Xiaomi mi4 Chinese networks. Detailed review of Xiaomi Mi4i. Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data rates
Xiaomi is not shy about releasing the same models with different sauces. And the market reacts to this normally, because the manufacturer does not break prices for new items, and the innovations seem timely and appropriate (although we still have to know the need to release Redmi Note 3 Pro almost immediately after Redmi Note 3 (unboxing)). It would seem that just recently the Mi4i model (review) was released, which is a rethinking of the Mi4, and now Mi4c is already being sold with might and main, which is in no way inferior to the Mi4i. Let's understand the innovations.
We would like to thank GearBest.com online store for the device. He currently sells the Mi4c with 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM, and the 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM upgrade will cost you. The prices may have changed by the time you read this - check the website.
Specifications Xiaomi Mi4c:
- Network: GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA / HSPA (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), FDD-LTE (1, 3, 7)
- Platform (at the time of announcement): Android Lollipop with MIUI v7
- Display: 5 ", 1920 x 1080 pixels, IPS, 441 ppi
- Camera: 13 MP, 5-lens optics, f / 2.0, dual-color flash, phase focusing
- Front camera: 5 MP, f / 1.8, 80 degrees
- Processor: 6 cores (2 x Cortex-A57 at 1.8 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A53 at 1.5 GHz), Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
- Graphics chip: Adreno 418
- RAM: 2/3 GB LPDDR3
- Internal memory: 16/32 GB
- Memory card: no
- GPS and GLONASS
- Wi-Fi (802.11a / b / g / n / ac)
- Bluetooth 4.1
- USB Type-C
- Infrared port
- 3.5mm jack
- Two micro-SIM slots
- Battery: non-removable, 3000-3080 mAh
- Dimensions: 138.1 x 69.6 x 7.8mm
Video review and unpacking
A video review will be added in a few days.
Design and equipment
The phone is available in several colors and the box received an orange design to emphasize the bright nature of the device. Inside, everything is standard: a smartphone, documentation, charging with a Chinese plug, a USB Type-C cable, a needle for opening the SIM tray. In addition, there are general instructions in English from the store and an adapter for our sockets (perhaps they no longer come).
Mi4c and Redmi Note 3
For those who have seen the Mi4i review, the Mi4c will surely evoke a sense of déjà vu. Indeed, the new model hardly differs from the previous one - the shape and materials are the same, the dimensions are the same. Of the external differences, we can only note the IR transmitter that appeared on the top end, and the USB Type-C connector at the bottom, which replaced the rapidly aging microUSB socket. The main differences between Mi4c and Mi4i lie inside - more powerful stuffing and an improved camera - more about them below.
The monoblock has a non-removable lid, which minimizes the chances of squeaks and backlash. The volume and power buttons are at the right height and are easy to interact with. Three touch-keys under the display are backlit and have large enough touch zones - it's extremely difficult to miss them. A tray with two micro SIM cards is located on the left side (it's a pity that the tray does not imply the use of a microSD memory card instead of a second SIM card - nowadays this is a very popular solution among Chinese manufacturers). On the back, we see a 13MP camera with dual LED flash, microphone, logo and multimedia speaker grill. The speaker produces a loud and high-quality sound, although it lacks the elaboration of the lower frequencies (Mi4i is not at hand, but if my memory does not let me down, Mi4c is louder).
For Mi4c, as well as for Mi4 and Mi4i, the company has chosen a high-quality 5 ”Full HD-screen with an IPS matrix. The lack of an air gap, good contrast, sufficient brightness, high viewing angles, a comfortable pixel density per inch (441 ppi) - that's all about the Mi4c panel. You can only turn around at the coldish temperature of the display of a particular test sample. It won't take long to turn around, as the settings reveal a section "colors and contrast", where you can choose one of three modes of white balance - warm, standard and cold.
Software
There are many MIUI firmwares for Xiaomi smartphones. Along with the official ones, in which there are only Chinese and English languages \u200b\u200b(by the way, the official firmware is divided into stable, rarely updated, and developer, updated often), there are unofficial, but localized and with a number of differences in the software set. There are custom assemblies as well. In general, supporters of different firmware have different pros and cons, but in order to minimize the likelihood of glitches and lags as a result of third-party intervention from enthusiastic developers, I flashed my Mi4c to the official stable firmware with English, manually installing Google services. At the time of this writing, the software version is MIUI V7.1.4.0.LXKCNCK.
The phone came from the store with all kinds of Chinese garbage, which is usually installed by sellers along with Google services (don't blame the sellers, blame the Chinese utilities for flashing it). Of course, using a smartphone in this form is not very cool, and there may be viruses - I advise you to update it to the selected firmware after receiving Mi4c from any store.
The seventh version of MIUI, like previous releases, is a very interesting platform. In terms of its device, it is far from bare Android and at the same time borrows many things from iOS, due to which, in fact, it is popular. Those who follow our Xiaomi device reviews know that we, in general, have not been overly complimentary about MIUI. Having the opportunity to use flagships from almost all manufacturers, being able to compare and evaluate software from the outside, we could not help but notice sudden lags, regular brakes, application crashes and MIUI errors. However, in its current form, it is possible to find fault with Mi4c on MIUI v7 only with a strong desire. In terms of stability and elaboration, it is at the level of firmware of other vendors, with its own pros and cons.
preinstalled software on the official Chinese firmware
Since the official firmware is intended for Chinese users, it is full of applications and services for them. In international firmware, something is simply missing (online cinema), something is offered in a truncated form (online playback has been removed from the music player), and something is altered (the weather can see cities outside the Middle Kingdom). Note that the Edge controls function, which allows you to perform an action "back" and take a picture by double-tapping on the side edge, is just for show. It doesn't always work, and what good is it in general?
I would like to highlight the Mi Remote app, which uses an IR transmitter. With a sensor not found in Mi4i, you can remotely control your home appliances. So in no time I was able to make a phone with a Sony TV and play a little with my wife, switching channels without a remote control and portraying sincere surprise at the enraged telecom. Do you remember how companies began to massively embed IR transmitters into flagships and then together they stopped? In my opinion, the sensor in a smartphone is needed insofar as (the manufacturers probably studied the statistics of use and came to the same conclusion), but the fact that it exists is a small, but still a plus in the Mi4c's piggy bank.
The Mi4c does not have a dedicated amplifier and DAC (like the Mi4i, whoever says anything), so the codec integrated into the SoC Snapdragon 808 is responsible for the sound. I listened to music with Denon D600 and Xiaomi Mi Headphones. In general, I was satisfied - Mi4c with Denon D600 plays at the level of OnePlus 2, slightly inferior to Meizu MX5 and LG G4. It is comfortable to listen at a volume of 70-80%, that is, there is even a margin. The bass is a little lacking and I do not like the emphasis on the upper mids, but you can make some adjustments to the seven-band equalizer. The Xiaomi Mi headphones are quite average in sound, and the preset for them in Mi Sound Enhancer does not make them much better. Headphones for inexperienced listeners who value design.
Camera
According to the characteristics of the cameras, Mi4i and Mi4c differ only in the support of phase focusing by the main 13-megapixel Mi4c module. Unchanged resolution, 5-lens optics, f / 2.0 aperture, two-tone dual flash. Phase focusing allows you to target an object in just 0.1 seconds, says Xiaomi. And with sufficient light, the camera is really aimed instantly, but in a room and in twilight, focusing takes noticeably longer, albeit less than that of Mi4i or Mi4. In the dark, laser autofocus helps to aim well, but Xiaomi has not yet used it in its smartphones. Optical stabilization is available only for the flagship Mi Note line and for Mi4c it would come in handy, but alas, there is no OIS, and the electronic stabilizer is not able to fully compensate for shaking hands and provide a confident shot with one hand (in general, there is a feeling that when taking a photo it just doesn't work). In this regard, I advise you to click 2-3 times in order to get a clear shot for sure (although it is still almost impossible to get a blurry shot at night).
There are several modes in the camera application, the most interesting of which is manual. The vertical orientation of the interface looks crooked, the knobs and buttons are not very convenient, but the focus, white balance, ISO and shutter speed settings are there - this is the main thing. I like to shoot close-ups, and with manual focus it is quite easy to do. Evaluate a shot with a droplet - you won't be able to shoot this on the vaunted Sony Xperia Z5 the cost is 3 times more, since in a phone with "the best camera in a flagship smartphone" (this is how Sony Mobile advertises the Z5, which I personally call wild buhurt) no full manual mode with focal length adjustment. You can change the exposure by tapping on the screen - press on the focusing area and make your photo brighter or darker in a circular motion clockwise or counterclockwise.
auto and handheld night mode
The shots from Mi4c come out good in good lighting and satisfactory in quality in low light. This is due to the lubrication. For example, out of 9 attempts to remove a Christmas tree toy at home, none were successful, and at home in the distance, on a night composition in all 5 shots, they were out of focus. In general, if you shoot mainly in conditions close to ideal, then there is nothing to worry about, but if you like to photograph indoors and at dusk, and even without a tripod (a joke for MT-schnicks from VK), then you should consider another smartphone.
no effects and with retouching effect
For themselves, a 5-megapixel module with aperture f / 1.8 is provided. It shoots with high quality, just do not forget to turn off the retouching mode - details are lost with it.
The maximum video resolution is limited to Full HD. Tracking autofocus is turned off by default - that's for the best. If the option is activated, the focus will constantly scour. Audio is recorded in stereo, but the microphones are tuned to capture ambient sounds rather than the operator's voice, which goes predominantly to the right channel (we saw a similar problem with the Xperia Z3 and Z3 + until it was fixed in the Z5). Electronic stabilization is very sluggish.
Xiaomi Mi4C is the former flagship smartphone of the Chinese company. It differs from the Mi4 model for the worse in a plastic case without a metal frame, but for the better - with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor against 801. At the moment it is the cheapest smartphone that can rightfully be called a gaming one. Its Adreno 418 graphics accelerator will run any 3D game at high graphics settings.
4K video
The 13 MP camera of the Mi4C is based on the Sony IMX 258 1 / 3.06 "sensor, which is now more typical of budget than mainstream and, even more so, flagship smartphones. But good optimization of the camera drivers allows you to get pictures much better than 13 MP cameras of other smartphones and the Snapdragon 808 processor also supports 4K video recording.
Maiden memory
The main drawback of Xiaomi Mi4C is the small amount of memory by modern standards: RAM 2 GB, permanent 16 GB, and without the possibility of expansion with a MicroSD card. If the lack of RAM can still be solved by flashing from MIUI to Cyanogen (LineageOS), then you just have to put up with the lack of flash memory.
Cheap and cheerful
But all this is more than covered by a very low price - just one complete quick charge Mi4C separately costs almost half a smartphone. In short, the Xiaomi Mi4C is a mid-range smartphone that sells for entry-level models.
Review of the camera, wireless interfaces and conclusion.
The smartphone has all the necessary set of wireless interfaces, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS / GLONASS \\ Beidou and 3G. The NFC module is missing and also the LTE module is missing specifically in my device. The LTE version should be available soon.
Camera.
The Xiaomi Mi4 phone is equipped with two cameras.
The main camera has a 13MP Sony module, model IMX214. Image resolution - 4208 × 3120 pixels. The camera has an LED flash and auto focus.
Front camera 8 megapixel, image size 3264 × 2448 pixels.
The camera interface has now changed a bit with the new "Friday" version. At the bottom of the screen there are only three buttons, the first button opens the "gallery" application, the button in the middle will take a frame, and the one on the right is responsible for video shooting. At the top of the screen there are now 2 buttons, from their designation you can easily guess what they are responsible for. The first button is responsible for the flash, the second is responsible for changing the camera.
If you slide your finger on the screen with the camera application to the left, you will get to the screen for selecting additional functions, here, at the very bottom, there is now a button for calling additional settings. If you slide your finger from left to right, you will be able to select filters.
It also seemed to me that the number of additional settings for photos has grown compared to previous builds of the sixth MIUI. Now you can choose the quality of the photo, the aspect ratio, add the date to the photo, select the function for the volume keys, as well as set the level of contrast, saturation and clarity. Now it is possible to add a grid to the screen, as well as the function of face recognition with displaying gender and age has returned.
Slow motion example:
Video quality can be changed from SD up to 4K:
An example of shooting in SD quality:
An example of shooting in HD quality:
An example of shooting in Full HD quality:
An example of shooting in 4K:
By default, images taken with the front camera are mirrored.
I liked the quality of the photo, for the front camera, the pictures are just wonderful.
Examples of pictures taken with the main camera:
The main camera takes beautiful and high-quality pictures.
Wireless interfaces.
The smartphone has all the necessary set of wireless interfaces, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS / GLONASS \\ Beidou and 3G. The NFC module is missing and also the LTE module is missing specifically in my device. The LTE version should be available soon.
Bluetooth in this phone is version 4.0, the Wi-Fi module knows all the 802.11a / b / g / n protocols, ac and works at 2.4 or 5 GHz. The phone can be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
The work of the wi-fi module showed itself from the best side, the phone keeps the connection just fine.
I received this signal level 5 and 10 meters from the router for a network operating at 2.4 GHz.
Signal level 5 and 10 meters from the router for a network operating at 5 GHz.
The phone works great with both GPS satellites and GLONASS satellites. Literally right after turning on the program, AndroiTS saw 20 satellites and connected to 20 of them. To be honest, this is the first time I see such a good work of the GPS module.
Mi4 has a huge number of sensors.
The phone has an IrDA port, which can be used to control household electrical appliances such as a TV, set-top box, air conditioner and others, where there is an IR receiver.
The phone has excellent audibility of the opponent in the conversational dynamics. The device catches the connection very well and has never let it down for the whole time of use.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, I want to say that I liked this smartphone. The manufacturer was able to achieve excellent indicators not only in performance, but also in the size of the device. It is truly one of the most compact and powerful smartphones with a five-inch screen. The metal body and interchangeable back panels are perfectly combined here, and the battery life of the device is absolutely admirable. But naturally there were some drawbacks:
- Lack of NFC module.
- Lack of LTE module
- Not a replaceable battery, but a replaceable back panel.
- No memory card slot.
- There is a slight backlash in the back cover (in my copy).
- Compared to its predecessor, the phone is slightly thicker
- Compact size, metal body
- IR port
- Performance platform
- Great appearance with the ability to replace the back cover
- Gorgeous bright Full HD screen
- Long battery life
- Excellent cameras
- Official MIUI firmware + constant updates and improvements
Xiaomi Mi 4 smartphone - review
Display: 5 ", IPS-LCD, FullHD, 1920х1080, 441 PPI, OGS
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz Quad Core
Graphics accelerator: Adreno 330 578MHz GPU
RAM: 2/3 GB
Flash memory: 16/64 GB
Memory card:no
Net: 2G: GSM 850MHz, GSM 900MHz, GSM 1800MHz, GSM 1900MHz 3G: WCDMA 850MHz, WCDMA 900MHz, WCDMA 1900MHz, WCDMA 2100MHz
Wireless connection: Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
Camera: 13 Mpix, autofocus, LED flash
Front-camera: 8 megapixels
Ports: microUSB, audio jack
Navigation: GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
SIM card: microSIM
Battery: 3080 mAh, non-removable
Dimensions: 139.2 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm
The weight: 149 g
Additionally: accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor, gyroscope, compass
Price: on TinyDeal for version 2/16 - $ 299 (18 thousand rubles), prices on Yandex.Market Well, the configuration is actually flagship in terms of characteristics. Which is rarely found in smartphones with a 5 "display, but there are many people who love phones with a relatively small display. (I am not one of them, however.) However, only one SIM card attracts attention, and even the lack of support for a memory card is somehow completely uncharacteristic for Chinese manufacturers.By the way, this version arrived without 4G (LTE) support, but there are models with 4G support on the market (including for Russia). Contents of delivery Traditional for Xiaomi box made of recycled cardboard in the style of "What for, you generally have a beautiful box".
But inside everything is somehow packed, and not lying side by side, as is the case with some manufacturers. 
The kit is the simplest: a smartphone, a USB-microUSB cable, a power adapter (they either stick the European adapter with tape to the box, as I had with the Xiaomi Mi Pad, or just attach it separately, as it was here), a clip for a SIM slot -map and brochures. 
Appearance and features
There are no frills and highlights in the design of the smartphone, but it looks quite solid: high-quality white glossy plastic, metal ends with cut bevels. 
Some of the journalists wrote that Mi4, they say, resembles an iPhone 5, - in my opinion, nothing in common. Here's the iPhone 5s. So what? Are the ends metal? So they have a lot of metal smartphones. 
The back cover of Mi4 is glossy white plastic. Considering the fact that the lid is not removable, everything fits perfectly here: nothing creaks or crackles anywhere. But we pay for this with a non-removable battery, no memory card and no second SIM card. This is an expensive price, in my opinion, it would be better if the lid crackled, but there were two more slots. (Moreover, with a non-removable lid, people manage to get out of the situation, like, for example, Huawei, in whose smartphones you can now choose to put a second SIM card or a memory card.) 
On the left side there is a slot for a SIM card. Pull out with a paper clip. The upper end is a headset outlet, an infrared port (so that the smartphone can work as a universal control panel). 
The right side is the volume rocker and the power button. 
The bottom end is a speaker (a microphone is hidden in the same place), microUSB output. 
Control is carried out by touch buttons located under the screen. The buttons are marked - these are "menu", "home" and "return", they can also be highlighted during operation (the duration of the backlight can be set). For a long press of each button, you can set a specific action. 
This smartphone is next to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. 
The phone makes a very decent impression: it looks good, fits quite comfortably in the hand, which is also facilitated by its relatively small size. Display
It uses an IPS-LCD display with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels, made using OGS technology and having 441 pixels per inch. The display is covered with an unnamed tempered safety glass. The glass is scratch resistant, has an oleophobic coating and an anti-reflective filter. The viewing angles are very good, the image quality is almost excellent. By the way, here you can adjust the color temperature. The margin for brightness is good: in normal daylight I set it to 50%. In direct sunlight, the image remains clearly visible. Automatic brightness control works very, very crookedly: it does not react at all to changes in lighting conditions, then it sets some unacceptable values. However, this is often found in android phones. In general, the display is very pleasant. Installing the firmware
Interestingly, a smartphone came to me from China with some of the lightest version of MIUI, where the exposed Russian interface was reproduced with spaces between any letters (that is, all words became twice as long), so you can imagine what kind of pornography came out of this - I didn't have the slightest desire to take screenshots with such a crookedness. However, Xiaomi has a built-in MI-Recovery: you can turn off the phone, then turn it on by holding down the power button and increasing the volume - the corresponding program will start. Choose English there. 
The menu that appears contains the "Install update.zip to System" item. That is, you just have to get the desired firmware, drop it into the root folder of the phone, then turn it off, turn it on in Mi-Recovery and reflash it.
I chose the firmware. I didn't find the right one right away. First I put Cyanogenmod - it turned out to be a terrible curve. Then I decided to install Miui after all: the first two simply did not install. In the end, I found a quite nice firmware MIUI 5.9.13 - so it got up without problems. Device operation This is a MIUI modification, so there is no separate application window here. Main desktop.
Second desktop with applications.
Fast switch area.
Lock window from which you can also go to the phone application or the camera. Also, if you press and hold the "Home" button here, the flashlight will light up, it's very convenient.
MIUI users can register a corresponding account on account.xiaomi.com, after which they will have access to a cloud service (up to 5 GB), in which they can automatically save contacts, messages, photos, calls, notes, Wi-Fi settings, watch settings, voice recorder entries, calendar entries, browser data, blacklists, music, apps and search history. Phone Incoming call - the image is shown in full screen.
Talk mode - the image disappears for some reason. It is possible to record a conversation.
Audibility is good, there were no complaints about the quality. There is noise reduction, the second microphone is located above the camera, but I did not like the result of this system - I saw better noise reduction. Mobile Internet for these test conditions showed high speed.
On Wi-Fi for my home network, the speed was also perfectly normal.
In general, this smartphone will not handle high-quality music (although it depends on the headphones used), but for all other audio tasks it is suitable. In any case, I would trust Bilan. Video
This smartphone plays 4K video without brakes, even on a software decoder. Accordingly, videos of any other resolutions run without any problems. 
GPS
It catches satellites very quickly, determines coordinates steadily, does not fly off the road during navigation.
By the way, what is important, even in this game, the back cover of the smartphone - a common problem of productive systems - practically did not heat up. Settings
The settings in this firmware are very diverse and provide interesting opportunities. 
Management of notifications.
Do not disturb mode.
Parental controls are very useful.
Advanced settings.
Customizing buttons.
About the device.
Filters.
Main functions.
Advanced camera settings.
Now let's look at examples of pictures. (Clickable to open 1920-pixel wide options when clicked.) 
Selfie example - with default settings. By the way, in addition to the usual mode of blurring the face, there is also a mode for removing wrinkles. The camera also tries to determine how old the face is in the frame. She generously gave me 29 years - she was not much mistaken. 
Well, I must also add that the camera has a mode for determining QR codes. It works so-so, but it might come in handy somewhere. Two example videos. The first is FullHD, the second is 4K.
What can I say? In my opinion, the camera is very decent. It shoots sharply, the colors are natural, the white balance in the machine behaves bearable, it rarely misses focusing (especially since there is a focusing mode and shooting by touching the screen). Video also shoots well, although there is not enough stabilizer. (However, I have not yet seen effective video stabilizers in smartphones.) Compare, for example, with the Elephone P7000 - the camera there is noticeably worse. System and performance System data by CPU-Z.
Sensors.
AnTuTu Benchmark gave this smartphone 45,569, which makes it one of the top ten most productive smartphones.
I had no complaints about the speed of the smartphone: it doesn't lag, it works smoothly and smartly. Battery life
It supports Qualcomm's fast charging feature. Quick Charge charges a fully discharged smartphone to 80% in about 45 minutes. It took a little less than two hours to charge from its own adapter from 0 to 100%. The declared battery capacity is 3080 mAh. The tests turned out the same. 
Test modes. (In tests, auto brightness, as I usually do, was disabled.) The Internet. The brightness is set to a comfortable 50%, all wireless networks are on, the page is refreshed in the browser every 30 seconds. 9 hours 30 minutes. Pretty well. Video. Wireless communications are disabled, the brightness is set to a comfortable 50%, in MK Player the video of the series is spinning in a loop. Almost the same as in the previous test - 9 hours 15 minutes. (I thought there would be more.) Purely practically under normal load, the smartphone normally survived until the evening, and there remained somewhere between 30-40% of the charge. Two days in my mode of use, he survived with difficulty. In the most active mode (navigation, Internet, calls, messenger, a lot of photos), the battery lasted about 5 hours. This is completely normal. So, with the battery life, there are no records here, but the indicators are at the expected level. Observations at work and conclusions
Except for the glitches with the firmware with which the phone arrived from the TinyDeal store (a similar story, by the way, was with the Xiaomi Mi Pad, which came from the European Amazon), after installing the normal firmware there were no more problems. The smartphone worked very steadily, complaints there were none. There was practically no heating when using "heavy" applications, and this problem, as I said, is observed in many productive smartphones. In general, I obviously liked the phone, although I am not yet a special fan of the brand itself. But here there are really flagship characteristics - in almost all aspects - and in a device with a relatively small display size. Many users complain that if they do not like 5.5-6 "displays, they cannot really find a smartphone with good characteristics. because, they say, small phones usually have very modest parameters. And just in this case - a very productive device with flagship parameters. And even the camera is good - I was afraid that there would be problems with the camera. Yes, the smartphone costs under $ 300, and not $ 150, but this is quite consistent with the installed hardware. (How much does Sony want for their Xperia Compact 5, which is 4.4 "with HD resolution? $ 620? Well, well ...) By the way, if you are interested in using 4G (LTE ) - look for a model that supports Russian frequencies, these are available. There is also a model with 4G for Russia, while the phone supports two SIM cards - it is called Xiaomi Mi4i. P. S. From the TinyDeal store, the discount coupon for this smartphone is 2GXMM48off. Valid until September 30th, priced at $ 275.99.
Smartphone provided by Xiaomi.ua store
Equipment
Xiaomi Mi4c is the first smartphone of the company, the box of which was painted in bright orange color. The complete set has not changed. Inside, in addition to the device, you can find a USB cable with a Type-C connector, a charger, paper documentation and a paper clip to open the SIM card tray.
Appearance and usability
Xiaomi has already presented one new smartphone of the Mi family this year. This is the mid-range Mi4i. He was on our review, which you. But a few months later, Xiaomi surprised and presented a smartphone with almost the same appearance, but with changed characteristics, which became Mi4c. All external differences boil down to the fact that the usual microUSB was replaced with a new USB Type-C, and an infrared port appeared near the headphone jack for controlling household appliances.
There is nothing wrong with using the Mi4i's design. Xiaomi Mi4c has retained all the advantages of its predecessor: light weight, dimensions and monolithic body. Mi4c also inherited the colors of the case. Now everyone can choose a phone for themselves, thereby showing their individuality. We got a white device for review.
For the convenience of work, two chips have been added. The first is to turn on the device with a double tap on the screen. The option is already available on many devices from other manufacturers, but Mi4c was the first Xiaomi smartphone with this feature. The second is tapping on the sides of the case to go back or take a photo. In the first case, you need to tap your finger twice on the side of the smartphone. Tapping works fairly accurately with little effort. If you just touch, then the smartphone will not accept such a gesture.
For a small 5-inch device, the need for this gesture is doubtful. For two weeks of testing, I could not get used to this gesture, since the location of the control keys in it is already convenient. The need for a gesture in the camera is completely dubious. Yes, the first knock allows the camera to focus, and the second takes a photo, but in practice the photos are often blurry.
Screen
Xiaomi Mi4c is equipped with a 5-inch IPS screen with FullHD resolution. The screen is made using OGS technology. There is a good oleophobic coating. There is no mode of operation with gloves. An interesting fact is that three manufacturers will produce screens for smartphones - Sharp, AUO and LG. We got a smartphone with a display from Sharp.
Measurements showed that the minimum brightness is 1.5 cd / m2, and the maximum is 378 cd / m2. Those who like to read before bed will like the slight brightness, which will not press on the eyes. The backlight is enough for comfortable work with the device even in sunny weather. Automatic brightness control works correctly. The screen contrast is 1 in 1022 - an excellent result.
The color gamut is very wide. In terms of performance, it is closer to AMOLED than to IPS. The color temperature is close to the reference, but slightly overestimated. The gamma curve indicates that the image on the smartphone screen will appear slightly brighter than necessary. It is also worth considering that there is a color tone adjustment and the ability to increase contrast. There is a reading mode, which is needed for more convenient reading from a smartphone. In this mode, the screen turns yellow, but the eyes are less tired.
As a result, the screen is one of the main advantages of a smartphone. It is much better than the one in Mi4i. The picture looks bright and juicy. White is also fine. But it was not without a fly in the ointment - it was the protection of the screen from scratches. I will not say that she is not at all, but she is weak. Even with careful use, a couple of small scratches appeared on the screen in two weeks. So, I advise future owners to get protective glass or film.
Hardware platform
Xiaomi Mi4c is an "above average" device, it is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992 platform, which consists of four Cortex-A53 and two Cortex-A57 cores. Due to the use of Cortex-A57 cores, it is ahead of the eight-core Snapdragon 615, which is equipped with Cortex-A53 cores, in all respects.
Adreno 418 is used as a video adapter. The performance of the video accelerator is almost identical to the Adreno 420 used in Snapdragon 805.
There are two versions of the device - with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, and a version with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory. A younger version came to our review. There is no support for microSD memory cards, but there is OTG. After turning on, 1 GB of RAM and 10.3 GB of internal memory are available.
The benchmark results show that the performance of the model is on par with the LG G4. The smartphone will have no problems with games. Need for Speed \u200b\u200bNo Limits works at high graphics settings, but not at the maximum that can be seen on devices running Tegra K1 or iPhone / iPad of the latest generations. Real Racing 3 runs very smoothly with the highest possible graphics settings without the slightest hint of lag.
The downside of high performance is high case temperature. Interestingly, in Need for Speed \u200b\u200bNo Limits the device does not heat up very much - up to 47 degrees, whereas if you play Real Racing 3 you can heat up the device to 67 degrees. During normal use, the smartphone does not get very hot. Even when using the camera, the heating is not critical.
Xiaomi Mi4c supports work with two SIM-cards of microSIM format. The device works in FDD-LTE / TDD-LTE / WCDMA / TD-SCDMA networks, as well as CDMA. We checked the possibility of working with Intertelecom. Xiaomi Mi4c successfully works on the network, however, data transfer is limited to support for EV-DO Rev. A, which means that the maximum data exchange rate is 3.1 Mb / s. In reality, it is unlikely to exceed 1.5 Mb / s per download. Working with 3G from Kyivstar did not raise any questions. It is also worth noting support for Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n / ac, GPS, Glonass, Beidou. During use, there were no problems with their work. There is an infrared port, but no NFC.
Since the conversation turned to support for mobile networks, it is important to note the quality of the conversational dynamics. There is nothing surprising in this regard. The speaker is good. The quality of voice transmission is at a high level, but still, sometimes there are third-party sounds that can be associated with the quality of the mobile network in some places. There were no complaints about the microphone from the interlocutors. The volume of the multimedia speaker is high. The vibration is pleasant and quite strong. The sound quality in the headphones is at a high level. My Xiaomi Piston 2 paired with Mi4c sound very good. Even in a noisy metro, there is a large headroom. When headphones are connected, there is no background noise that sometimes occurs on other smartphones.
Operating system and shell
Like all devices, Xiaomi Mi4c runs MIUI 7 shell and Android 5.1.1 operating system. At the time of writing the review, there was no global version of the firmware (Russified by Xiaomi), so we tested the smartphone on the weekly MIUI 7 5.10.8 build, translated by the MiuiPro team.
During testing, the firmware proved to be stable. In the future, a global version of the firmware with a pre-installed Russian language is predicted, as well as an update to Android Marshmallow 6.0.
Anyone who wants to fine-tune the phone for themselves will like the fact that you can immediately enable Root access in the firmware. To whom this will not be enough, or at some point will get tired of MIUI, they will be able to install third-party firmware - already now two popular "Roma" are available for Mi4c - Mokee ROM and CyanogenMod 12.1. If you look at the number of unofficial firmwares for Mi4 / Mi3, you can expect that there will be no less of them for Mi4c, so the smartphone will suit fans of different custom.
If you don't like the standard MIUI theme with its slightly cartoonish icons, you should use the Themes app. Here you can find not only ready-made themes, but also just shortcuts, wallpapers, unlock menu and much more. For example, there are ready-made themes for Android Lollipop. Of course, they don't completely duplicate the bare Android interface, but they make it look similar.
Camera
Xiaomi Mi4c is equipped with two cameras - the main one is 13 megapixel f2.0 and the front one is 5 megapixel f2.0. Both cameras record video in FullHD resolution. As in the case of the display, the main camera can be built either on the Sony IMX258 or Samsung S5K3M2 module. Our phone has a Sony IMX258 sensor.
As with other recent Xiaomi smartphones, the camera settings are full of many points. In addition to the familiar panoramas, timer and night mode, there is voice control, skin tone, Tilt Shift, fisheye and manual settings. The latter boast a choice of white balance, focal length, shutter speed and ISO. Video recording capabilities are not that wide. You can select the resolution, focus mode. The camera allows you to record slow-motion and fast-motion videos. Slow motion videos at 120 fps are shot in HD resolution.
Photos in automatic mode
Providing good lighting, the camera does an excellent job. There is little noise in the pictures, the focus is accurate, and the white balance is correct. Pictures are saved quickly. It is also worth noting the good macro shooting capabilities. In the dark, the camera is already much heavier. In order to get a high-quality photo, you need to have a bright and preferably a large object on which the phone will be focused, as well as not move for a few seconds - otherwise, you will get a noisy blurry frame with a focus miss.
Photos in HDR mode
HDR mode is a traditional strength of Xiaomi devices. In it, all photos are slightly more saturated. I am impressed by this type of photography, especially beautiful landscapes or flowers are obtained.
Front-camera
The quality of photos on the front camera is good, but depends a lot on lighting. For lovers of selfies, the front camera is suitable, as it has a wide angle of coverage.
Video recording has never been the strong point of Xiaomi smartphones, but despite this, the video recording quality cannot be called bad. For review, we filmed examples not only day and night, but also Slow Motion video, as well as an example of Time-Lapse recording.
Autonomy
The built-in battery capacity is 3080 mAh. Quick Charge 2.0 is supported. The complete charger can operate in several modes: 5V-2A, 9V-1.2A, 12V-1A. Unfortunately, the smartphone cannot fully unleash the potential of the charger. Charging takes about 1 hour 40 minutes and is linear - 1% charge in 1 minute.
Xiaomi Mi4c withstands a day of intensive work with an average active screen of 4 to 5 hours. If you get involved in games, then the device will be asked for charging earlier. After two hours of playing Need for Speed: No Limits, the battery ran out to 46%. It is important to remember that the battery discharge is fairly even across the entire range. Even if the battery has 10% charge left, you can count on a couple of hours of standby time. During the night, the smartphone does not discharge much - about 4-6% with Wi-Fi turned on.
The synthetic tests have confirmed that the device is doing well with the battery life. Yes, we did not get outstanding results, but the device will be enough for a day of active operation.
Outcome
Now it's time to get acquainted with the cost of a smartphone. The official prices in China are 1299 yuan ($ 203) for the version with 2/16 GB of memory and 1499 yuan ($ 235) for the older device with 3/32 GB. But it is almost impossible to buy a smartphone through a Xiaomi store, so you should focus on $ 290 for the older version when buying in China (for example, on AliExpress) or 7-8.5 thousand hryvnia (depending on the version) when buying in Ukrainian online stores. ...
In terms of the totality of characteristics and sensations that Xiaomi Mi4c gives, it can be safely put on a par with the flagships. If you look at the performance, screen quality and availability of wireless interfaces, a comparison with or Nexus 5x is correct. This is where the device's main trump card comes in - price. Of course, if you find fault with it, then a couple of shortcomings can be found - this is not the best screen protection and the lack of support for microSD memory cards. But this is just nit-picking - the behavior of the protective glass depends on the use model and many smartphones sin with this, and the lack of a memory card slot is solved by purchasing a 32 GB version and more frequent use of cloud storage.
Liked:
High-quality screen
