Xiaomi is the world’s sixth most popular smartphone manufacturer according to 2014 sales figures. You have likely never bought a Xiaomi, seen a Xiaomi, or even heard of Xiaomi.
That is because 95% of all of Xiaomi’s sales come from China. Just think about that for a minute – it is the sixth biggest global brand, despite only 5% of its sales taking place outside of China. That’s a lot of Chinese consumers.
So, if you’re at the head of Xiaomi, what do you do to try and take that insane level of popularity and profitability abroad? Making a smartphone good enough to compete with any other phone on the market is a good start, but it might not be enough. How about pricing that phone at CN ¥1,999, or roughly £189? Yeah, that ought to help.
The Xiaomi Mi4 is the name of this new flagship device, and for that £189 you get some truly incredible specifications. A 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. 3GB of RAM. A 1080p full-HD 5-inch display. A 13MP rear-facing camera. An 8MP front-facing camera. 4G. A sizeable 3,080 mAh battery.
Can you think of a single device currently available which outright trumps it, all-in-all? We can’t either, which is why we’re all the more excited for the Mi4.
That CN ¥1,999 price tag will net you the 16GB model – there’s a 64GB variant also available for CN ¥2,499, or roughly £236 (we don’t know whether or not it will be microSD-compatible, so it could be worth splashing out on).
The device’s body is set to be Xiaomi’s first to feature metal as well, with a stainless steel frame connecting the screen and plastic removable rear case. Think more along the lines of the iPhone 5s metal trim than the HTC One M8’s unibody.
Xiaomi has already revealed some of the designs that will be available for that removable rear plate, and we have to say they look fantastic. Certainly a welcome change from your regular monochrome options.
As for a release date, we don’t even know of a domestic one yet, let alone an international launch window. We will be sure to update this article as soon as we find out, though.
