XIAOMIIs Xiaomi Mi4 Worth An Upgrade Over Mi3?
Xiaomi has become a household name in a very short time; thanks to its aggressive market strategies and well-priced smartphones that sit neatly between low-end and high-end phones. Xiaomi has proven that it doesn't take a Galaxy or an iPhone to rule the markets without ruining the brand value. Gaining popularity through flash sales, the Chinese smartphone maker has launched three smartphones and some accessories exclusively on Flipkart. Known for high-end features on smartly priced smartphones, Xiaomi made headlines with the Mi3 and seeks to do the same with Mi4.
Xiaomi had released Mi3 in India in July 2014 and has conducted multiple flash sales on Flipkart successfully, selling all the stock in a matter of minutes. In about only 6 months, Xiaomi has launched the successor to Mi3, the Mi4 with better specifications and a higher price. However, is it worth the hype and the extra money buying a Chinese smartphone after all? Although Chinese smartphone do create a rather negative impression in our minds, but we'll clear the dilemma and compare both the smartphones and suggest the best for your needs.
The Mi4 sports a 5 inch IPS LCD display with 1920x1080 pixels (441PPI) much like the Mi3 and comes with the high-end 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, which is a minor upgrade from Snapdragon 800 in Mi3. Such powerful processors are usually seen in phones twice the price of an Mi3. Mi4 comes with 3GB RAM as compared to 2GB RAM in Mi3, so you can expect easier and more efficient memory management on the smartphone.
Camera wise, Xiaomi has kept the rear camera same at 13MP with LED flash, but has upgraded the front-facing camera from 2MP in Mi3 to a mighty 8MP in Mi4 which is quite a steal for a smartphone at this price. Videos can now be captured in 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 120fps in Mi4, which means better optics and clarity.
On the connectivity front, both the smartphones offer 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and microUSB v2.0 support. However, Mi4 comes with support for 4G LTE but not in India. The battery has been increased to 3080mAh in Mi4 from 3050mAh in Mi3, which is a small increment from the perspective of an upgrade. In addition, Xiaomi Mi4 is dust and water resistant but Mi3 isn't. Mi4 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat while Mi3 runs on Android 4.3 JellyBean out of the box. While Mi3 came loaded with Xiaomi's custom MIUI 5.0, they introduced Mi4 in India with their latest MiUi 6 custom version.
Talking about the cosmetic changes, Mi3 measures just 8.1mm thick whereas Mi4 is thicker at 8.9mm and weighs 4 grams more than Mi3 at 149 grams. Both the models come in 16/64GB memory options. Although Mi3 has been discontinued and is being replaced by Mi4, the current Mi3 users shouldn't worry about upgrading their Mi3 to Mi4 anytime soon. From the specifications, it is very clear that although Mi4 has slightly better features, Mi3 is still a champion and fares brilliant in every department considering the price.
For new customers who are looking for high-end features in a mid-range smartphone should take a look at Xiaomi Mi4. Mi3 owners can keep their smartphone as long as Xiaomi doesn't release Mi5 which is expected to bring new software and hardware enhancements; also the Rs 6,000 price difference between the two models is not justified. Xiaomi could have offered it for a lower price to put it in direct competition with the Moto G. OnePlus One is now selling its 16GB variant in India and that will give tough competition to Xiaomi Mi4; however, Mi4 is more accessible with the flash sales happening every now and then and can be purchased from Flipkart for Rs 19,999.
Xiaomi had released Mi3 in India in July 2014 and has conducted multiple flash sales on Flipkart successfully, selling all the stock in a matter of minutes. In about only 6 months, Xiaomi has launched the successor to Mi3, the Mi4 with better specifications and a higher price. However, is it worth the hype and the extra money buying a Chinese smartphone after all? Although Chinese smartphone do create a rather negative impression in our minds, but we'll clear the dilemma and compare both the smartphones and suggest the best for your needs.
The Mi4 sports a 5 inch IPS LCD display with 1920x1080 pixels (441PPI) much like the Mi3 and comes with the high-end 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, which is a minor upgrade from Snapdragon 800 in Mi3. Such powerful processors are usually seen in phones twice the price of an Mi3. Mi4 comes with 3GB RAM as compared to 2GB RAM in Mi3, so you can expect easier and more efficient memory management on the smartphone.
Camera wise, Xiaomi has kept the rear camera same at 13MP with LED flash, but has upgraded the front-facing camera from 2MP in Mi3 to a mighty 8MP in Mi4 which is quite a steal for a smartphone at this price. Videos can now be captured in 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 120fps in Mi4, which means better optics and clarity.
On the connectivity front, both the smartphones offer 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and microUSB v2.0 support. However, Mi4 comes with support for 4G LTE but not in India. The battery has been increased to 3080mAh in Mi4 from 3050mAh in Mi3, which is a small increment from the perspective of an upgrade. In addition, Xiaomi Mi4 is dust and water resistant but Mi3 isn't. Mi4 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat while Mi3 runs on Android 4.3 JellyBean out of the box. While Mi3 came loaded with Xiaomi's custom MIUI 5.0, they introduced Mi4 in India with their latest MiUi 6 custom version.
Talking about the cosmetic changes, Mi3 measures just 8.1mm thick whereas Mi4 is thicker at 8.9mm and weighs 4 grams more than Mi3 at 149 grams. Both the models come in 16/64GB memory options. Although Mi3 has been discontinued and is being replaced by Mi4, the current Mi3 users shouldn't worry about upgrading their Mi3 to Mi4 anytime soon. From the specifications, it is very clear that although Mi4 has slightly better features, Mi3 is still a champion and fares brilliant in every department considering the price.
For new customers who are looking for high-end features in a mid-range smartphone should take a look at Xiaomi Mi4. Mi3 owners can keep their smartphone as long as Xiaomi doesn't release Mi5 which is expected to bring new software and hardware enhancements; also the Rs 6,000 price difference between the two models is not justified. Xiaomi could have offered it for a lower price to put it in direct competition with the Moto G. OnePlus One is now selling its 16GB variant in India and that will give tough competition to Xiaomi Mi4; however, Mi4 is more accessible with the flash sales happening every now and then and can be purchased from Flipkart for Rs 19,999.
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