Xiaomi‘s Mi series is the company’s flagship models which usually come with one upgrade on the other. Right from time, Xiaomi has always improved on the series’ cameras right from the Mi 2 to the dual camera packing Mi 6. The Mi 6 isn’t the first dual camera phone manufactured by Xiaomi. It is, in fact, the company’s third dual camera smartphone but the phone has turned out to be the Xiaomi’s best dual camera flagship till date.

The Xiaomi Mi 2 was released in 2012 with a 4.3-inch display. Despte the size, the device featured an 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture, autofocus, 27mm wide angle, back-illuminated CMOS and LED flash. The camera also features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR and can shoot Full HD video 1080p@30fps. The Mi 2 also packs a smallish 2MP selfie camera  which can also capture 1080p videos at 30fps.

The Xiaomi Mi 3 quickly followed the Mi 2 and was introduced in 2013. The Mi 3 came with a more powerful 13MP ExmorRS main camera with f/2.2 aperture, 28mm wide angle, autofocus, dual-tone LED flash.  The camera also comes with features such as Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, HDR, Full HD video capture at 30fps. Xiaomi touted the Mi 3 camera as the first domestic mobile phone to support RAW format. The secondary camera is still a 2MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture which seems to suggest Xiaomi was focusing on the main camera during these years.

Xiaomi Mi 4 was announced in 2014, taking the rein over from the Mi 3. The sleek device is said to be the first Mi phone to feature real-time HDR and also touch focus. The Mi 4 packs a 13MP camera but with a smaller f/1.8 aperture. The Mi 4 also saw a huge leap from 2MP selfie camera to an 8MP selfie camera with f/1.8 aperture, signalling a shift towards better selfie cameras.

Xiaomi took things to another plane on the Mi 5 which feature a four-axis Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) found in professional cameras. The Mi 5 camera is a powerful 16MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture, dual-tone LED flash which the rear camera was reduced to a 4MP sensor for whatever reason best known to Xiaomi. The company spent two years before releasing the Mi 5 in 2016 and it was worth the wait.

Xiaomi released the Mi 5S also in 2015 and it also had some improvements in its cameras. The main camera is a powerful Sony IMX378 sensor with f/2.0 aperture. The Mi 5s also features a 4MP camera. The Mi 5S Plus was aso released with dual 13MP cameras at the rear and a similar 4MP sensor at the front.

Read More: Xiaomi Mi5s Plus Review – The Xiaomi Monster Phone

Now, with the Xiaomi Mi 6 which also has a dual camera setup, the company have taken things to another level, using a similar setup as the iPhone 7 Plus, a 12MP wide angle lens, and a 12MP telephone lens. The two rear cameras on the Redmi Pro were far from impressive but the setup on the Mi 5S Plus turned out to be quite good. The two cameras at the back managed to capture good-looking images especially in broad daylight, but the real difference due to the dual cameras was seen in the low light images. The stereo mode helped take pretty good low light shots, better than previous generations. Indee, with the Mi 6, you get two times lossless zoom and also better shooting.

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While Xiaomi was teasing the April 19 launch of the Mi 6 which has finally launched, one caption that kept recurring is “You waited 203 days, we waited 7 years”. The company apparently was referring to the period since its inception until now and perhaps, looking back at the evolution of the Mi-series which is Xiaomi’s flagship series, the Mi 6 seems to be the perfect flagship both in design and specs, the best in the pack so far. How true is that? Only a comprehensive review and time will give a definite answer to that. But we’ll take a look at the six generation of Mi-series flagship to see how the line has evolved right from the Mi 1 till the Mi 6.

Xiaomi Mi 1

The Xiaomi Mi 1 happens to be the first of Xiaomi’s Mi-series smartphones and indeed the company’s very first phone. The device was launched on August 16, 2011, and went up for sale in October of the same year. It comes with a Qualcomm MSM8260 (Snapdragon S2) processor with 1GB RAM backing it up. The Mi 1 features a 4-inch display with 854 x 480p resolution and runs MIUI 3 based on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread OS.Xiaomi launched a refreshed version called Mi 1s a while later with a slightly faster processor and MIUI ROM based on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Further, the Mi 1 packs an 8MP rear camera and a 1930mAh battery. It launched with a price of 1,999 Yuan (~$217), a price tag Xiaomi will maintain for successive devices until the Mi 6.

Xiaomi Mi 2

The Xiaomi Mi 2 came a year later, precisely on August 16, 2012. The Mi 2 came with a slightly larger and powerful 4.3-inch HD display. It also features a Qualcomm APQ8064 (Snapdragon S4 Pro) Quad core processor backed by 2GB of RAM. The Mi 2 sports an 8MP camera but runs MIUI 4 based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The battery was slightly upgraded to 2000mAh capacity. The Mi 2S was later released the following year with a  slightly faster processor and 32GB storage variant with a 13MP rear camera. Despite the upgrade over the Mi 1, the Mi 2 still started at 1999 Yuan.

Related: Xiaomi Doesn’t Forget Old Models! Xiaomi Mi 2S Updated With MIUI 8.2 Is Super Smooth

Xiaomi Mi 3

The third-gen Mi 3 joined the party in September 2013 with the same 1999 Yuan price and a more sophisticated hardware lineup. It sported a slightly larger 5-inch display with Full HD resolution (1080p) and the display came with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The Mi 3 packs Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM. There is 16GB and 64GB onboard storage options, as well as a 13MP rear sensor with dual LED flash. There is also a larger 3,050mAh battery with fast charging support. It ran on MIUI 5 ROM based on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS, and since then has received upgrades to successive MIUI-based Android OS till the Android N.

Xiaomi Mi 4

 The Xaiomi Mi 4 was unveiled on 22 July 2014 and was a major departure from previous Xiaomi smartphones. The Mi 4 came with a metal unibody design along with the latest hardware on board. It sports a 5-inch Full HD (1080p) display with Gorilla Glass protection. There is also a Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and 16GB and 64GB onboard storage options onboard.The camera aspect is taken care of by a 13MP rear camera with 4K video recording capabilities, while there is an 8-megapixel selfie camera. The Mi 4 packs a 3,080mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 support.

On the software front, it ran on KitKat-based MIUI 5, and has since received the upgrade to MIUI 8 based on Android N. The Xiaomi Mi 4 is also one of the first smartphones to officially support Windows Phone 10 ROM.

Xiaomi Mi 5

The cycle of release was broken by the Mi 5 which took two years from the Mi 4 to come. The Xiaomi Mi 5 was released 24 February 2016 with a host of changes on the design and hardware front. The Mi 5 sports a 3D front and back glass encased in a metal, thus adding to its premium look and feel. There is also a variant with 3D Ceramic body which, however, was scarce due to the slow production process.

Xiaomi Mi 6

The Mi 6 is the latest in the flagship series and it comes with a top notch design as well as a well-studded specs lineup. The Mi 6 features a 5.15-inch 1080p display and is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chipset backed by just 6GB of RAM on all versions. The Mi 6 uses a curved glass body with metal fuselage. The device also comes with an anti-splash body and the display has an oleophobic coating. The base storage has 64GB of space while the top end version has 128GB storage. The Mi 6 also comes with a dual camera setup at the rear consisting of a 12MP main sensor and 12MP telephoto sensor. It runs MIUI 8 based on Android 7.0 Nougat and has a 3350mAh battery under its hood. The device is available in Blue, Black, White, Silver and Ceramic options.

Read Also: Xiaomi Mi 6 Is Now Available for Pre-order on Giztop

The Mi 6 comes with a much different 2499 Yuan price tag for the 6GB + 64GB model. Despite the difference, the price tag is still well suited to leave Xiaomi as the “king of cheap flagship” phones. Right or wrong?

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Xiaomi MIUI 9 is still in development but it is believed the next-gen operating system would be based on Android 7.0 Nougat. A GFXBench result had appeared showing the Redmi Note 3 running Android 7.1.1, an indication that the latest Google OS would soon hit Xiaomi smartphones.

But before that would officially happen, an unofficial version of Android 7.1.1 for Xiaomi Mi Note, Mi 4 and Mi Note Pro has appeared. A screenshot of the Mi Note, Mi 4 and Mi Note Pro running Android 7.1 was shared recently on Weibo showing the security patch as having been updated on December 5, 2016.

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Xiaomi‘s exploding phone saga continues with the news of a Xiaomi Mi 4 exploding inside a classroom packed with students while it is being charged. Although, incidence of Xiaomi’s devices exploding are very rare, they sometimes occur all the same and this is one of such times.

According to the report, the Mi 4 was plugged into a charging source while the owner was using the phone inside a classroom in China when the explosion occurred. Although other details are sketchy, the photos of the incident points at the battery as the likely culprit. The battery was charred and in turn led to the melting of the plastic back cover of the smartphone as well as the damaging the plastic frame of the phone. Thankfully, no one was reported to have sustained any injury during the incident.

Related: Xiaomi Mi 4S vs Xiaomi Mi 4 Comparison: Upgrades

The Xiaomi Mi 4 isn’t a new smartphone in Xiaomi’s lineup. First released in 2014, the Mi 4 came with a 5-inch 1080p IPS display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801(MSM8974AC) quad-core processor with a clock frequency of 2.5GHz. The device has 3GB RAM and two storage versions of 16GB and 64GB respectively. The device cram a 3080mAh battery which is reputed to achieve full charge in 2.5 hours. Are we looking at a defective battery here or a case of using the wrong charger. We wouldn’t know until an investigation is carried out. We’ll keep you posted about that whenever further details pop up.

source

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Xiaomi will be launching its next flagship on the 27th of September and today the company decided to go down memory lane by releasing the launch posters  of their Mi phones, right from the Xiaomi Mi 1 up to this year’s Mi 5.

If you owned or still own any of these devices, you will connect to these pictures.

• Xiaomi Mi 1/Xiaomi Phone: This phone launched with a 4” display 1GB of RAM and a Snapdragon S3 dual-core processor. The main camera is an 8MP shooter and there’s a 2MP camera for selfies. Back when it launched, Xiaomi sold it for 1999 Yuan and touted it as the phone capable of taking on the iPhone 4 and Samsung’s Galaxy S2.

• Xiaomi Mi 2: The Mi 2 was the major successor to the Mi Phone. It launched with a larger screen and a quad-core processor. It also doubled the RAM to 2GB. The company launched an upgraded version called the Mi 2s the following year which had a higher clock speed and a 13MP camera.
• Xiaomi Mi 3: This 5” device was a massive upgrade over its predecessors. Full HD display, Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip clocked at 2.3GHz, a 13MP camera with dual LED flash and a 3050mAh battery.
• Xiaomi Mi 4: One complaint people had with the Mi 3 was the lack of LTE. The Mi 4 fixed that. It also launched with 3GB of RAM and a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 chip. The Mi 4 also got refreshed in 2015 with the Mi 4C which has a Snapdragon  808 processor and a USB-Type C port;  a made for India Mi 4i with 2GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 615 processor; and a 2016 version called the Mi 4s that doubles the storage of the 3GB Mi 4c from 32GB to 64GB and has an expandable storage.
• Xiaomi Mi Note: The Mi Note launched in January 2015. It features a SD 801 chip, a 5.7” display, a 13MP camera that can shoot 4K, and a 4MP front facing camera that can record 1080p videos. A slightly upgraded version called the Mi Note Pro launched with a SD 810 processor, a Quad HD display, and 4GB of RAM. A successor, the Mi Note 2 is said to be in the works and should launch later this year.
• The other devices (the Mi 5 and Mi Max) need no introduction as they should still be fresh in our memories since they launched this year.

The last poster is that of the upcoming Mi 5S whose Antutu benchmark score has set a record.

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If you are looking for a flagship smartphone for the cheap, now might be a good time to take a look at the Xiaomi Mi 4 flagship. Agreed, the phone is now 2 years old, but it still has a pretty good hardware to act as your daily driver. And when you can get the phone for just $129, you may feel that this turns out to be a better deal than the numerous other budget handsets out there in the market right now.

It’s possible that you might have forgotten the specs inside the Xiaomi Mi 4. So, here’s a recap on the hardware. The phone comes with the Snapdragon 801 chipset that currently powers the OnePlus X smartphone clocked at 2.5GHz. Despite being old, this was one of the best chipsets from Qualcomm at that time and still packs enough punch to get through your everyday needs. There will be 2GB of RAM on board along with 16GB of internal storage.

The Mi 4 comes with a beautiful 5-inch JDI Full HD 1080p display which translates into a pixel density of 445 ppi. Even the camera on the device is good, featuring a 13MP rear camera sensor from Sony and an 8MP front facing shooter. Under the hood, the phone comes with a decent 3080mAh battery which should easily last an entire day with the compact display and efficient processor.

The phone supports 4G LTE networks (LTE-FDD: 1800/2100MHz (B1/B3)). In case, you are wondering, there are a few drawbacks of the device, like the absence of a MicroSD card slot and only single SIM support. But if you want a cheap flagship and can ignore these two drawbacks, then the Mi 4 can turn out to be a good option for you.

So, what do you think?

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Although the Xiaomi Mi 4 has been a huge success, many are disappointed that only a white version is available. But now, a black version is finally coming. According to Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun, the Xiaomi Mi 4 China Mobile 4G black version will go on sale on October 28. In addition, a black 64-bit China Mobile 4G version is expected to come out in November.

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On September 9, Xiaomi launched the Mi 4 China Mobile 4G Version. Since then, they have not made any announcements about a China Unicom Version…until today. Lei Jun announced in his Weibo account that a China Mobile 4G version of the Mi 4 is currently undergoing tests. So, it looks like this new version will come out soon.

According to reports on the Mi 4, the China Unicom 4G version will use a frame made of stainless steel, sport a 5-inch 1080p display screen, and use the Snapdragon 801 processor. It will also have 3GB RAM, support TD/FDD-LTE networks, and also run on the MIUI 6.

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The Xiaomi Mi 4 has been on the market for a while. Now, there is the issue of how much is in stock. This afternoon, Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun, said in his Weibo account that over 1 million Mi 4 phones should be in stock by the end of the month. Not only that, he expects 1.5 million phones to be finished by next month. He said that since the Mi 4 is made using stainless steel architecture, the production process is easier.

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1 He check Antutu Benchmark everyday and force us to run AntutuBenchmark tests to check  our scores.

2 He likes to compare the scores with the other Xiaomi Mi3 users.

3 He likes to compare the scores with the other flagships.

4 He likes to explain in every way that Xiaomi Mi4 is better than evey cell phone on this planet.

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It’s been half a month since  Xiaomi Mi4 official lanuch, Xiaomi Mi4 finally “landed” Hongkong officially, you can buy it from official distributor, not resellers. But the distributor told the press that Xiaomi Mi4 will be priced at 3300 HKD($425.7), and the reason is the purchasing price is more than $390. It’s odd since Xiaomi Mi4 should be priced at RMB1999($324.4)  unless they purchased the Xiaomi  Mi4 from taobao.com.

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Lei Jun once said, “When many of our counterparts compare themselves to us, then, that means that Xiaomi has already become the gold standard.” In June, the Mi 4 was released keeping Xiaomi as the gold standard. The writer cannot just come to conclusions but the Mi 4’s specs and power consumption are disappointing but also a pleasant surprise. I will not talk about what is disappointing about it for now and just focus on why it is a pleasant surprise.

Just as the title mentions, the pleasant surprise is that the Mi 4 is Quick Charge-supported. Does this function work for the Mi 4 as well as Lei Jun said? Let’s take a look.

Why does the Mi 4 need Quick Charge?

       It makes sense to say that today’s smart phones are growing more powerful at an astronomical rate. Take their processing chips, for example. In just a few years, we have gone from using single-core processors to eight-core processors. Unfortunately, there has not been any real improvement in battery charging.

       Although there has been improvement in cell phone batteries, it has only been limited to battery safety and charge cycles. The level of power supply has none grown a lot. The only way to improve battery performance is to increase the battery supply or use Quick Charge.

Until now, Xiaomi has only used the former but although the Mi 3’s battery supply grew from the 2000mAh in the Mi 2 to 3050mAh, it only grew to 3080mAh for the Mi 4. Only 30mAH! This has not been the most effective method given the limited space provided by the phone. Therefore, adding Quick Charge is necessary.

Can the Mi 4 handle Qualcomm Quick Charge?

The Mi 4’s charger is called the Xiaomi Smart Charger and comes in three standards, 5V, 2A/9V, 1.2A/12V, and 1A. This charger can also be used with other devices as well.

We start charging the phone a 0%. For the first 40 minutes the screen glows and WIFI is turned own. Later, we closed the screen and WIFI but still keep the phone on.

After 13 minutes, we can see that the Mi 4 is already 15% charged. After 25 minutes, setting 10 minutes as the standard, we started calculating the rate at which the battery is charged.

Based on the results, when the screen and WIFI are closed, we can see that the MI 4 can be charged up to 49% in one hour and be fully charged in two hours. When the phone is completely turned off, it can charge up to 60% in one hour and be fully charged in two and a half hours. As the graph shows, the results we got in charging the Mi 4 are close to the official results by Xiaomi.

Conclusion

       As you can see from this test, the Mi 4’s Quick Charge mode goes well with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 and the phone’s power management system, but it might sacrifice battery life. Nevertheless, it will definitely be an asset in future cell phones.

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The Xiaomi Mi 4 runs on the Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor which has 2.5 GHz. It has 2 GB RAM, 16/64 GB flash memory, high performance, and low power consumption. It also sports a 5-inch Sharp/JDI OGS display screen with 1080p and is also a ultra-sensitive touchscreen. It is powered by a 3080 mAh lithium ion polymer battery and sports a 8mp/13mp Sony dual-camera.

The Mi 3, though, uses the 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, also sports a 5-inch 1080p display screen that is also ultra-sensitive touchscreen-supported, and has 2GB RAM . Users can choose between a 16 GB and a 32 GB version. The TD version uses the 1.8 GHz Invidia Tegra 4 processor. The Mi 3 also sports a 13mp rear-facing camera and 2mp front facing camera. It has a thickness of 8.1mm and is powered by a 3050 mAh battery. The Mi 3 runs on the Android 4.3-customized MIUI system.

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With the Xiaomi Mi 4 finally released, how long until we see the Mi 5?

According to Lei Jun, the production for the Mi 4 went on for more than 18 months and 6 prototypes were made. It was already in its development stage at the time of the release of the Mi 3 (September 26). Assuming Xiaomi is following the same schedule with the Mi 5, then, it must have been in development already at the time of the Mi 4’s launch.

This afternoon Wang Yang, the Chinese studies chief-inspector of iSuppli Corp. said that the Mi 5 is already at the P2 stage of production. This means that the second prototype is already done, implying that the Mi 5’s design has been finalized. So far, the production of the Mi 5 is going faster than the Mi 4’s. How soon will we get our first glimpse of it?

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Today, IUNI has release its fourth teaser poster for its latest flagship hone, the IUNI U3 which is expected to come out no later than August. The latest poster simply shows “3>4.”

The first two posters show a clear outline of the IUNI U3, while in the third and fourth posters, IUNI hints at what the U3 is capable of using puns and word games. Many guessed from the “2×4” poster that the U3 will support 5 modes and 16 channels of TDD/FDD dual 4G. Some even think that it might support dual-SIM.

Based on what has been happening recently in the Chinese mobile phone industry, we can probably make the following conclusion….that the “3” represents the U3 white the “4” represents the Xiaomi Mi 4 which got the attention of many users since its release last month. Therefore, the “3>4” poster is basically IUNI’s declaration of war against Xiaomi saying that the IUNI U3 will definitely surpass the Mi 4. Can they put their money where their mouth is?

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Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun disclosed the total sales of Xiaomi phones at the Xiaomi Mi4 launch event.

Lei Jun stated, during the last 3 years since August 16, 2011, Xiaomi released 5 phones, and total  sales reached 57.36million. In the first half year of 2014, Xiaomi had sold out 26.11million cell phones, pre-tax sales reached 330 billion RMB (about 53 billion USD).

Besides, Xiaomi also reported sales of specific cell phone models, statistics are as listed: Xiaomi Mi1 7.9million, Xiaomi Mi2 17.4million, Xiaomi Mi3 10.5million, Xiaomi Redmi 18million, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3.56million. By now, the number of active MIUI users has reached 65 million.

At the end of the launch show, Lei Jun said Xiaomi planed to sell 60million at least in 2014.

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The Mi 4 vs. mainstream flagship phones      

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Yesterday, Xiaomi’s latest flagship phone, the Mi 4, was finally launched and its specs are as good as expected. It sports a 5-inch IPS display screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution, runs on the 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 (MSM8247AC) processor, has 3GB RAM, 16GB/64GB ROM, and a 8mp/13mp camera. It is also powered by a 3080mAh battery and its operating system is the Android 4.4-based MIUI V5 OS (The V6 will come out in August). As of now, it costs 1999 RMB (322.33 USD).

During the launch, Lei Jun spent most of the time discussing the materials used to manufacture the Mi 4 and barely said a word about its specs. It looks like Xiaomi had put a lot of effort in creating the right texture for the Mi 4. A lot of improvements were made for its outer design such as increasing its screen ratio. Here are some snapshots of the Mi 4 unboxed.

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Yesterday, Xiaomi boasted that the just-launched Mi 4 was the “fastest cell phone on earth. However, it only got around 3700 in its benchmark test which led to online debates over whether or not Xiaomi was just full of hot air. Today, we received a snapshot of the Antutu benchmark test results for a mysterious new phone by Coolpad, and it does not look like Xiaomi’s boasts are based on facts.

The device’s model number is blurred but we can see that it starts with an “8” indicating that this is not a flagship phone but part of a series of products that support China Mobile Internet. As the photo shows, this device scored 44785 points in the Antutu benchmark test, which is higher than many high-end phones out right now, including the recently released Xiaomi Mi 4.

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Today, the much anticipated Xiaomi Mi 4 was launched in Beijing. Here’s a review of Xiaomi’s latest phone.

Boasting top-knotch specs, the Mi 4 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801(MSM8974AC) quad-core processor with a main frequency of 2.5GHz. It has 3GB RAM and 16/64GB internal memory space. It also sports a 5-inch 1080p Sharp and JDI display screen made using OGS architecture and an 8mp/13mp Sony dual-camera. It is powered by a 3080mAh battery that can be fully charged in 2.5 hours. The 16GB edition will be sold for 1999 RMB (322.21 USD) while the 64GB edition will be sold for 2499 RMB (402.81 USD).

Appearance

The Mi 4 supports wet finger recognition and offers a glove mode. It also supports technology that can make sure finger movements on the edge won’t be mistakenly read by the phone.

It’s also important to note that the Mi 4 has a width of 67.5mm which is smaller than the Huawei P7, Samsung S4, and HTC M8.

The MIUI OS

The Mi 4 does not have a lot of new features as it is still using the MIUI V5. The new MIUI V6 OS will be introduced around August. As a result, its OS user experience is similar to that of the Mi 3 with a few changes.

Performance test

At the launch event, Lei Jun was unwilling to talk about how the Mi 4 fared in its benchmark tests. Here’s an evaluation of the phone’s performance.

Actually, the Mi 4 scored pretty high in the Antutu benchmark test with 43607 points. Very few phones are able to score this high. This still does not say anything about actual user experience, but we can say that the Mi 4 probably has the most powerful specs out of all the cell phones out right now.

Camera

The Mi 4 sports a 13mp Sony IMX214 camera which has appeared in many new Chinese phones, so it should not be surprising if the Mi 4 has it. It has 6p lens with a F1.8 aperture. Even more interesting is that it comes with a smart flashlight feature. The Mi 4 can also combine two photos that were quickly taken consecutively in a way that can make them look more realistic.

As you can see from the samples above, the Xiaomi Mi 4 takes very good photos thanks to the Sony IMX214. Furthermore, the phone’s camera benefits from its big F1.8 aperture as the amount of light going in increases a lot. Since we have now familiarized ourselves with this new sensor, it is no surprise that the Xiaomi 4 can take high-quality photos.

Conclusion:

It’s pretty clear that Xiaomi is serious in dispelling the notion that the company does not really care about the outer design of their phones with the release of the Mi 4. Even though the outer design of the Mi 4 is not as pretty as phones that are known to have beautiful designs, this is Xiaomi’s most good-looking phone to date. Its specs are also nothing to make fun of. It’s easy to see how much effort Xiaomi has put on their newest phone’s hardware and appearance. However, Xiaomi’s main competitive strength still lies in their MIUI system. When the Mi 4’s OS is upgraded to the MIUI V6, then it will be a force to be reckoned with.

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Xiaomi has finally introduced its newest phone, the Mi 4, to the world. Just as previous reports have said, the Mi 4 sports a 5-inch 1080p display screen, runs on the Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor, and has 3GB and 16GB or 64GB internal memory space. It is powered by a built-in 3080mAh battery and sports a 8mp/13mp camera.

The MIUI 6 will be launched on August 16.

We’ll be posting news on the Mi 4’s launch as it’s happening.

Update: According to Xiaomi, the Mi 4 was first given the go signal on February 2013 and went through 6 prototypes for 18 months. It sports a metal frame and 304 stainless steel. It was made in 40 193-step procedures and processed in a CNC machine 8 times.

The metal frame of Xiaomi Mi4 will be manufactured at FOXCONN and HiP. 

Xiaomi Mi4’s specs:

– 5-inch Full HD (1920×1080 pixels) OGS IPS display screen made by JDI, 445 PPI
– Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.5GHz Quad-core CPU
– 800 Megapixel front facing camera/1300 Megapixel rear camera
-Lp-3GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB/64GB ROM(eMMC5.0)
-3080mAh battery

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The 3 pictures are leaked by a weibo user, he said he had used this phone for several days, it would be to late to show it if he do not leak it right now.

But it’s a bit different from the video show of Xiaomi Mi4(check the location of the rear camera at the back cover) in the launch event in Beijing, could that be Xiaomi Mi3s?

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From the images above we can see Xiaomi Mi4 became tinier compared to the Xiaomi Mi3. At the same time, Xiaomi Mi4 sports metal frame and there is only one SIM card slot on the left side, while all the physical buttons are located on the right side.

Xiaomi Mi4’s specs are really 5″ 1080p screen, 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 Quad-Core processor, 3GB RAM and 16GB ROM.

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Xiaomi’s annual product launch event will be on tomorrow. This is usually the time to keep secret. However, people leaked Xiaomi Mi4’s posters in Weibo. Xiaomi Mi4 have two color schemes, black and white. The material used in its metal frame, so-called 304 austenitic stainless steel, looks remarkable.

The white phone in the picture has a silvery frame that matches with the white device; the black phone has a champagne golden frame that looks chic and elegant.

Besides, the apparent change in appearance is that the frame becomes narrow, in line with fashion trend.

As for the specs, Xiaomi Mi4 have 5-inch 1080p screen, powered with 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 Quad-Core processor, 3GB RAM and 16GB ROM, 5 MP front facing camera and 13 MP rear camera, 3200mAh battery, running on MIUI V6 OS. Not surprisingly, the price tag will be 1999RMB, 340USD.

The post Xiaomi Mi4’s Real Pictures Leaked On the Posters! appeared first on Gizmochina.

 July 22nd product launch event of Xiaomi is around the corner, which is to be put forward for about a month, compared with last year’s. With competition so fierce, will Xiaomi find a way out? Before product launch event, let me sum up  all the leaks of Xiaomi Mi4 so far.

Xiaomi Smart Bracelet

July 4^th, Xiaomi smart bracelet’s Weibo account showed up on wechat public platform, which had been recognized with authentication information as “this account is supported by Xiaomi Technology Limited Liability Company”. Meanwhile, you can find the account “Xiaomi smart bracelet” on Weibo also, which remains not certified.

 Photos of Xiaomi bracelet on Lei Jun’s Weibo

Today, Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun posted a photo of Xiaomi bracelet on his Weibo. Heclaimed the price tag would be 99 Yuan($16) each.

Redmi 4G and Redmi NOTE 4G

The day before yesterday, two new models of Hongmi Note 4G 2014501 and 2014022 acquired network access permits in China;  These two cell phone models just appeared on MIIT’s website today. From the pictures, it may be two derivatives of Hongmi and Hongmi NOTE.

 Both the devices support China Mobile4G network (TD-LTE) and will come into public on July 22nd.

MIUI V6

According to exposed MIUI V6 OS, the new MIUI will change its color of theme when running different apps. With time display on left side, some changes will be taken on in the whole design. MIMU V5’s inability in optimization when running on large screens caused public complaint of MI3. It is believed that MIUI V6 will do some optimization accordingly.

Xiaomi MI4

1 The  Metal Mi-4: Type 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel

When Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun claimed that MI4 would use a kind of special metal on the body, but he did not know that would became a hotly debated topic on Weibo, that people are guessing what kind of metal that is.

 To everyone’s surprise, the kind of metal turns out be the metal used in pots and pans in our daily life, which gained lots of compliant. Yet later on, Wanqiang Li(Xiaomi’s co-founder and CEO) explained in his Weibo that Type 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel would not be used on the back cover of Xiaomi Mi4.

2 Mi4’s First Look

There’s a few leaks about MI4’s appearance. It seems Xiaomi did a good secrecy job. As far as I’m concerned, this time, Xiaomi will take on a brand-new look.

From the very beginning (no design is the best design) to MI3, Xiaomi changed a lot on the appearances. Nowadays, cell phones tend to have similar outlooks which in turn asks Xiaomi to do more on the its appearance design.

3 Xiaomi Mi4’s Specs 

MI4’s specs remain mystery. Deferred from the slogan “Born for You, Burn for MI”, MI4 will be powered with Snapdragon 805 processor, 5-inch 1080p screen, 3GB RAM+32GB ROM. The  500 mega pixels front camera and 1300 mega pixels back camera. As for the price tag, it will certainly be 1999 Yuan($341).

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Just two days ‘ time, MI4 will meet us in state. We are sure Xiaomi Mi4 is not equipped with metal postoperculum, only borders are made of metal materials. As for specific configurations, the 5-inch-touch 1080p screen will be used, equipped with Snapdragon 801 quad core2.5GHz processor, 3GM RAM and 16GB ROM, providing a  5 MP front-facing camera and a 13 MP rear camera, 3000mAh battery , running MIUI V6.
There is s user called @iLevon on Weibo said the phone priced at￥1999($241), and it will be sold along with Xiaomi band. With $340 you can get a top-range Phone and a smart wristband for free
In addition @iLevon_ also claimed that the MIUI V6 will get upgraded on Xiaomi MI4 and MI3.Well,What about my MI2 then.

The post Latest Xiaomi Mi4 Leak: BuyXiaomi Mi4 You’ll Get a Xiaomi Smart Wristband For Free appeared first on Gizmochina.

Since Lei Jun wrote such words “304 austenitic stainless steel” in his Weibo, notions that Mi4 would have metal back covers have constantly come into being, which now is denied officially.

Wanqiang Li(co-founder and CEO of Xiaomi )stated in his Weibo, “Although stainless steel is used in new products, it is not used in Xiaomi Mi4‘s back cover. What’s more, Wanqiang Li announced secret gifts for Audience that will come to Mi4’s press conference would be Xiaomi router mini and F  codes(which allow you to be the first one to buy Mi4 ). Also, he claimed it’s impossible to give away Mi4 for free.

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Xiaomi will hold its press conference in Beijing National Convention Center to unveil Xiaomi Mi4 at 22nd July. Most of the rumors said Xiaomi will release 4 products in the press conference, Xiaomi Bracelet, Xiaomi Mi4, Hongmi Note 4G and MIUI V6. Xiaomi had showed the Xiaomi Bracelet on it’s Weibo, and the other 3 new models as “2014215”, “2014022” and “2014501” have appeared in the National Quality Certification Center. Former two support 4G network, the latter only supports China Unicom 3G network.

Now, “2014501” and “2014022” both 4G models have appeared in MIIT. As described in the Ministry of the page, the former model is manufactured at Jiaxing, Zhejiang, while the latter model is manufactured  at Langfang, Hebei. Accoding to Xiaomi’s supply chain, we think the former manufacturers should be Wingtech communications, Inc., the latter is Foxconn.

Unfortunately, Xiaomi’s real pictures has not appeared on MII. But we can see that the former manufacturers used to manufacture Hongmi, the latter used to manufacture Xiaomi. According to the consumption, we think 2,014,501 should be Hongmi Note 4G while 2,014,022 should be Xiaomi Mi4. Both of them support TD-LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM, but not WCDMA and LTE FDD. We believe they should be a tri-mode mobile version product. If all goes to plan, barring any unforeseen circumstance, there will be 4G version in the near future. But the China Mobile versions will be released first.

They say Xiaomi will use Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor (reportedly Xiaomi have not done MT6595 octa-core LTE models temporarily) in Hongmi Note 4G. On other specs might improve a bit compared to the older version.

While the Mi4 has 5-inch 1080p touch screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core 2.5GHz processor, 3GB RAM and 16GB ROM, a 8 MP front camera and a 13 MP rear camera runing MIUI V6!

Applicant:  Xiaomi Technology LLC.

Manufacturer:  Xiaomi Technology LLC.

Device Name:  TD-LTE digital mobile telephones.

Model:  2014022.

Equipment Origin:  Hebei Langfang City.

Date of issue:  2014/7/9.

Expiry Date:  2015/1/9.

Note: 1) This device supports TD-LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM formats; 2) Operating system: Android.

Applicant:  Xiaomi Technology LLC.

Manufacturer:  Xiaomi Technology LLC.

Device Name:  TD-LTE digital mobile telephones.

Model:  2014022.

Equipment Origin:  Zhejiang Jiaxing City.

Date of issue:  2014/7/9.

Expiry Date:  2015/1/9.

Note: 1) This device supports TD-LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM formats; 2) Operating system: Android.

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The very-anticipated Xiaomi Mi 4 has been making waves in the news recently.

As a result of the Mi 4’s metal design and increasing capital costs, the price of the phone may go up to 2499 RMB (402.44 USD). If the news is true, then the Mi 4 will not support more features and will probably attract fewer customers. 

Fingerprint recognition

According to a message in Weibo, the Mi 4 will have a fingerprint recognition technology allowing people to access different kinds of features with their fingerprints.

Even though this has not been verified by a more official source, it could be true. After all, based on the hardware specs that were recently revealed about the Mi 4, it should be filled with a lot of kinds of exciting features.

In addition to a 5-inch touch screen, the Xiaomi Mi 4 will have 3GB RAM and 16GB internal memory space as well as a 13mp camera with f1.8 aperture. It will also be supported by Sony camera technology for great photo resolution. One edition of the Mi 4 will use the Snapdragon 805 while another will use NVIDIA’s Tegra K1 (non-Denver edition). It will also support LTE 4G internet.

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Shortly after Lei Jun claimed that the Xiaomi Mi4 press conference  invitation letter is made by metal , and the material of the next generation of Mi4’s body is Austenitic stainless steel 304. Which is allegedly can provide strong rust and corrosion resistance. It is easy to be stamping form by its excellent plasticity and toughness. Stainless steel 304 is one of the most common stainless steel with the density of 7.93 g/cm3 , Which is also called as stainless steel 18/8 in the industry. It can resistant high temperature, have good processing performance, thus it is widely used in medical industry and furniture decoration industry and food industry.

Although this kind of stainless steel is very common in China, the name “stainless steel 304 “comes from the United States. Many people thought that stainless steel 304 is one of the Japanese models, but strictly speaking, a Japanese official called for stainless steel 304 is the “SUS304”. There are three kinds of common Marking methods on the market, they are 06 cr19ni10, S30408 and SUS304, of which 6 cr19ni10 is generally signified ISO production, S30408 is generally signified ASTM standard production, SUS 304 is signified Japanese standard production.

As a kind of common stainless steel, stainless steel 304 is widely used to make equipment and parts which required a good comprehensive performance (corrosion resistance and formability). In order to keep its inherent corrosion resistance, the component of chromium in stainless steel must more than 17% , and the component of nickel must more than 8% . Stainless steel 304 is a brand that produced according to the United States ASTM standards.

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According to the picture, the profile of the invitation is quite similar to the phone (5″ screen), if there is no accident, MI4 would be the same size.
Last week, Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s CEO, announced that they would hold the press conference on July 22 at the China NationalConvention Center , if there is no surprises, then we could be able to see the real apperence of Xiaomi Mi4 for the first time.
Today some net friends exposed Xiaomi’s launch invitation letter in the social network, they unexpectedly used a steel plate as an invitation, which is quite different from former ones.

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A week before the product launch, details about MI 4 continues to be exposed. @C Technology just reveals in Weibo, that MI 4 will be integrated with fingerprint identification function, which in design works by sensing a finger’s touch (not by sensing a finger’s movement, which is used in Galaxy S5). It can go into different functions according to gathered fingerprint information, entering main interface by default.

Nevertheless, the question is where the fingerprint identification function will be placed in Xiaomi Mi4?

As is disclosed in previous spy photos (relatively with a high liability), MI 4 has a mainstream design, that is a front-panel display with 3 navigation bottoms below. There is no indication that MI 4 is able to carry the fingerprint identification function. However, what if such function is to be designed at on the backside? With reference to existing models, such design has little practicability, and that’s more to do with stunts.

Thus, MI 4 with a fingerprint identification function still puts a huge question mark.

As for the specific configuration, in summary, MI 4, running  MIUI V6 system, is expected to adopt a 5-inch 1080P screen, along with Snapdrago 801 processor（MSM8974AC）, 3-GB Built-in Memory, and 5-million-pixels front camera and 5-million-pixels front camera and 13-million-pixels rear camera.

The change in appearance is one of its attractions: ultra-narrow border and joined metal material help to enhance the quality of visual impact. Besides, the anticipated production capacity will increase a lot more, compared with before. When it comes to the selling price, it is said to be as high as 2499RMB($400). How much do you think?

The post Another Assassin’s Mace of Xiaomi MI 4 Disclosed! appeared first on Gizmochina.

There’s only about a few weeks left until Xiaomi launches their newest installment in the Mi series, the Xiaomi Mi 4. Xiaomi will host a launch event for the Mi 4 along with their other new products on July 22.

In the meantime, new information has come out on the phone’s specs. The Mi 4 uses a 5-inch 1080p display screen. Its processor is the Snapdragon 801 chipset (MSM8974AC) with 2.5GHz. It also sports a 5mp/13mp camera and its operating system is the MIUI V6 OS. The biggest changes in the phone are its mid-size frames and the fact that it was designed with a metal case. Hopefully, the Mi 4 supports 4G internet.

According to previous reports, the Mi 4’s starting price is 1999 RMB.

In addition to the Mi 4, Xiaomi will launch the Hongmi Note 4G edition, Xiaomi Smart Armband, and the MIUI V6.

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Xiaomi’s press conference would be held at The National Conference Center on July 22th, Phoenix digital has received the invitation from Xiaomi as the media guest. The figure below was probably the steel plate of the back cover of Xiaomi. The invitation of the press conference was made of metal, engraved “ A plate of steel’s tour of art” on the back, in with echos to the twitter of Lei Jun, however the received invitation dos’t present the number “4”.

Most of the rumors said that Xiaomi M4 will be powered with 5″ 1080p screen, snapdragon801, 3GB RAM and 16GB ROM, 5MP front camera and a 1300MP rear camera, running MIUI V6, priced at 1,999 yuan($320).

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Last week, the related news about Xiaomi’s annual launch event was released in Weibo by Lei Jun, which had attracted great attention, especially the pictures. People are curious about the implication of the number 4, however, most netizens believe that it refers to xiaomi Mi4. Tickets for the launch event went on sale on www.mi.com at midday. Unsurprisingly, 1000 tickets were sold out in one minute.

Only 1000 tickets were ready for sale this time, and they were only sold online. Since a great number of gifts would be given to participants in every Miphone conference, people are eager to attend it and the supply of the tickets has become further and further from enough. Thus, 1000 tickets were sold out in one minute unsurprisingly.

Currently, Xiaomi has not revealed any message about launch event and did not show any implication, making the situation being mysterious. Different surmise appears on the Internet, including 4G and 4 kinds of products. However, most people still believe that 4 refers to Mi4, because what is written in the picture is Annual Launch Event and they believe there must be major product in such an important conference. Everyone is looking forward what will happen. The answer will be published in July 22.

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Lenovo Octa-core Golden Warrior

The Golden Warrior is a monster smartphone at a crazy price, it was announced last week that will hit availability status on the 18th of July, but before that at 10am on the 14th of July it will be available on the Chinese social network site Weibo at a discount purchase price. The phone really is unbelievable value, the octa-core Mediatek MT6592 processor, 5 inch display and 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage memory, the rear camera is a is 13MP with LED flash, and the front shooter is 5MP. The RRP is a staggeringly low $129 from China Mobiles and $145 from China Unicom.

Xiaomi Mi4

Xiaomi is also expected to launch a new handset on the 22nd July.  Today Bin Lin posted an image on his facebook page of the number 4. The post says “July 22nd, Xiaomi’s annual product launch event. We will tell the story about The journey of a piece of steel metal.” It was then shared on Xiaomi’s timeline with the announcement that “something big is brewing…mark your calendars for July 22nd”.

The announcement, intriguing as it may be, is most likely the announcement of the Mi4 smartphone. The new phone is said to have a 13 MP camera (according to photos supposedly taken with it). There is another post which states that the Mi4 will be available further afield in countries such as  the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, Brazil, Vietnam, Turkey, Thailand, and India.”

The Mi4 is expected to retail at $599.99, and have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 AC processor, running at 2.46GHz. There is also rumoured specifications of 3GB RAM, 16GB ROM and an excellent 8MP front facing camera. We can only wait and see on for certain on July 22nd.

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Xiaomi’s CEO Leijung anouced that Xiaomi Mi4 Will Release On July 22th, and he posted a picture below:

to show Mi 4 will  use steel or other metal material as middle frame. We are sure Xiaomi Mi4 will support 4G LTE and the rumor said it will be powered with Snapdragon 805 and 2K screen, but we are not sure.

According to the Weibo user Mi4 will be a slim phone with  “bezelless” design, the size of the screen would between 5.2″ to 5.4″, and would bepriced at 1999yuan ($320). Xiaomi Mi3s would be priced at 1499yuan ($240) with 5″ 1080p resolution screen and snapdragon 801.

Xiaomi Mi3’s price might be drop to 1299yuan($208) after 22nd July the Mi4 launch event.

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We have seen many of Xiaomi Mi4 leaks in the last 2 months and that’s what we had been proofed from the leaked pictures: 5inch screen, bezelless design, back cover made of special material and gotten unique finish. From what we know Mi 4 will be released at around 20th July. And Mi4’s render pictures with MIUI V5 had already went popular on Chinese social network.

And from what we had know from a previous leak, we have heard that the Xiaomi Mi4 will have 4G LTE, Snapdragon 805, 3GB RAM, and a 16 mega-pixel camera(SONYIMX214). Will you like the new Xiaomi, Mi4? Tell us how you feel about it.

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