Xiaomi is one of China's largest smartphone makers. Although Apple still owns about 7 percent of the Chinese market, Xiaomi is just a bit behind at 6 percent market share, and closing fast.
The Mi4 is positioned as a premium phone for a more upscale customer and follows on the heels of the company's successful release of the Mi3 late last year. Perhaps when the line evolves up to an Mi6, the British intelligence community might take notice.
One of the step-up features of the Mi4 is a stainless steel metal frame. This gives it an Apple-like sheen of class and durability. The remainder of the casing is plastic, and includes interchangeable plastic covers. The swappable back plates are available in an array of fake wood finishes that are quite handsome.
Although the company considers Apple its No. 1 target, the Mi4 features an Android-offshoot proprietary operating system that also aims the Mi4 squarely at the Samsung Galaxy line. The Xiaomi MIUI 6 OS is based on Android's 4.4 KitKat.
The Mi4 is motivated by a 2.5 GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. There is a generous 3 GB of RAM, and storage capacity is offered at either 16 GB or 64 GB. Despite not carrying the most advanced Snapdragon chip on the market, Xiaomi is making claims about the Mi4 being the fastest smartphone available. Time will tell.
The model has a 5-inch, full-HD display. A 13-megapixel rear camera is complemented by an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The front camera features an 80-degree wide-angle lens, the better to shoot those selfies.
It will communicate with the world through the 4G LTE connectivity standard.
Initial price points place the 16 GB model at the equivalent of $300, with the 64 GB model about $400, not really a big mark-up for that much more storage.
Xiaomi will focus at first on the home market in China. It will then be marketed in Asian nations in China's region, with full deployment to the remainder of Asia, Europe and North America not yet on the company's radar. It will probably become a winner in India, where the Mi3 has already garnered boisterous praise from critics and consumers.
Xiaomi has made great strides in the Asian market in a relatively short time - the company is only four years old -- by blending low cost with high-end performance. The only constant critique of the company's products has been about flimsy construction. The Mi4, with its metal frame, addresses that caveat.
