearable electronic devices

 

As of now, most wearable devices are more of luxury items than actual tools with any practical use. However, it actually has potential uses in certain fields. Unfortunately, not a lot manufacturers see this yet. It could truly make a difference in fields such as medicine, education, engineering, outdoors, the military, etc. These industries are the future of wearable devices.

 

Sugar Macaron Mini coming soon, has 1GB RAM and 8mp camera

Woman’s phone brand, Sugar, announced that they will release a mini version of their 4G phone, the Sugar Macaron.1-140HQ42JV11

 

As the snapshot shows, the design of the Sugar Macaron Mini is still the same. It is available in pink, yellow, green, and many other colors. The metal mid-frame is made of many gemstones.

 

Obviously, the Sugar Macaron Mini would have weaker specs than the original. It sports a 4.7-inch display screen with a 720p resolution. It only has 1GB RAM and 16GB internal memory space. It still supports LTE internet but also supports TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, and GSM. Its processor is still the MTK6582 which is used with the MT6290. It sports a 8mp front-facing Sony camera and its OS is customized from the Android 4.4.

 

As of now, no price has been revealed although it is unlikely to be cheap.

 

 

 

Baidu is Up to Make a smart phone with MTK’s MT6595 processor

It was recently announced that MTK’s newest octa-core cell phone chip, the MT6595, may be implemented in Baidu’s smart phone. By integrating Deep Neutral Network technology (DNN) and heterogeneous computing technology, this phone may do what the image shows below (quick searching, etc.) making this a true explorer smart phone.1-140HQP019300

 

The most attractive thing about the Baidu explorer smart phone is that you can search on Baidu without an internet connection. This technology can do photo recognition. When you take a photo of an object in a store that you do not know anything about, you can quickly get information on it without connecting to the internet. This technology also allows voice and text recognition.

 

1-140HQP0323E

This phone uses MTK’s MT6595 octa-core chipset making it MTK’s most powerful chip yet offering excellent performance and low power consumption. It is no surprise Baidu decided to use this processor.

 

First look at the ELIFE S5.5L, has a 5.5mm non-pointed rear camera and runs on Snapdragon 400

Here are the first photos of the upgraded version of the ELIFE S5.5, the ELIFE S5.5L.

1-140HQ62P5c6

 

Unlike the S5.5, the ELIFE S5.5L’s rear camera is not turgid. Its thickness was increased from 5.5mm to 5.75mm. The phone’s battery supply was also increased to 2450ma.

 

1-140HQ62R0192

 

 

The ELIFE S5.5 now uses the Snapdragon 400 and supports 5 modes (including TD-LTE/ TD-SCDMA/WCDMA/GSM). Its screen, memory and camera specs are still the same. It sports a 5-inch Samsung Amoled display screen with 1080p, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, 5mp wide angle front camera, and 13mp Sony rear camera. Its operating system is the Android-based Amigo UI.
The ELIFE S5.5 may come out at the end of July or beginning of August.

Newman K6 has a 6-inch display screen and runs on MT6592 octa-core chip

When Newman released the ultra-slim octa-core K18, they said that they will later release a phone with a 6-inch display screen. Now, here comes their newest octa-core phone, the K6, which looks like a bigger version of the Dawei K18. 1-140HQ51141104

 

The back of the K6 follows a three-level design. Unlike the K18, the K6’s main camera is located on the left side of the phone. The rear cover of the white edition is champagne gold. There is also a black edition.

 

The K6 sports a 6-inch 1280 x 720 HD display screen which is Newman’s biggest yet. It runs on the 1.7GHz MT6592 octa-core processor. As for memory, it has 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM. It also sports a 4mp/13mp camera and is powered by a 3000ma battery. It also supports dual-SIM (WCDMA/GSM) and uses the Android 4.2 OS.

 

The Newman K6 will be first released overseas for 219 USD (1400 RMB) and it may be released in China later.

Xiaomi Redmi Note clone, the ZOOZ S5.5 Only $99

zooz-s55-1

Imitations of famous cell phone brands are very common and the Xiaomi Redmi Note is no exception. Recently, a company called ZOOZ released a cell phone that carries an eerie resemblance to the Xiaomi Redmi Note called the ZOOZ S5.5.

Xiaomi Mi4 vs OnePlus One

 

30_1jPPZDP6i.jpg_w600oneplus_one_delay

The launch of Xiaomi’s Mi4 is a wake-up call to all the non-budget brands, Chinese smartphones at the moment are such good value they can give any company in the world a run for their money, you’re getting amazing technology at really low prices. Xiaomi are a powerhouse in the field too, selling over 26 million smartphones this year. They have a target to sell 60 million in 2014, so with the Mi4 they are on course to pull it off. The Mi3 is considered one of the best smartphones around in its category. The Mi4 is long-awaited and the specs have finally been announced, so to see what this new beast has to offer, let’s compare it with the other pretty awesome flagship killer, the OnePlus One. The choice is between David and Goliath, Oneplus have only been in business a short time and their phone is brilliant, but the production has let the side down, with them proving hopeless when it comes to meeting demand.

Display

The Mi4 has a 5 inch IPS display screen featuring 1920 x 1080 resolution, the OnePlus One has a larger display, 5.5 inches making the pixel count a little lower per inch for the OnePlus One. The Mi4 has 441 ppi and the OnePlus One has 401. Definitely a win for the Mi4 in the display department.

Performance

The Mi4, like the OnePlus One, boasts a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, quad-core and one of the best processors available at the moment. The memory is also exactly the same, with both phones having 3GB RAM and being available with both 16GB and 64GB storage memory. It seems as far as the hardware goes there is little to choose between the two flagships. In fact these specs seem to be pretty much standard across all the high-end phones coming out of China at the moment. No bad thing at all, but we’re going to have to look a little more in depth to find significant performance differences between the phones.

Camera

The OnePlus One is slightly inferior in the camera stakes, although both it and the Mi4 share a 13MP rear camera, the Mi4 has an 8MP front shooter whereas the OnePlus One has a 5MP. The picture quality on the Mi4 is better but a 5MP front shooter such as that on the OnePlus is still a good feature, even if it doesn’t match the Mi4.

Xiaomi Mi4oneplus-1.1

Battery

The battery is slightly better on the OnePlus One, it has a 3100mAh battery compared to the Mi4s 3080mAh, not a huge difference granted, but anything that counts towards making the phone last all day has got to be a plus.

Operating System/User Interface

Both phones run on Android, but the Mi4 round the MIUI V5 (with the V6 being released in August), the OnePlus runs the CyanogenMod 11S. Both phones offer a capable and customisable user interface that offers a lot. Mostly the choice here is down to personal preference rather than capability.

Verdict:

There isn’t a massive amount to choose between the phones, but the Mi4 is the better phone overall, having a superior display and front camera. Could the price be the decider? Well, the slightly better Mi4 is priced at $322 USD and the OnePlus priced at $299 USD. The thirty dollar difference isn’t enough to keep the race an even one, and your best bet is to go for the Mi4, it has the better specs and the price and at only slightly more expensive than the OnePlus, it just makes sense to get the better phone. I realise that there are a few die-hard OnePlus fans that want it for the design, which is great, and these people are probably going to buy it anyway but if you want the rational choice, get the Mi4.