Xiaomi mi4 version. Xiaomi Mi4i - a brief review of the smartphone and comparison with the Xiaomi Mi4 model

Review of Xiaomi Mi4. It's amazing how quickly Xiaomi has risen to the top of the list of smartphone manufacturers. We doubtfully looked towards an unknown Chinese brand, which could at best release several models of not very interesting smartphones in the first couple of years. The only thing they could attract was their simple design, above-average characteristics and low cost.

But after that the situation began to change very quickly. The ratio of quality, characteristics and price began to rapidly approach the ideal. It was on this “wave” that Xiaomi Mi4 appeared - a smartphone that is in many ways similar to other well-known models, but at the same time special, high-quality, with attention to detail.

Equipment

We can evaluate the quality of ergonomics starting from the packaging - it is laconic, high-quality, made from recycled materials, and can withstand enormous weight. But everything inside is very modest: a phone, a charger, a microUSB cable, documentation with a clip attached to it for the SIM tray.

Design

As for the design of Xiaomi Mi4, there are very different opinions - some are sure that Xiaomi designers copied the iPhone 5/5s, while others consider it unique. But in fact, this is not at all important, the main thing is that the smartphone is attractive and well-thought-out in terms of ergonomics.

Xiaomi Mi4 received a high-quality case thought out to the smallest detail: high-quality materials, excellent assembly, compactness and lightness. The front part of the device is completely protected by tempered glass, the frame is made of stainless steel, and there are small bevels for convenience.

The back panel is plastic, double-layered - the outer translucent glossy layer, and the second one is white with a diamond-shaped texture. Among the additional features, Xiaomi Mi4 has replaceable panels, which is reminiscent of Moto X. All types of panels are available separately from the first day, and today there are dozens of them.

The case doesn't just look monolithic, it really is monolithic, despite the removable back cover. This panel does not have even the slightest play, everything is done to the smallest detail and it is almost impossible for dust to get under the back cover.

Today it’s hard to call the 3mm thick frame on the sides of the display minimal, but it’s not noticeable. Xiaomi Mi4 is still considered one of the most compact smartphones with a 5-inch screen.

Under the display there are touch buttons with bright backlighting, which is visible even during the day. The default functions of the buttons are standard, but in the settings you can reassign their reaction to a long press.

On the right side of the case there are power and volume buttons.

The microSIM card tray is located on the left side; you can only get it out using a special clip from the kit, or a pin or a thick needle.

On the top edge there is a 3.5 mm audio jack for a headset, as well as an infrared port.

microUSB connector for connection charger installed at the bottom, next to the port there is a small perforated grille for the speaker and microphone.

Above the display there is an 8-megapixel front camera, proximity and light sensors, and a speaker mesh.
There is no LED indicator here - it is located under the central Home button.

Display

The smartphone has a 5-inch IPS LCD screen with Full HD resolution and a pixel density of 441ppi. The matrix for the screen is supplied by Sharp/JDI. We don’t know anything about the supplier of protective tempered glass, but the main thing is that it is of high quality, scratch-resistant, and has a good oleophobic coating.

The screen sensor recognizes up to 10 touches simultaneously, and also perceives touches with gloves.

The image quality of the Mi4 screen can be safely rated with the highest score: the picture is clear, the viewing angles of the display for the IPS matrix are maximum, detail is high level. You can additionally select one of the color temperature and saturation modes.

The display does not fade in bright sunlight, it fades noticeably, but the image is still visible. The screen brightness is enough for convenient use outdoors, at night at a minimum brightness level it is also comfortable to read.

Performance

Xiaomi Mi4 uses the Snapdragon 801 platform with a frequency of up to 2.5 GHz, paired with the Adreno 330 graphics accelerator. 3GB of RAM and 16/64 GB of internal memory are also installed. For example, in a version with 16GB of memory, the user can manage 13.3GB. There is no microSD slot here.

AnTuTu test – Xiaomi comparison Mi4 and Xiaomi Mi5

At the time of the start of sales, Xiaomi Mi4 was in the TOP smartphones according to AnTuTu. And today its performance is enough to run MIUI smoothly, support multitasking and play demanding 3D games. By the way, in AnTuTu the smartphone scores 61493 points. The smartphone can get a little warm only when running graphically demanding games.

Technical characteristics of Xiaomi Mi 4

Manufacturer	Xiaomi
Model	Xiaomi Mi 4
Announcement date	2014, July
Network support	GSM/CDMA/HSPA/EVDO/LTE
- 2G	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all versions
- 3G	TD-SCDMA 2010-2025 / 1880-1920 - 4G model
- 4G	LTE band 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300) - 4G model
Bluetooth	v4.0, A2DP
WiFi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, access point
Dimensions	139.2 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm (5.48 x 2.70 x 0.35 inches)
Weight	149 g (5.26 oz)
Accumulator battery	Non-removable, Li-Ion 3080 mAh
Display	(~72.3% of the smartphone surface)
- permission	1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 ppi)
CPU	Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801
- CPU frequency	Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400
- graphic arts	Adreno 330
Memory	16/64 GB, 3 GB RAM
USB	microUSB v2.0, USB Host
Camera	Photo/Video
- main	13 MP, f/1.8, autofocus, LED flash
- frontal	8 MP, f/1.8, 1080p@30fps
operating system	Android OS, v4.4.3 (KitKat), updated to v6.0.1 (Marshmallow)

operating system

If you decide to buy Xiaomi Mi4 from China, then it will come to you without Russian localization and without pre-installed applications from Google. Be prepared to re-read the instructions for flashing your smartphone.

There is no menu of installed applications here; everything is immediately sent to the home screen. Therefore, you immediately need to organize your icons into folders. The grid of icons on the screen can be changed - 4x4 or 4x5.

MIUI has a number of standard applications to enhance the functionality of Android. The only thing Xiaomi still needs to work on is to improve the stability of the firmware.

Camera

The main camera module of Xiaomi Mi4 is a Sony Expos RS with a resolution of 13 megapixels, 6-lens optics, LED flash and f/1.8 aperture.

Front-camera It’s also not simple – 8-megapixel, with 5-lens optics and f/1.8 aperture.

If you have encountered the interface of the Xiaomi camera application before, you will not see anything new on Mi4 - everything is very simple. But in addition there is a simplified mode with a minimum of icons. Traditionally, you can adjust contrast, brightness, resolution, ISO, color temperature, shutter speed, focal length, as well as white balance and effects.

Video – Xiaomi Mi4 Camera Review

Photos turn out natural even without post-processing, with good color rendition, high sharpness, and accurate white balance.
You can shoot video at resolutions up to 4k, but software stabilization and continuous autofocus are only available at resolutions up to 1080p.

Battery

Xiaomi Mi4 received a 3080 mAh battery. This is quite enough for 6-7 hours of work under very heavy load. The smartphone was tested in “balanced” mode, with screen brightness at 75%, volume also at 75%, Full HD video playback.

If we talk about everyday use of the smartphone, the battery will last all day. Of course, it all depends on your scenario, but we took into account the following: up to 2 hours of mobile Internet, communication on social networks, correspondence on WhatsApp, up to 4 hours of listening to music, up to 20 SMS, about an hour of calls, constant Gmail synchronization and up to 50 created photos .

When we discuss iPhones, it is not particularly difficult to remember and understand iPhone difference 5 from iPhone 5s or from iPhone 5c. I believe the merit here is that they are presented loudly and strongly highlight the advantages of each version. Apparently the guys from Xiaomi wanted to do something similar, only they either forgot about the high-profile presentation in Russia or something else, but for the average Russian the difference between them is not at all obvious, although upon examination it is noticeable to the naked eye.

I have compiled a visual chart so that this issue can be sorted out quickly and completely.

Model	Main characteristics	Price (16GB)	Photo
Xiaomi Mi4	smartphone, Android 4.4 No Dual SIM support RAM capacity: 3GB 13 MP camera, autofocus number of cores in processor 4 battery 3080 mAh Case materials: steel and plastic	$189.99 *
Xiaomi Mi4i	smartphone, Android 5.0 Dual SIM support screen 5", resolution 1920x1080 RAM capacity: 2GB 13 MP camera, autofocus number of cores in the processor 8 charging connector type: micro-USB memory 16 GB, without memory card slot 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS battery 3120 mAh Case materials: plastic weight 149 g, WxHxD 69.60x138.10x7.80 mm	$189.99 *
Xiaomi Mi4c	smartphone, Android 5.1 Dual SIM support screen 5", resolution 1920x1080 RAM capacity: 2GB (3GB in 32GB version) 13 MP camera, autofocus number of cores in the processor 6 charging connector type: USB-C memory 16 GB, without memory card slot 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS battery 3080 mAh Case materials: plastic weight 149 g, WxHxD 68.50x139.20x8.90 mm	$214.99 *

As you can see, there are a lot of differences, and Xiaomi Mi4 even has a camera located in a different place. The characteristics show that the most current version is Xiaomi Mi4c. It’s not visible in the table, but there is also a difference in the amount of RAM for the 32 gig version, where Mi4c has 3 gigs on board, and Mi4i remains with the same 2. It is also worth noting that Mi4c was equipped with a more modern USB-C charger, which can be inserted on either side.

Another small table to compare prices for Xiaomi Mi4c

	Xiaomi Mi4c 16GB	Xiaomi Mi4c 32GB
GearBest	$214.99 * (RUB 16,390)	$250.99 * (RUB 19,134)
AliExpress	$216.99 * (RUB 16,542)	$245.99 * (RUB 18,753)
Banggood	$225.56 * (RUB 17,195)	$252.99 * (RUB 19,287)

Instead of output
For myself, before the New Year, I purchased a Xiaomi Mi4c with 32GB and very soon I will share detailed impressions of its use. In short, I am very pleased with the interface, technical capabilities, and especially the appearance. I ordered it on Gearbest because it was cheaper with my bonuses for past purchases and they delivered it to me in about 3 weeks.

And finally, one photo from the Mi4c phone taken this weekend (clickable):

P.s. * - you can return up to 5% of the purchase price by purchasing goods through these links.
Read more.

Alternative namesMi4c- Mi4S

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

Width	69.6 mm 6.96 cm 0.23 ft 2.74in	68.5 mm 6.85 cm 0.22ft 2.7in	70.76 mm 7.08 cm 0.23 ft 2.79in
Height	138.1 mm 13.81 cm 0.45 ft 5.44in	139.2 mm 13.92 cm 0.46ft 5.48in	139.26 mm 13.93 cm 0.46ft 5.48in
Thickness	7.8 mm 0.78 cm 0.03ft 0.31in	8.9 mm 0.89 cm 0.03ft 0.35in	7.8 mm 0.78 cm 0.03ft 0.31in
Weight	132 g 0.29lbs 4.66 oz	149 g 0.33lbs 5.26 oz	133 g 0.29lbs 4.69 oz
Volume	74.97 cm³ 4.55 in³	84.86 cm³ 5.15 in³	76.86 cm³ 4.67 in³
Colors	White Grey Yellow Blue-green Pink	White Black	Black White Golden Lilac
Materials for making the case	Polycarbonate Magnesium alloy	Stainless steel Plastic	Glass Magnesium alloy

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

GSM	GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz	GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz	GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz
CDMA	CDMA 800 MHz CDMA 1900 MHz	CDMA 800 MHz CDMA 1900 MHz	CDMA 800 MHz CDMA 1900 MHz
CDMA2000	-	-	1xEV-DO Rev. A
TD-SCDMA	TD-SCDMA 1880-1920 MHz TD-SCDMA 2010-2025 MHz	TD-SCDMA 1880-1920 MHz TD-SCDMA 2010-2025 MHz	TD-SCDMA 1900 MHz TD-SCDMA 2000 MHz
UMTS	UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz	UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz	UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz
LTE	LTE 1800 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz LTE-TDD 1900 MHz (B39) LTE-TDD 2300 MHz (B40) LTE-TDD 2500 MHz (B41) LTE-TDD 2600 MHz (B38)	-	LTE 1800 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz LTE-TDD 1900 MHz (B39) LTE-TDD 2300 MHz (B40) LTE-TDD 2500 MHz (B41) LTE-TDD 2600 MHz (B38)

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

Operating system (OS)

MIUI V7 (Android 5.0 Lollipop; Android 5.1.1 Lollipop) MIUI V7.2 (Android 5.1.x Lollipop) MIUI V8 (Android 7.0 Nougat) MIUI V9 MIUI V10

MIUI V5 (Android 4.4 KitKat) MIUI V6 MIUI V7.1 (Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow) MIUI V9 MIUI V10

MIUI V7 (Android 5.1.1 Lollipop) MIUI V7.2 (Android 6.0 Marshmallow) MIUI V8 (Android 7.0 Nougat) MIUI V9 MIUI V10

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

SoC (System on Chip)		Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992
Technological process	20 nm	28 nm	20 nm
Processor (CPU)		Krait 400	2x 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A57, 4x 1.44 GHz ARM Cortex-A53
Processor size	64 bit	32 bit	64 bit
Instruction Set Architecture	ARMv8-A	ARMv7	ARMv8-A
Level 0 cache (L0)	4 kB + 4 kB	4 kB + 4 kB	4 kB + 4 kB
Level 1 cache (L1)	16 kB + 16 kB	16 kB + 16 kB	16 kB + 16 kB
Level 2 cache (L2)	2048 kB 2 MB	2048 kB 2 MB	2048 kB 2 MB
Number of processor cores	6	4	6
CPU clock speed	1800 MHz	2500 MHz	1800 MHz
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)	Qualcomm Adreno 418	Qualcomm Adreno 330	Qualcomm Adreno 418
Number of GPU cores	-	4	-
GPU clock speed	600 MHz	578 MHz	600 MHz
Amount of random access memory (RAM)	2 GB 3 GB	3 GB	3 GB
Type of random access memory (RAM)	LPDDR3	LPDDR3	LPDDR3
Number of RAM channels	Dual channel	Dual channel	Dual channel
RAM frequency	933 MHz	933 MHz	933 MHz

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Type/technology	IPS	JDI IPS	IPS
Diagonal	5 in 127 mm 12.7 cm	5 in 127 mm 12.7 cm	5 in 127 mm 12.7 cm
Width	2.45in 62.26 mm 6.23 cm	2.45in 62.26 mm 6.23 cm	2.45in 62.26 mm 6.23 cm
Height	4.36in 110.69 mm 11.07 cm	4.36in 110.69 mm 11.07 cm	4.36in 110.69 mm 11.07 cm
Aspect Ratio	1.778:1 16:9	1.778:1 16:9	1.778:1 16:9
Permission	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel Density	441 ppi 173 ppcm	441 ppi 173 ppcm	441 ppi 173 ppcm
Color depth	24 bit 16777216 flowers	24 bit 16777216 flowers	24 bit 16777216 flowers
Screen area	71.93 %	72.51 %	70.17 %
Other characteristics	Capacitive Multi-touch	Capacitive Multi-touch	Capacitive Multi-touch
	OGS (One Glass Solution) Full Lamination Technology 95% NTSC Viewing angle - 178°	Display manufacturer - Japan Display Inc. OGS (One Glass Solution) Full Lamination Technology 85% NTSC	Full Lamination Technology 95% NTSC

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.

Sensor model	Samsung S5K3M2	Sony IMX214 Exmor RS	-
Sensor type	ISOCELL	CMOS	CMOS
Sensor size	4.69 x 3.52 mm 0.23in	4.69 x 3.52 mm 0.23in	-
Pixel size	1.127 µm 0.001127 mm	1.115 µm 0.001115 mm	-
Crop factor	7.38	7.38	-
Diaphragm	f/2	f/1.8	f/2
Focal length	-	-	4.1 mm
Flash type	Double LED	LED	Double LED
Image Resolution	4160 x 3120 pixels 12.98 MP	4208 x 3120 pixels 13.13 MP	4160 x 3120 pixels 12.98 MP
	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP	3840 x 2160 pixels 8.29 MP	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP
	30fps	30fps	30fps
Characteristics	Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Scene Selection Mode Macro mode	Autofocus Tracking autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Scene Selection Mode	Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode Macro mode
	Phase detection 5-element lens 720p@120fps Available also with Sony IMX258 Exmor RS (CMOS)	1080p@30fps 720p@120fps 6-element lens Blue filter glass Close-loop AF system	Phase detection 5-element lens

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.

Sensor model	-	Sony IMX219PQ Exmor R	-
Sensor type	-	CMOS BSI	-
Sensor size	-	3.67 x 2.76 mm 0.18in	-
Pixel size	-	1.124 µm 0.001124 mm	-
Crop factor	-	9.42	-
Diaphragm	f/2	f/1.8	f/2
Focal length	-	-	1.9 mm
Image Resolution	2560 x 1920 pixels 4.92 MP	3264 x 2448 pixels 7.99 MP	2592 x 1944 pixels 5.04 MP
Video resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP
Video - frame rate/frames per second.	30fps	30fps	30fps
	Angle of view - 85°	-	Angle of view - 85°

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

According to the analytical agency Canalys, in the second quarter of this year, the famous Chinese manufacturer of high-tech devices Xiaomi took first place in the number of smartphones sold in the Chinese market. Considering the volume of this segment, such a result can be called revolutionary. At the same time, the company continues to pursue a policy of official availability only in the local market, and enthusiasts from the rest of the world have to use the services of resellers to get acquainted with very interesting devices from this manufacturer.

Xiaomi Mi3, announced at the end of last year, set a new vector for the company's top devices. If earlier its models were powerful smartphones in relatively simple and compact cases, now significant attention is paid to the design and materials of the device body. In addition, the screen diagonal was increased to 5″, which also affected the positioning.

The new product presented in the summer - Xiaomi Mi4 - received an updated Qualcomm platform, a body with metal elements and MIUI firmware. There are some other differences from its predecessor in technical characteristics Oh. Moreover, in most respects the device can be put on par with the flagships of other companies.

Characteristics

Like its predecessor, Xiaomi Mi4 in the version for WCDMA networks uses a quad-core chip from the Qualcomm Snapdragon family. Only now this is a modification with a core frequency of 2.5 GHz (diagnostic programs show a maximum value of about 2457.6 MHz). In practice, in the vast majority of cases the difference will not be noticeable. In addition, the manufacturer decided to add another gigabyte of RAM - the new product boasts 3 GB.

But nothing has changed with flash memory. Two modifications are offered - 16 and 64 GB; there is no support for memory cards, but if necessary, you can use USB OTG. In the tested junior model, about 11.7 GB of the 13.4 GB flash drive is available to the user out of the box.

The formal characteristics of the smartphone screen are similar to its predecessor - an IPS matrix with Full HD resolution and a 5″ diagonal is used. The physical dimensions of the screen are 62x109.5 mm, which gives a pixel density of about 440 ppi. The touch sensor supports up to ten simultaneous touches. Its sensitivity is quite high, which can sometimes interfere. We did not find any settings for this parameter in the menu.

The device supports 2G (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) and 3G (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) networks with a maximum data transfer rate of 42 Mbit/s (DC-HSPA+). There is one slot for a micro SIM card. There is no support for 4G/LTE in the current modification, and this is perhaps the most serious criticism of the flagship. Some sources talk about the possibility of releasing an updated version of the device this year with support for fourth generation networks.

Charging and connection to a computer are carried out via a standard Micro-USB 2.0 port. It supports OTG, which partially compensates for the lack of a memory card slot. Device memory can be accessed using MTP protocols and PTP. The company offers a special utility for working with Mac OS.

Since the platform is practically no different from the previous version, the set of wireless interfaces and controllers has remained almost unchanged. The device is capable of working with Wi-Fi networks 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, supports Bluetooth 4.0, has a built-in FM radio receiver and can determine coordinates using GPS and Glonass. The new product was deprived of the ability to work with NFC, but an IR transmitter was added for control household appliances.

Interestingly, among the list of sensors in the device you can see devices related to the user’s physical activity, including a detector and a step counter.

As for the cameras, the main one, as before, has a 13 megapixel matrix, is equipped with a flash and supports autofocus. Selfie lovers may like the front camera, which has been improved to 8 megapixels (versus 2.1 megapixels for its predecessor). In addition, the rear camera has gained the ability to record 4K video.

Xiaomi Mi4 smartphone specifications

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8274AC), quad Krait 400 cores, 300 MHz - 2.5 GHz
• GPU Adreno 330
• Operating system Android 4.4.2, MIUI firmware
• Touchscreen IPS, 5″, 1920×1080, capacitive, multi-touch
• RAM 3 GB
• Internal memory 16 or 64 GB
• Communication 2G GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz, 3G WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
• Data transmission GPRS, EDGE, HSPA+, DC-HSPA+
• Bluetooth 4.0, HID support
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4/5 GHz, WLAN Display
• Micro-USB with OTG support
• GPS, AGPS, Glonass, gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, pressure sensor, temperature sensor
• FM radio
• IR transmitter
• Cameras: 13 MP (autofocus, LED flash, 4K video) and 8 MP
• Non-replaceable 3080 mAh lithium-ion battery
• Dimensions 139x68.7x8.9 mm
• Weight 152 g

Today, there are devices on the market based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 platform from many manufacturers, including HTC, LG, Oppo, Samsung, Sony, Vivo and ZTE. In addition, we recently tested an interesting device, OnePlus One, which also uses this SoC. All models are aimed at the top segment, equipped with screens from 5″ and above, and some boast a resolution exceeding Full HD. At the same time, for some users it may be more important to have characteristics such as support for LTE or memory cards.

All these models simply cannot fit into one table, so we will limit ourselves here to only the most similar devices.

	Xiaomi Mi4	Xiaomi Mi3	HTC One M8	Samsung Galaxy S5	Sony Xperia Z2
Screen	5″, IPS	5″, IPS	5″, Super LCD 3	5.1″, Super AMOLED	5.2″, IPS
Permission	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1920×1080, 432 ppi	1920×1080, 423 ppi
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, 4 cores, Krait 400, 2.3 GHz		Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 4 cores, Krait 400, 2.5 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 4 cores, Krait 400, 2.3 GHz
RAM	3 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	3 GB
Flash memory	16/64 GB	16/64 GB	16/32 GB	16 GB	16 GB
Memory card support	No	No	There is	There is	There is
operating system	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.3	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4
4G/LTE	No	No	There is	There is	There is
SIM format	Micro-SIM	Mini-SIM	Nano-SIM	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM
Battery	non-removable, 3080 mAh	non-removable, 3050 mAh	non-removable, 2600 mAh	removable, 2800 mAh	non-removable, 3200 mAh
Cameras	rear 13 MP (4K video), front 8 MP	rear 13 MP, front 2 MP	rear 4 MP, front 5 MP	rear 16 MP (4K video), front 2 MP	rear 20.7 MP (4K video), front 2.2 MP
Dimensions	139×69×8.9 mm, 152 g	144×74×8.3 mm, 142 g	146×71×9.4 mm, 160 g	142×73×8.1 mm, 145 g	147×73×8.2 mm, 163 g
Cost (Ya.Market)	T-10971773 T-11009143	T-10632786 T-10632967	T-10761030 T-10761041	T-10725078	T-10724878
Xiaomi Mi4 (16GB) offers	L-10971773-10

Equipment

The packaging design for the smartphone in question has not changed compared to previous models - a familiar sturdy box made of recycled cardboard. Since the device is aimed at the Chinese market, the main information is provided in this language.

However, a significant part of the technical specifications is in English. In particular, the name of the chipset, the amount of RAM and flash memory, screen resolution, battery capacity, wireless interfaces. But perhaps the most useful for the user will be a listing of cellular network standards and frequency bands.

The smartphone is supplied with a power supply (5 V 2 A, supporting Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology), a Micro-USB cable, a pair of leaflets in Chinese and a key to open the SIM card tray. Note that the standard power supply has a “flat” plug, and for domestic sockets you will need to use an adapter, and the black matte Micro-USB cable looks quite appropriate for the level of the model.

Appearance and ease of use

The company tried to combine a large screen and relatively small body size in the new device. The model turned out to be approximately 5 mm narrower and shorter than its predecessor - 139 × 68.7 × 8.9 mm. And the slight increase in thickness is almost imperceptible due to the shape of the case. Among modern smartphones with a 5″ screen, Xiaomi Mi4 is one of the most compact. Interestingly, the weight has increased by ten grams compared to Mi3, but this does not lead to any inconvenience during use. Rather, on the contrary, it creates the feeling of a solid and powerful device.

One of the reasons for the increase in weight is the use of a steel frame element in the design, which runs externally along the sides. Most of it is matte, and the chamfer on the front side was made smooth. Like some other models, you will notice plastic “jumpers” on the top and bottom ends, which may be used to highlight the wireless antennas.

Formally, the case has a replaceable back panel, but this only gives the opportunity to change the appearance. Under the hood there is no replaceable battery, no slots for a memory card and SIM card. Interestingly, there are no special slots for removing the cover, and, apparently, it is suggested to use special tools. The advantage of this solution is that the body is indistinguishable from monolithic options and looks great. Perhaps this is the most significant difference from its predecessor, which seemed too “plastic” to us.

The device fits perfectly in the hand. The design of the side ends leaves no doubt about the secure holding of the smartphone. The slightly convex surface of the back cover makes it easy to lift the model from the table with one hand.

As for the color design, there are two options: white and black. The first one was used for this review and is shown in the photographs. The second is distinguished by the use of a black background around the screen, a black back cover and a black metal frame.

The smartphone screen is covered with protective glass, the brand of which is not specified by the manufacturer. Please note that this model does not have edges to protect the glass in case it is placed face down on a table. The side margins visually seem very small - the white frame is already two millimeters. But in reality there is still about one millimeter between it and the screen. At the top we see a silver logo, light and proximity sensors, a speaker grille and a front camera window.

Below the screen are three standard touch buttons. Their designations are clearly visible both without and with backlighting. Note that a white LED is used, and the duration of its operation can be adjusted through the menu. You can also configure actions for buttons.

Below the central button is an almost invisible status indicator. It notifies you not only about the charging status, but also about missed calls, messages and notifications. Moreover, for latest events You can independently select colors from seven options.

The volume and lock buttons are located at the top of the right side of the device. They are also made of metal and do not differ in color and texture from the frame. They are easy to find by touch, the pressing is clear and reliable. Interestingly, some changes in the implemented functions are also available for them, although the list of possibilities is small.

On the left side there is a slot for installing a micro SIM card, to open which you need to use the supplied key, a paper clip or other suitable tool.

The tray is also metal and very precisely made. The top end is used for the headset connector and infrared port. At the bottom there is a Micro-USB port, as well as a grille behind which are the main speaker and microphone.

The standard back cover in the version under review is made, at first glance, of simple white plastic. But if you look more closely, you will notice an ornamental mesh on it, coated with transparent varnish. The result is a very expensive looking option.

At the top of the cover there is a hole for an additional microphone, a slightly protruding main camera block and a flash LED. Below them is the traditional manufacturer’s logo made of silver plastic.

We think that many readers will find features in the design of the device that are familiar from other popular models, but this does not detract from the efforts of Xiaomi designers, who were able to combine them into one beautiful, stylish and convenient smartphone.

Screen

Detailed examination using measuring instruments conducted by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. You can read an expert opinion on this screen below.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Xiaomi Mi4, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Xiaomi Mi4 is quite a bit lighter (brightness according to photographs is 110 versus 104 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the Xiaomi Mi4 screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but maybe a little worse than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

With manual brightness control and when the white field was displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 460 cd/m², the minimum was 2.3 cd/m². The maximum brightness is high, which means, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be quite good. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 140 cd/m² (not excessively bright, but it could have been lower), in an office illuminated by artificial light (about 400 lux) the brightness rises to 340 cd/ m² (a bit too much), in a very bright environment (corresponding to the lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) is set to 460 cd/m² (which is what is needed). Brightness slider at 50% - the values ​​are as follows: 7, 180 and 460 cd/m² (in principle, acceptable values), at 0% - 2.3, 24 and 460 cd/m² (the logic is clear). In general, the operation of the automatic brightness adjustment function does not raise any special complaints. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

This smartphone uses an IPS matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Xiaomi Mi4 and Nexus 7, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (over a white field across the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

The colors on the Xiaomi Mi4 screen are oversaturated and clearly shifted to the red area. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Xiaomi Mi4 the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the brightening of blacks and a decrease in image brightness. And a white field:

The brightness at an angle of the screens decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of Xiaomi Mi4 the drop in brightness is noticeably greater. When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a violet or red-violet hue. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is approximately the same!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good, but it is relatively light and has a pronounced tint:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) for an IPS matrix is ​​not the highest - about 735:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 15 ms (8 ms on + 7 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 24 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.27, which is quite a bit higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates somewhat from the power-law dependence:

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

They are atypical, but we have already seen them in the case of Sony Xperia Z2 and Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet. Sony indicates that these screens use LEDs with a blue emitter and green and red phosphors (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix filters, allows for a wide color gamut. Most likely, this statement is also true in the case of Xiaomi Mi4. In the characteristics of this smartphone they simply write that the coverage is very wide and is 84% ​​of the NTSC coverage, presenting this fact as an undeniable advantage. This is an outright lie, since as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above. But the average person is accustomed to the fact that if something is bigger, then it is better, so the manufacturer usually succeeds in such deception and gets away with it.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is slightly higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE (without taking into account the sharp decrease in the dark area) change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This device allows you to change the color balance by choosing one of two saturation profiles and one of three color temperature profiles. The graphs above show additional data obtained for the profiles Warm And Cool. It can be seen that they change the image in accordance with the names: when you select the first, the picture becomes “warmer”, when you select the second, it becomes “cooler”. However, in the first case, ΔE increases slightly. Below is a photo of the Xiaomi Mi4 screen again in comparison with the Nexus 7, which was obtained when selecting a profile Brilliant:

Selecting this profile slightly increased the saturation (color contrast, without changing the gamut) of the image, which only aggravated the detrimental effect of the wide gamut of the Xiaomi Mi4 screen.

Let's summarize. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can most likely be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gaps in the layers of the screen, good uniformity of the black field, and acceptable color balance. Significant disadvantages include low black stability in response to gaze deviation from perpendicular to the screen plane and an excessively wide color gamut, which cannot be corrected to sRGB using standard means. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the quality of the screen can be considered high.

Sound

Thanks to its placement at the bottom end, the main speaker will not overlap no matter how the device is placed. However, when playing in landscape mode, it can be closed by hand, although in this case the locking does not occur - they get lost high frequencies and the sound comes from the back panel. The maximum volume level for this model is average. The sound quality is quite good for a mobile device, low frequencies, as usual, is not enough, but the distortion is unnoticeable even at maximum volume.

The sound of music in headphones is much richer and more accurate. In this mode, you can use an equalizer or select ready-made profiles for certain headphone models. The smartphone has advanced capabilities for working with headsets equipped with buttons. The user can choose the option to adjust the volume or navigate through tracks. We tested this feature with the HTC model, but the Apple headset in this case only works with the central button (start/pause). Note that both models also supported a built-in microphone.

The quality of the main microphone and speaker of the smartphone is not bad. There is an option for noise reduction using a second microphone located above the rear camera. Unfortunately, it only works for traditional telephone conversations. In particular, Skype only uses one microphone, so there is no noise cancellation.

Let us mention the presence of a vibration alert in the device, and for system confirmations you can choose one of three levels of its operation.

Camera

The rear camera with the Sony IMX214 module allows you to take photographs with a resolution of up to 13 megapixels (4208×3120 pixels), it has an LED flash and autofocus. The front camera has an 8 megapixel matrix (3264×2448).

The camera program supports simplified and full interface options. The main screen contains buttons for controlling the flash, switching photo/video modes, changing the camera, accessing the gallery and the settings menu. There are quite a lot of them, so the factory reset button is very appropriate here. Easy mode lets you quickly access panoramas, filters, HDR, and more. Advanced mode allows you to adjust focus modes, ISO, white balance and shutter speed.

In the full settings there is a change in the size and quality of photos, additional settings images, muting the shutter sound, assigning a function to the volume buttons (capture or zoom), and other options. When working with the front camera, there are significantly fewer settings and options.

Among the interesting functions, we mention the detection of faces with gender and age display. The accuracy, of course, is clearly low and depends on the shooting conditions, but in case it comes in handy...

Examples of photographs and comments on them are given below.

	Sharpness is fairly uniform, but overall not very good.
	Noise and what remains of it after processing are clearly visible in the shadows.
	The sky is noticeably dotted with noise and noise reduction.
	You can find several out-of-focus areas in the image, although they still need to be highlighted against the background of the general blur.
	Even with close-ups the camera copes so-so.
	As you zoom out, details begin to get lost in the noise, and the foregrounds aren't much better.
	The camera doesn't handle macro photography very well.
	Although the flash significantly improves the situation.
	In general, the text is legible, although it is noticeably damaged in places.
	The camera does not cope well with night photography.

The camera is far from being a flagship camera, although it can claim to be a good one. It's immediately obvious that she lacks sharpness. Sometimes local areas of unpleasant blur appear. Software processing also leaves much to be desired. Generally speaking, it’s difficult to understand from the pictures exactly which component of the camera is letting it down like this: perhaps it’s all because of not very high-quality optics or because of an excessively noisy sensor, or maybe it’s all in the program. In this case, identifying the “black sheep” is not so easy. In addition, it is possible that all components have defects. This is why the pictures at first glance seem good and even nice, but upon closer examination the desire to shoot with such a camera disappears: here it’s a little noisy, here it’s a little soapy, and there it’s completely blurry. The camera makes such an impression largely due to disappointed expectations: budget smartphone One could still come to terms with such flaws, but here...

Once again the camera's problems are confirmed by bench shooting. The graph shows that the camera shows a poor result, and only in good lighting can the result still be called acceptable, and even then, as can be seen from field photographs, this is not always the case.

Of course, the camera is suitable for some use cases, but the beautiful vacation photos taken by it can probably only be shown on a smartphone screen.

The main camera can shoot video in formats up to 4K inclusive. With it you can adjust the white balance, use the HDR mode and change the focus point at the time of shooting. The front camera always works at 720p, and has filter overlay as an additional feature.

The characteristics of the resulting videos and examples are given in the table below. When recording video with the standard application, only the main microphone is used, and the sound is monophonic. In all modes it is recorded in AAC LC format, two channels, 96 Kbps.

The video quality can hardly be called good. The main problems are standard for mobile devices and include blurriness, noise, poor sensitivity, inconsistent frame rates, rolling shutter, heavy pixelation in fast-moving scenes, and low profile for 4K video.

Software

Xiaomi mobile products traditionally use the MIUI firmware, which is very popular due to its interface, speed and advanced features. Compared with original Android, it offers the user a large number of useful and convenient functions and services, as well as system operation settings. Among them are backup, information protection, changing the appearance of the interface and the functions of indicators and buttons, managing applications and notifications. In this testing, the stable version of KXDCNBF 24.0 was used. The update to it was carried out “over the air” using a built-in utility. This firmware belongs to the MIUI 5.0 family and is based on Android 4.4.2. Note that the manufacturer also promptly offers versions for developers. In particular, they provide root access.

Considering the release of a new basic version of MIUI planned for the near future, it makes little sense to dwell in detail on the current version in this material.

As before, the standard versions only support Chinese and English languages. If you need to work with Russian, you can use third-party firmware or add a Russian keyboard if the OS interface does not need to be translated.

The second significant point is the absence in the firmware Google services. You can find several installation options online. One of the simplest is to use the utility available in the proprietary Mi-market. In addition to it, there are several other services associated with the Mi account - backup, smartphone search, cloud storage and others. The smartphone can be easily rebooted into standard recovery, in which wipe/reset options and installing firmware from a zip file will be available.

When you turn it on for the first time, you configure the interface language (Chinese or English), keyboard, connection to a wireless network, Mi account, synchronization of messages and contacts, phone search function, traffic control, cellular data, positioning services.

The lock screen shows the date and time, the number of unread test messages and other information. It gives you quick access to your phone's apps, messaging, camera, and flashlight. The menu, called up by the power button, contains the items to turn off, reboot, activate airplane mode and enable the silent profile.

The MIUI interface assumes the placement of icons for all installed programs directly on desktops. For convenience, you can collect them in groups. You can place up to 20 icons on each table. The bottom line contains icons for four applications (phone, contacts, browser and messages), but you can add a fifth. The system provides for the use of widgets. The standard firmware contains modules for interface switches, quick access to settings, clock, photo gallery, weather, music, calendar and others.

The appearance of the interface can be easily changed thanks to the support of themes. They can be downloaded from the company’s catalog for free or for Mi-credits. In the second case, there is an option for preliminary testing of the topic.

The switch panel can accommodate up to eleven icons, and the user can independently change their composition. There is also a screen brightness control and a button to call up the settings menu. The notifications tab also shows some additional information, such as the amount of data downloaded via the cellular network and controls for the music player. Individual configuration of notification options for each program is provided.

There are no complaints about the smooth operation of the interface, which, however, is not surprising on such a powerful platform. Most of the traditional programs of the Android operating system are represented original versions MIUI with advanced features. The firmware contains several Chinese utilities, some of which can be removed in the usual way. We will only mention WPS Office, which can be useful for viewing and editing office documents.

The device’s firmware is also interesting due to the presence of a multifunctional Security utility, which is used to implement functions useful to many users: cleaning the system, monitoring traffic consumption (including individually prohibiting programs from working via cellular networks or Wi-Fi), black lists of subscribers, maintaining energy consumption profiles, antivirus scanner and application rights control systems.

The smartphone settings menu is quite rich, so dedicating a special page for quick access to the main parameters is quite justified. The full version consists of both traditional Android items and advanced options. Some of the functions that were previously presented as separate applications have been moved to the settings menu.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone modification in question supports operation in most frequency bands of 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks. There are no comments about the speed of data processing and the quality of telephone conversations. Note that it is possible to record conversations.

The built-in Bluetooth controller provides a traditional set of services, including audio transmission, connection of headsets and input devices. Data transfer speed from a smartphone is about 80 KB/s. At the reception we received a figure of 120 KB/s. Please note that not all file types can be transferred this way.

The smartphone is equipped with the most advanced dual-band wireless controller for mobile devices with support for 802.11a/b/g/n/ac networks. Testing the speed of its operation was carried out with Asus routers RT-N66U and RT-AC68U. The distance between the devices was about four meters. A multi-threaded data exchange scenario was used. In the 2.4 GHz band with the 802.11n standard, the smartphone connects at a speed of 72 Mbit/s, and real performance is 55-60 Mbit/s. For 802.11n in the 5 GHz band, you can count on 120 Mbit/s (connection speed in this mode is 150 Mbit/s). If you have a router with 802.11ac, then you can receive more than 220 Mbit/s for transmission, and the same 120 Mbit/s for reception (connection speed is 433 Mbit/s). As we can see, the results in this class are excellent and clearly better than those of its predecessor. As for the choice of channels in the 5 GHz band, the smartphone is capable of working with both 36/40/44/48 and 149/153/157/161.

Qualcomm is one of the most active manufacturers in terms of implementing new technologies. In particular, the model in question can work with wireless displays using the Miracast standard. Testing with a Netgear receiver has shown that this feature can be used for some scenarios that do not require high resolution or dynamics (for example, presentations).

To determine coordinates, there is support for GPS and Glonass systems. Subjectively, the operating speed and sensitivity of the receiver did not seem very high, but this may also be due to bad weather conditions during the test. Note that the firmware allows you to selectively provide location information to applications.

The FM radio tries to work without connecting headphones, but it doesn't work well. The program has the ability to output sound to the main speaker of the smartphone, compile a list of favorite stations, sleep timer, and broadcast recording mode.

Using an IR transmitter to control household appliances is complicated by the lack of English translation in the standard XMremote utility. However, with some skill, you can still teach her to communicate with your devices. Or you can simply install alternative programs from Google Play, such as IR Remote or IR Remote Control.

Performance

Used in Xiaomi smartphone The Mi4 platform is currently Qualcomm's top solution. And we already know that devices from this manufacturer are capable of showing excellent results both in performance tests and in terms of battery life. This is facilitated by the presence in the firmware of an option to switch the SoC operating mode.

True, Xiaomi Mi4 did not implement an economical mode, limiting itself to the modes of maximum performance (High performance - HP) and balanced (Balance - B). In the first case, the computing cores operate at a constant frequency of 2.5 GHz. As for the second, checking the use of frequencies showed that the work is mainly on 300, 960, 1200 and 1500 MHz.

Interestingly, when running some popular benchmarks in balanced mode, the operating system prompts you to switch to high performance mode. It is also worth noting that when running resource-intensive applications in it, the smartphone body heats up noticeably. According to the built-in temperature sensor, it can exceed 50 degrees.

This year, our laboratory has already been visited by a couple of devices based on this version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC, equipped with screens with Full HD resolution. Interestingly, they belong to completely different market segments. We added the Xiaomi Mi3 (in two of the three supported modes) to the performance comparison.

Formally, we also tested other devices on this chip, but they have a different frequency and/or screen resolution, which puts them in a different category. On the other hand, from a consumer point of view, it is almost impossible to find a difference in the experience of using devices on this platform. The performance level of modern top-end Qualcomm solutions is in most cases excessive, and this section can rather be used to confirm the absence of errors in the firmware than to actually select models based on speed parameters.

In high performance mode, you can record the new product as a leader. However, if you look at the more popular balanced mode, then everything is not so clear. You can also pay attention to the differences in the implementation of processor frequency control modes for Xiaomi Mi4 and Mi3. The second device practically does not reduce the speed of operation in medium mode. But the battery saving option, as we remember from the last article, is significantly slower for the Xiaomi Mi3 than the others. The new device noticeably “sags” immediately when maximum performance is turned off.

We see a similar distribution of forces in graphics tests - at maximum Xiaomi mode Mi4 performed excellently, but in balanced it is inferior to other participants. GFXBench 3.0 again confirmed that it is a graphics-oriented test, since the speed of its execution depends little on the processing cores of the processor. For top platforms, the Bonsai Benchmark and Epic Citadel tests are irrelevant, since they show values ​​close to the maximum of 50-60 fps.

The last group of browser tests also confirms the above results.

In general, there are no comments on the device’s performance. It is quite difficult to find tasks where the speed of work in a balanced mode will not be enough. However, perhaps the manufacturer should have left the Mi4 with all three modes, like its predecessor, or provided the user with more flexibility in setting them up.

The speed of working with internal flash memory when connected to a computer via USB is 17-19 MB/s, which is an average result for this version of the interface. Given the availability fast Wi-Fi, perhaps it will be more convenient to use it to work with files on a smartphone.

Playing video

Considering the modern Qualcomm platform and high-quality MIUI firmware, there is very little chance of encountering problems when playing video files. In addition, it is worth recalling that the device is capable of recording 4K video, so it should show this format. Testing has confirmed that the smartphone supports current formats with high bitrates, resolutions and profiles. The testing results using our method are shown in the table below.

The stock video player showed similar results, except for the lack of support for external subtitle files.

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) 720/24p Great No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of video playback on the smartphone screen itself is excellent, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The smartphone can even display files with a resolution of 4K up to 30 fps inclusive. However, uniform alternation of frames is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes sometimes lead to periodic failure of the correct alternation of intervals between frames and even (very, very rarely) to the skipping of single frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p), the image of the video file itself is displayed one-on-one, exactly along the edge of the screen and in true Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235, which is required for correct playback of typical video files. In the shadows, only a couple of shades are indistinguishable in brightness from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.

Battery life

The capacity of the non-removable battery is almost the same as its predecessor - 3080 mAh. This model claims to support Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology, which allows you to restore the charge of mobile devices much faster than in traditional configurations. Note that the technology was announced more than a year and a half ago and requires the use of an appropriate charger capable of delivering not only the standard 5 V, but also higher voltages, with a power that can reach 60 W. According to the developer, this technology allows you to get half a charge of a 3300 mAh battery in twenty-five minutes. Unfortunately, even today there are very few devices on the market that support this standard. And one of them is Xiaomi Mi4. We tried to evaluate the capabilities of this technology and plotted charge versus time graphs using the original power supply and a conventional model with parameters of 5 V 2 A.

Testing has shown that there is no difference between these options. Both models allow you to get about 80% in an hour and a half, and the last percentage will take about another hour. In general, the situation with this technology is not very clear. The Qualcomm website states that the Xiaomi Mi3 also has support for Quick Charge 2.0, but we did not focus on it at the time of testing and received the same result of two and a half hours for a standard charger.

As we saw above, the device platform is so powerful that in most situations you can use the smartphone in Balance mode, and High performance was apparently saved specifically for those who like to compare numbers in benchmarks. In testing, we, as usual, used the screen brightness setting at 100 cd/m². You should also remember to use AMOLED screen the Samsung smartphone and the larger screen size of the OnePlus model.

	Xiaomi Mi4 (B)	Samsung Galaxy S5	OnePlus One	Xiaomi Mi3 (B)	Xiaomi Mi3 (BS)
Games	5:10	4:30	2:45	4:30	5:30
Reading	16:50	17:20	14:00	12:30	10:50
Video	13:20	12:30	9:30	9:00	9:30

Let us remind you that these indicators significantly depend on the settings of the processor core frequency control system. The Xiaomi Mi4 firmware seems to use algorithms that are less aggressive in terms of performance, so its advantage in autonomy over the previous model is very noticeable. Moreover, for reading and video viewing scenarios, the new product also outperforms the Battery Savings mode in Xiaomi Mi3. Additionally, we conducted a test for a gaming task with the High Performance setting in Xiaomi Mi4. It showed a result of three hours and ten minutes, which once again confirms the lack of practical meaning in this mode for most users.

If we compare the device with other modern smartphones of a similar level, then Xiaomi Mi4 also performs very well.

For most uses of the smartphone, the charge will definitely last for one day. With a light load, you can count on two to three days, especially if you pay attention to the settings of the corresponding profiles in the standard utility.

Prices

The company's website lists prices at 1999 and 2499 yuan for models with 16 and 64 GB of flash memory, respectively. Unfortunately, Xiaomi’s policy makes it significantly more difficult for users outside China to purchase devices, so these attractive figures (formal conversion at the exchange rate gives a little more than 12 and 15 thousand rubles) will have to add a significant markup from resellers. In Moscow, they ask for about 20 thousand rubles for the younger model. Foreign online stores operate in amounts of $400-$500.

Despite this, the device turns out to be cheaper than similar smartphones from HTC, Samsung and Sony. However, the latter can offer LTE, security and support for memory cards, so the choice is not easy. Moreover, there is also OnePlus One, which has an even lower price, and Xiaomi Mi3 may seem to someone a more interesting offer.

Bottom line

The current pace of technology development continues to surprise even us. Over these two years, we have become acquainted with the Xiaomi Mi2, Mi2S, Mi3 models, and now it’s the turn of Mi4. The first two were interesting devices for enthusiasts who pay attention to the hardware platform and its capabilities. When developing Mi3, the company took into account the growing popularity of models with five-inch screens, and also spent some effort on bringing the design to the general “thin and light” trend. At the same time, the device retained the high-performance Qualcomm chip and, like its predecessors, was distinguished by high quality manufacturing and reliable operation.

Xiaomi Mi4, announced this summer, is aimed at the modern top-end smartphone segment. The device is equipped with a powerful platform, a high-quality 5″ screen and a corresponding battery. Let us also mention the preservation of special energy management technologies in the firmware, which allow achieving good results in battery life tests. True, some of the technical characteristics of the considered modification of the device may not satisfy perfectionists. Among them, we mention the lack of support for LTE, NFC and memory cards.

But the most striking change in Mi4 is the updated design of the device using metal and the ability to change back covers. Of course, now in the mobile market it is difficult to call any solutions absolutely original, but Xiaomi Mi4 certainly stands out in this parameter and can compete with industry leaders.

Using MIUI firmware is also worth adding as a plus. It looks attractive, is easy to use, and has a large range of useful additional functions. The only thing that clouds the picture is the lack of Russian language support in the standard version.

It is difficult to unambiguously assess the availability and cost of the device. Due to the fact that it is officially sold only in China, the buyer will have to either communicate with foreign online stores or pay extra to domestic resellers. We would not say that this is a significant disadvantage, but it is worth taking this point into account when choosing.