Xiaomi Mi4i Philippines Price and Release Date, To Be Officially Announced on July 20, 2015
Last week, I received an invitation for the local launch of Xiaomi Mi4i that's set to happen tomorrow, July 20, 2015, at a venue in Makati City. I'll do my best to grace the invite so I can bring the event to you via photos and videos, TP Friends.
Yup, the more affordable version of 2014 flagship release of the Chinese handset maker is finally arriving in the Philippines. I'm not sure if the handset will be available in stores the day or the week after the unveiling -- but I think you should be able to get the device at all authorized outlets - online and in brick and mortar stores - definitely within this month.
Most of the inquires I get about Xiaomi handsets that have yet to be launched in Pinas are about the regular Mi4 -- and understandably so, because it's the top-of-the-line model. But I think the Mi4i is just as interesting and is surely worth checking out.
Sidenote: We still don't know whether Xiaomi will eventually release Mi4 in the Philippines. I'll just forward your questions regarding that model to our friends from Xiaomi tomorrow.
For one, with SRP of only around $200 in China, it's easier on the budget compared to the Mi4. And for that amount, it already lets you enjoy some key features of its more expensive sibling. For one, it sports the same 5-inch Full HD IPS display and 13 MegaPixel autofocus main camera with Dual Tone LED flash (albeit with an inferior aperture for low-light shooting; f/2.0 on Mi4i vs f/1.8 on Mi4). And also, they both offer the same intuitive MIUI experience on top of Android Lollipop operating system.
According to Xiaomi, "We believe that it takes more than just good features to create a beautiful design. From orderly workflows, clear hierarchies to fluent responses, we believe that good design exists in every tap, drag and pinch you make. Natural and intuitive, just the way it should be. This is MIUI 6. It's visually stunning, stunningly simple. It's the start of a new chapter. [Also,] MIUI has a reliable built-in Security Center that takes full advantage of advanced security technologies from Tencent, Kingsoft and LBE. This complete security mechanism ensures perfect privacy protection for users, and optimizes battery and data usage."
Although it lacks the premium aluminum frame, 8 MegaPixel front cam, and more powerful internal hardware of the Xiaomi Mi4, the i-variant has its own charms. For instance, it has Dual SIM capability, which is absent on the regular Mi4. Not to mention, its polycarbonate shell makes it notably lighter, weighing only 130 grams versus the 149 grams heft of the 2014 flagship.
If there's a department where you'd feel that the Mi4i is a slouch compared to the more pricey metal-clad version, it would have to be in terms of its innards; Though, we must note that it is by no means a low-power smartphone.
Xiaomi Mi4i is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615 SoC - which incorporates four 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex-A53, another four of those CPUs clocked at only 1 GHz, and an Adreno 405 GPU. The phone handles with 2 GB of RAM for multitasking and comes with 16GB of non-expandable internal storage. In contrast, the more powerful Mi4 is equipped with a Quad Core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU and Adreno 330 GPU based Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset, 3GB of RAM, and a choice of 16GB or 64GB internal storage.
The TechPinas Price Guesstimate for Xiaomi Mi4i is roughly Php 9,990. We'll know the exact and official suggested retail price of the device tomorrow, around 7 in the evening -- so stay tuned for updates. I join all of you in hoping it would be more affordable than that.
Update as of July 20, 2015: Xiaomi Mi4i has just been launched in the Philippines via an exclusive media event held at Yardstick Cafe in Makati City. The official SRP of the handset is Php 9,799 -- almost Php 200 lower than our price guesstimate, which is great! As a bundled handset with plans, it will be available exclusively via Smart Postpaid starting July 24, 2015. All Xiaomi Mi4i retail units in the open market will also come with a free Smart Prepaid SIM.
Yup, the more affordable version of 2014 flagship release of the Chinese handset maker is finally arriving in the Philippines. I'm not sure if the handset will be available in stores the day or the week after the unveiling -- but I think you should be able to get the device at all authorized outlets - online and in brick and mortar stores - definitely within this month.
Most of the inquires I get about Xiaomi handsets that have yet to be launched in Pinas are about the regular Mi4 -- and understandably so, because it's the top-of-the-line model. But I think the Mi4i is just as interesting and is surely worth checking out.
Sidenote: We still don't know whether Xiaomi will eventually release Mi4 in the Philippines. I'll just forward your questions regarding that model to our friends from Xiaomi tomorrow.
For one, with SRP of only around $200 in China, it's easier on the budget compared to the Mi4. And for that amount, it already lets you enjoy some key features of its more expensive sibling. For one, it sports the same 5-inch Full HD IPS display and 13 MegaPixel autofocus main camera with Dual Tone LED flash (albeit with an inferior aperture for low-light shooting; f/2.0 on Mi4i vs f/1.8 on Mi4). And also, they both offer the same intuitive MIUI experience on top of Android Lollipop operating system.
According to Xiaomi, "We believe that it takes more than just good features to create a beautiful design. From orderly workflows, clear hierarchies to fluent responses, we believe that good design exists in every tap, drag and pinch you make. Natural and intuitive, just the way it should be. This is MIUI 6. It's visually stunning, stunningly simple. It's the start of a new chapter. [Also,] MIUI has a reliable built-in Security Center that takes full advantage of advanced security technologies from Tencent, Kingsoft and LBE. This complete security mechanism ensures perfect privacy protection for users, and optimizes battery and data usage."
Although it lacks the premium aluminum frame, 8 MegaPixel front cam, and more powerful internal hardware of the Xiaomi Mi4, the i-variant has its own charms. For instance, it has Dual SIM capability, which is absent on the regular Mi4. Not to mention, its polycarbonate shell makes it notably lighter, weighing only 130 grams versus the 149 grams heft of the 2014 flagship.
I'd like to credit to Android Authority for all actual unit photos of Mi4i in this post.
If there's a department where you'd feel that the Mi4i is a slouch compared to the more pricey metal-clad version, it would have to be in terms of its innards; Though, we must note that it is by no means a low-power smartphone.
Xiaomi Mi4i is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615 SoC - which incorporates four 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex-A53, another four of those CPUs clocked at only 1 GHz, and an Adreno 405 GPU. The phone handles with 2 GB of RAM for multitasking and comes with 16GB of non-expandable internal storage. In contrast, the more powerful Mi4 is equipped with a Quad Core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU and Adreno 330 GPU based Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset, 3GB of RAM, and a choice of 16GB or 64GB internal storage.
Xiaomi Mi4i is not quite the 'beast' that Mi4 is -- but it is also powerful. The combination of its internal hardware gives Mi4i an Antutu Benchmark Score in the range of 26,000 to 28,000.
The TechPinas Price Guesstimate for Xiaomi Mi4i is roughly Php 9,990. We'll know the exact and official suggested retail price of the device tomorrow, around 7 in the evening -- so stay tuned for updates. I join all of you in hoping it would be more affordable than that.
Update as of July 20, 2015: Xiaomi Mi4i has just been launched in the Philippines via an exclusive media event held at Yardstick Cafe in Makati City. The official SRP of the handset is Php 9,799 -- almost Php 200 lower than our price guesstimate, which is great! As a bundled handset with plans, it will be available exclusively via Smart Postpaid starting July 24, 2015. All Xiaomi Mi4i retail units in the open market will also come with a free Smart Prepaid SIM.
| Name | Xiaomi Mi4i |
| Type | Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen) |
| Price Category | Midrange |
| Dimensions | 138.1 x 69.6 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight | 130 grams |
| Available Colors | Dark Gray, Black, White, Yellow, Blue, Pink |
| Operating System | Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, MIUI 6.0 Skin |
| Display | 5.0 inches (~71.7% screen-to-body ratio), 1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 ppi pixel density), IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Processor | Quad Core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 + Quad Core 1.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A53, Adreno 405 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615 chipset |
| RAM | 2 GB RAM |
| Internal Storage | 16 GB ROM, non-expandable |
| Camera | Main: 13 MegaPixels, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, Dual Tone LED flash Front: 5 MegaPixels |
| Video Capture | Main: 1080p@30fps, 480p@120fps Front: 1080p@30fps (TBC) |
| Audio and Video Playback | MP4, DivX, XviD, WMV, H.264, H.263, MP3, WAV, eAAC+, FLAC player |
| Ports | microUSB v2.0, TV-out (via MHL A/V link), USB On-The-Go Support, 3.5 mm audio jack |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, 3G HSPA+; LTE Variant: Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL |
| GPS | Yes, with GLONASS and A-GPS |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyroscope |
| Network | 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 and SIM 2, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100, 4G Network LTE band 3(1800), 7(2600), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) |
| SIM Card Type | Dual microSIM |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 3,120 mAh battery |
| Uptime | 35 Hours of Talk Time |
| Value-Added Features | MIUI Skin |
| Announcement | China: April 2015 |
| Availability | Philippines: July 2015 |
| Price | Official SRP in China: $200 Price Guesstimate for the Philippines: Php 9,000 to Php 10,000 UPDATE ~ Official SRP in the Philippines: Php 9,799 |
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