Xiaomi Mi 4i Review: A phone for everyone

The Mi 4i is all about bringing the best experience possible to all users, not just to a select few.

If an iPhone could be an Android smartphone, it would be the Mi 4i from Xiaomi.

The folks over at China’s largest smartphone manufacturer will probably cringe at the comparison. They have, after all, been trying to ward off comparisons to Apple for many years now. But in the interest of getting this phone the attention it deserves, comparing it to the iPhone really gets the job done.

Not that comparisons aren’t deserved. I mean, take a look at the five-inch Mi 4i in its assortment of colors and tell me you don’t think of the iPhone 5C. Both phones are made of similar polycarbonate plastic, share roughly the same form factor, and are designed for a younger, hipper demographic.

Xiaomi’s implementation of Android is also very iOS- esque, a clean and elegant interface, free from the clutter that is sometimes synonymous with Android. The experience on MIUI is non-intimidating and straightforward, transitions are buttery smooth, icons are a uniform size and shape, and just like you’d expect from iOS, simply works.

But beyond these similarities is one crucial diff erentiator, a number, that will dictate the tone of this entire conversation – P9,799, the Mi 4i’s price tag.

That’s a very important distinction to make, not just in the iOS vs Android space, but also among Android phones. And before we dive into a proper review, it’s important to survey the current landscape to explore what else is out there in the same price point.

Sub- P10K Android smartphones available in the Philippines include the Asus Zenfone 2 (P9,995), the Huawei Honor 4X (P8,290) and the Lenovo A7000 (P7,499) – all good phones in their own right, but somehow missing that je

ne sais quoi, that certain something extra that gives the Mi 4i a level of appeal exuded by other smartphones above this price point.

Perhaps my inability to describe this quality lies in what’s inside.

When I received my review unit a week ago, I was also given a review guide that had on it everything there is to know about the phone – new features, a detailed spec sheet, and, on page 19, instructions on how to take the phone apart.

It’s not something I’ve ever encountered. Reviewers aren’t usually encouraged to take a phone apart, but Xiaomi prods, “Seeing is believing.” And in this specific case they want to point out that this China phone is unlike any other, with parts sourced from the best component manufacturers in the biz.

The Mi4i has a processor from Qualcomm, a display from Sharp, and cameras from either Samsung or Sony. Other recognizable brands like FoxConn, Toshiba, Panasonic, and Qualcomm are also listed as part suppliers.

Or perhaps it’s things that happen behind the scenes. Things like meticulous attention to detail, and the focus on features that Xiaomi’s intended user base needs and wants.

Hugo Barra, who once served as Android product chief at Google before he transitioned to chief evangelist and community leader at Xiaomi (his official title is Global Vice President) personally worked on the phone in the last 18 months. He says his team “paid attention to every single detail” but their main thrust was to create a “great experience” in pursuit of the perfect smartphone.

Subtle improvements like improved color saturation and pixels that adjust levels of contrast depending on how bright ( or dark) the surroundings, are a good step forward, a non- grease back coating that ensures the phone is virtually smudge-proof, and a front facing camera that applies varying degrees of skin softening based on gender and age (that it figures out on its own).

Whatever this “it” factor, Xiaomi has managed to build a solid phone that I can confi dently recommend as a daily driver.

It’s roughly the size of an iPhone 6, but with a larger five-inch screen, has a 3100 mAh battery that lasts more than an entire day, and packs enough processing power to perform well, not just in tests but also with real world tasks like gaming, video playback, and beyond normal multitasking.

But if the phone has an Achilles heel, it would be its 16GB of built- in storage. The phone doesn’t have provisions for expandable memory, so you can’t pop in a Micro SD card if you’re running low on space. Some will argue that even the iPhone starts at 16GB, but Apple thankfully offers models with higher storage capacities. If you’re a pro- user who needs more space than most, you’re pretty much out of luck.

Speaking of pro users, it must be said that this phone isn’t in the same league as the iPhone 6 or a high- end Android phone like the Samsung Galaxy S6 or LG G4. It doesn’t come with specs on the bleeding edge, or the most innovative of features. But unless you’re a techie, or need a phone for status, or the satisfaction of having the best tech money can buy, the Mi 4i is suffi cient and then some.

At this point, it’s worth reiterating the phone’s sub- P10K peso price tag. Add to that the fact that for that very reasonable sum of money you get a smartphone that looks great, has everything you’d want or need for everyday utility and entertainment, and with one of the most pleasant software experiences on a phone today.

And at its core, that’s really what the Mi 4i is all about. It’s about bringing the best experience possible to all users, not just to a select few. And that – beyond specs, beyond features, is reason enough to talk about it.

Check out GadgetMatch’s video review of the Xiaomi Mi 4i, visit youtube.com/gadgetmatch and facebook. com/gadgetmatch.