Why the new Xiaomi is the best phone to buy under Rs 15,000
Over the last two years, Indian consumers have been focussed on phones that cost under Rs 15,000. The primary reason is the improved quality of products being made available, which are the best value for the buyers' money.
In early 2014, Motorola set out to change the game when it launched Moto G in India. And even though it followed a strange "e-retail-only" policy, the company released the device for a rather affordable price, and yes, it was a good phone for that price.
A few months on, Chinese start-up Xiaomi entered India. It launched the Mi 3 in India for a jaw-dropping Rs 13,999. Unlike the Moto G, the Mi 3 was a phone that essentially competed with the best of Samsung, Sony and HTC phones in terms of hardware and features, but cost less than half.
The Mi 3 was one of the first five products that made Xiaomi the hottest smartphone start-up in India over a span of just nine months. Late last week, the company made its first global announcement in New Delhi, to talk about the Mi 4i. According to Xiaomi's Hugo Barra, this is a product he's been working on for the last 18 months, ever since he joined the company after his exit from Google.
With the Mi 4i, Barra and Xiaomi promise more of the same, but on a much grander scale. Priced at Rs 12,999, the Mi 4i, which goes on sale on April 30, is being described as a flagship with features that are better than Xiaomi's expensive phones such as the Mi 4.
Xiaomi has also focused on some core features — the screen technology, the battery, the design, the camera and the software stack. In all these areas, the Mi 4i is impressive.
While the phone shares bits of its name with the higher-end Mi 4, the phone maker insists that the design is slimmer and has a larger battery, better display technology and the software is also more attuned to the Indian market.
The design of the Mi 4i is a departure from other Xiaomi products. It is made out of a dense type of plastic known as "polycarbonate" and is similar to Microsoft's Lumia smartphones in terms of design.
The phone maker's attention to detail for this device is unlike any other phone in the price range. For instance, the phone is wafer-thin at 7.8mm and weighs just 130 grams, just like Samsung's new Galaxy S6. It has metal buttons and its back can resist dust too. In demos, Xiaomi showed that it was possible to rub out a stain from a permanent marker.
To the naked eye, the display on the Mi 4i appears to be better than the Mi 4, and yes even the iPhone 6. The "Sunlight Display" tech works wonders under direct sunlight, making things crystal clear.
Additionally, the eight-core processor on the Mi 4i is better than what you get on most phones in the price band. When I used it, the phone largely offered faultless performance without lags and slow-downs.
The cherry on the cake is the battery. It lasts well beyond a day more than your average Android phone, your revered iPhone or the new Samsung Galaxy S6. If you harbour doubts about the camera, lay them to rest: The Mi 4i packs a very good 13-megapixel snapper on the back. Plus, a five megapixel sensor on the front allows for multiple subjects to be crammed in, ideal for the Oscar-like selfie.
If there's one drawback, it is the missing memory card slot. With only 16 GB for internal storage, it does not seem like a lot in terms of today's usage.
The Mi 4i will be available on Thursday via Flipkart and later on Amazon and Snapdeal, as well as some offline channels. The demand for it will be hot, but if you've already registered to be part of the sale, I'd say, "go for it" whole heartedly.