小米是一家近年来广受欢迎的中国制造商，尤其是在亚洲市场。然而，在世界其他地方，它们并不为人所知。随着他们开始扩张，他们的一些设备进入了欧洲市场。结果，我们设法拿到了他们的顶级智能手机：预装了Android 4.4.4的(Android 4.4.4)小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)。在玩了几个星期之后，我们现在渴望与您分享我们发现的一切。阅读此评论以了解是否值得购买：
硬件规格和包装
小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)采用非常简单和简约的包装。这是一个简单的纸板箱，上面除了(cardboard box)小米标志(Xiaomi logo)外，什么都没有。在盒子的底部你会找到一些关于它的内容的信息，但它大多是用中文写的，所以很难理解你刚买的东西。
打开包装，立马就看到了小米4(Xiaomi Mi 4)。
在包装盒内，在智能手机下方，您会找到充电器及其可拆卸的USB 数据线、用于将(USB cable)SIM 卡(SIM card)从智能手机中取出的小针、保修和快速入门指南(start guide)。不幸的是，即使这是一款高端智能手机，你也没有任何耳机。
小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)有两个版本：4G LTE 版本(LTE version)和WCDMA 版本(WCDMA version)。我们在测试中收到的型号是Mi 4 LTE one。在机身颜色方面，这款智能手机有白色或黑色可供选择。正如您在之前的图片中看到的，我们收到的用于测试的模型是白色变体。
小米4(Mi 4)采用漂亮的5英寸IPS液晶显示屏(IPS LCD display)，拥有1920x1080像素的全高清分辨率(Full HD resolution)和441 ppi像素密度(ppi pixel density)。在硬件规格(hardware specs)方面，这款智能手机搭载Snapdragon 四核(Snapdragon quad-core)处理器，运行频率为 2.5 GHz，辅以 3GB RAM 内存(RAM memory)和快速Adreno 330图形芯片。在可用存储空间(storage space)方面，您可以选择购买配备 16GB 或 64GB 内存的小米 4 。(Mi 4)不幸的是，此设备不包含microSD 插槽，因此您将被(microSD slot)存储空间(storage space)卡住你从一开始就得到。Mi 4的自主性由一块 3080 mAh 的锂离子(mAh lithium-ion) 聚合物电池(polymer battery)处理。
小米 4(Mi 4)的后置摄像头由 13 兆像素索尼图像(Sony image)传感器供电，具有 6 元素镜头、闪光灯和高速对焦(speed focus)。前置摄像头也由索尼图像(Sony image)传感器供电，但分辨率“仅”为 8 兆像素。
在连接选项方面，您可以使用 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 标准支持microUSB 2.0、蓝牙 4.0(Bluetooth 4.0)和无线网络，这意味着(wireless networking)小米 4(Mi 4)能够连接到 2.4 GHz和 5 GHz无线网络。连接方面一个有趣的补充是小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)有一个 IR（红外线）发射器。这意味着您可以将智能手机用作其他各种设备的遥控器，例如客厅电视(living room TV)。
小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)的机身由铝和塑料制成(aluminium and plastics)，但重量仅为 140 克。这款智能手机的宽度为 68.5 毫米，高度为 139.2 毫米，厚度仅为 8.9 毫米。
如果您想了解更多关于小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)规格的详细信息，请查看其官网：小米 4 规格(Mi 4 Specs)。
Mi 4 是小米的旗舰智能手机，它有很多值得炫耀的地方。Mi 4 配备高端 2.5 GHz 四核 CPU、3GB RAM 内存和 13 MP 摄像头，是市场上最好的 Android 智能手机之一。它的硬件可以轻松处理任何类型的应用程序或游戏。我们唯一反对的是小米在包装内不包含任何耳机这一事实。(The Mi 4 is Xiaomi's flagship smartphone and it has a lot to show off. With a high end 2.5 GHz quad-core CPU, 3GB of RAM memory and a 13 MP camera, the Mi 4 is one of the best Android smartphones on the market. Its hardware will handle with ease any kind of app or game. The only thing we would hold against it is the fact that Xiaomi doesn't include any headphones inside the package.)
设计和建造质量
小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)看起来像一体式设备，但看起来并非如此。虽然移除后盖并不容易，但如果您使用吸盘(suction cup)，则可以。智能手机的外观和感觉都像是一款高级设备。它的轮辋由铝制成，背面由优质塑料制成(quality plastic)。8.9毫米的纤薄轮廓(mm profile)也增添了这种感觉。
电源键和音量键(power button and volume rocker)都在小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)的右侧。它们易于按压，它们的位置使得即使只用一只手也能舒适地使用智能手机。另一方面，我们不喜欢智能手机没有专用的相机按钮(camera button)。对于具有如此出色相机的智能手机来说，这将是一个很好的补充。
在小米 4(Mi 4)的底部，您会发现三个电容式按钮，分别用于“最近使用的应用”、“主页”(Recent Apps, Home)和“返回”(Back)。这些按钮很小，设计简约，但它们看起来很好，很适合挡板。
小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)的背面看起来和手感也不错。即使背板是用光面塑料制成的，它的质量也很好。小米4(Mi 4)的边缘略微圆润，带有金属边框，握起来感觉很舒服，不会给你感觉它会从你手中滑落。
正如我们之前提到的，小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)采用 5 英寸IPS LCD 显示屏(IPS LCD display)，分辨率为Full HD 1920 x 1080。因为它使用IPS 面板(IPS panel)，所以您可以获得宽广的视角和自然的色彩。然后，高全高清分辨率(Full HD resolution)与 5 英寸屏幕尺寸相结合，意味着您还可以获得高像素密度(pixel density)(441 ppi)。高像素密度(pixel density)意味着明亮的色彩、深黑色、锐利的边缘和平滑的文本。智能手机还受益于环境光传感器(ambient light sensor)，它会根据您周围的光量自动调暗或调亮显示屏。在户外使用此设备时，您不会有任何麻烦。
小米米 4 是一款漂亮的智能手机，具有非常好的制造质量。仅提及它的几个优点：无论是在室内还是室外，显示屏都很棒，相机速度非常快，可以拍出漂亮的照片，而智能手机的机身感觉就像是一款高级设备。(Xiaomi Mi 4 is a beautiful smartphone with really good build quality. To mention just a few of its strong points: the display is great both indoors and outdoors, the camera is really fast and takes nice photos and the smartphone's body feels like a premium device.)
小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)上的智能手机体验(Smartphone Experience)
小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)上的电话通话质量非常好。在任何情况下，通话声音都足够清晰和响亮。即使您或与您交谈的人处于嘈杂的环境中，你们彼此之间的理解也不会出现问题。在信号接收方面，我们也没有遇到任何问题。即使在不太完美的条件下也是如此，因为我们在可以使用 4G 的地理区域测试了小米 4(Mi 4)，但信号强度不是那么好。
听音乐或使用耳机通话时的音频质量非常好，可用的声音增强功能非常好。然而，当使用智能手机的内置扬声器时，情况就不那么好了。小米 4 不会扭曲任何声音，但扬声器的最高音量非常低，低频（低音）听起来不太好。如果您将扬声器用于通话，则可以，但不能用于媒体播放。
操作系统方面(operating system)，小米4(Xiaomi Mi 4)采用了Android 4.4.4 Kitkat，但采用了小米(Xiaomi)自己的皮肤——MIUI 5.5.15。但我们将在后面的部分中详细讨论Mi 4上的软件。现在我们只说操作系统(operating system)，即使经过大量修改，也非常快速和流畅。
与许多其他高端智能手机一样，小米 4在(Mi 4)拍照体验方面(camera experience)并没有让人失望。小米并不是一家对硬件组件保密的公司，因此我们知道小米 4(Mi 4)的主摄像头使用的是索尼图像传感器(image sensor)。强大的硬件和良好的图像传感器(image sensor)的最终结果(end result)是快速的相机和良好的照片。
3080 mAh 的电池(mAh battery)也令人印象深刻，在正常使用情况下，它应该能够让您的智能手机运行一天以上。但是，这在很大程度上取决于您使用智能手机的方式：如果您玩很多游戏，则每天必须为它充电不止一次。但是我们稍后会在我们评测的基准部分看到更多关于它的表现。
总的来说，小米 4 提供了非常好的智能手机体验。即使在 4G 网络上，电话也很清晰，信号强度也很好。智能手机的内置扬声器非常适合电话交谈，但我们不建议您将其用于媒体播放。为此，使用耳机套装，您不会失望的。此外，操作系统非常快速流畅，电池也很充足。(Overall, the Xiaomi Mi 4 offers a very good smartphone experience. Phone calls are clear and the signal strength is good even on 4G networks. The smartphone's internal speaker works well for phone conversations but we wouldn't recommend that you use it for media playback. For that, use a headphones set and you won't be disappointed. Also, the operating system is very fast and fluid, and the battery is generous.)
小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)的拍照体验(Camera Experience)
小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)的后置主摄像头具有 13 兆像素，它使用索尼图像(Sony image)传感器，并辅以LED 闪光灯(LED flash)，用于低光照片。小米 4(Mi 4)还提供了一个同样由索尼制造的 8 兆像素(Sony)前置摄像头(front camera)。
小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)上可用的默认相机软件(default camera software)具有相当多的功能。你会发现这款智能手机可以开箱即用地使用HDR拍照，可以进行连拍，可以拍摄全景照片，还可以将照片的焦点锁定在一个主题上。
在下面的图库中，您可以看到使用小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)拍摄的照片的外观。我们收录了一些在阳光明媚的户外使用小米 4(Mi 4)主摄像头拍摄的照片，也包括了室内照片、特写照片和一些使用前置摄像头(front camera)拍摄的自拍照。请注意，对于每张照片，我们都使用了相机的自动设置，对于户外照片，我们还打开了HDR功能。
虽然主摄像头拍得非常好，尤其是在光线充足的环境中，但前置摄像头(front camera)并不是那么好。但是，它的 8 兆像素对于视频通话来说绰绰有余，即使在自拍方面也很不错。
说到视频质量(video quality)，小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)让我们大吃一惊。智能手机以全高清（1080p，30fps）拍摄视频，但它也能够以 3840 (Full HD)x 2160像素的分辨率和 40 Mbps的比特率录制 4K（2160p，30fps）的视频。您获得的声音是立体声，它以 96 Kbps 的比特(Kbps bit)率捕获。
为了了解录制移动物体时视频的外观，请查看下面的示例。
再往前，您可以看到另一个视频，我们在其中使用HDR录制了静态全景图，同时移动手机。
相机还可以拍摄延时(time lapse)视频，您还可以设置拍摄间隔(shoot interval)和慢动作视频(motion videos)。有关慢动作视频(motion videos)外观的示例，请查看以下示例。
小米米 4 配备了出色的相机。虽然它可能无法与其他供应商为其智能手机配备的相机相提并论，但它仍然很棒。考虑到小米 4 是一款高端智能手机，但价格比其直接竞争对手更好，我们只能满足。(Xiaomi Mi 4 features a great camera. While it might not compare to the cameras other vendors equip their smartphones with, it is still great. Considering that the Xiaomi Mi 4 is a high end smartphone but comes at a better price than its direct competition, we cannot be anything else but satisfied.)
Android 4.4.4 Kitkat、MIUI 5.5.15和捆绑应用程序(Bundled Apps)
我们在测试中收到的小米米 4在(Xiaomi Mi 4)Android 4.4.4 Kitkat上运行。然而，它并不是最初的安卓操作系统(Android operating)，而是一个高度定制的版本，叫做MIUI。在我们测试时，MIUI的版本是 5.5.15(version 5.5.15)。
虽然它不是最初的Android，但我们必须承认我们喜欢智能手机的快速和响应速度。其次，MIUI看起来真的很棒，因为美感是其开发人员的重中之重。与我们过去在Android设备上看到的一个有趣的区别是， MIUI没有提供(MIUI)应用程序抽屉(app drawer)，而是将所有内容都保留在其主屏幕上。但是，为了稍微整理你的东西，你总是可以创建文件夹。
小米(Xiaomi)不提供谷歌(Google)的原生应用程序，而是更喜欢捆绑自己的应用程序。我们的测试设备拥有您在(test device)核心应用(core apps)方面所需的一切。它带有自己的邮件应用程序(Mail app)、音乐应用程序(Music app)、相机应用程序(Camera app)、云存储应用程序 -小米云(Mi Cloud)、文件资源管理器(File Explorer)等。但是，即使您无法删除它们，如果您不喜欢这些应用程序中的任何一个，您也可以安装自己的应用程序，然后将其设置为默认值。
在我们看来，小米 4 提供了良好的软件体验。它在 Android 4.4.4 Kitkat 上运行，但使用制造商自己的皮肤：MIUI 5，它提供了非常漂亮且响应迅速的用户体验。我们喜欢它，我们认为它比我们见过的其他自定义皮肤好得多，比如三星的 Touchwiz。(In our opinion, Xiaomi Mi 4 offers a good software experience. It runs on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, but with the manufacturer's own skin: MIUI 5, which offers a very beautiful and responsive user experience. We love it and we consider it to be a lot better than other custom skins we've seen, such as Samsung's Touchwiz.)
购买小米米 4(A Xiaomi Mi 4)前您应该了解的重要事项
小米(Xiaomi)是一家中国制造商，其设备主要在亚洲市场销售。由于中国(China)是小米 4(Mi 4)的主要目标市场，小米在向客户提供(Xiaomi)谷歌(Google)服务方面相当谨慎。默认情况下，小米 4(Mi 4)使用的是小米(Xiaomi)自己的小米市场(Mi Market)，而不是我们都习惯的Google Play 。此外，(Furthermore)智能手机上(smartphone differ)预装的应用程序因国家/地区而异，具体取决于小米(Xiaomi)在哪里销售其设备。
在购买小米智能手机(Xiaomi smartphone)之前，请仔细检查它是否适用于欧洲或美国市场，而不是亚洲市场。为亚洲市场设计的智能手机没有预装谷歌应用程序。(Google)这样说来，我们真的没有任何意义：没有Google Play、没有Gmail、没有Google Calendar和没有Google Docs。如果您打算购买小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)，请务必先检查它是否预装了Google应用程序。(Google)
基准性能
我们已经知道小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)就其内置的硬件而言是一头野兽。但是，如果不测试硬件，只知道规格并没有多大意义。因此，为了更好地了解Mi 4提供的性能，我们运行了一些基准测试。
为了测量CPU的速度，我们使用了Vellamo，这是一款流行的Android基准测试应用程序(benchmarking app)。
我们运行的第一个测试是Vellamo Multicore，旨在测量同时运行多个任务时CPU的性能。(CPU)小米米4(Mi 4)获得 1696 分，高于三星 Galaxy S5(Samsung Galaxy S5)，但略低于HTC One M8。
然后我们想看看CPU处理单个任务操作的能力如何。这个测试特别重要，因为许多应用程序不知道如何使用多个处理器内核(processor core)。小米 4在(Xiaomi Mi 4)Vellamo Metal测试中获得 1586 分，这一次超过了LG G3、HTC One M8 或三星 Galaxy S5(HTC One M8 or Samsung Galaxy S5)等其他旗舰产品。
另一个重要方面，尤其是对于游戏玩家而言，是智能手机的游戏性能。为了测试这一点，我们使用GFXBench GL Benchmark。从游戏的角度来看，我们认为最相关的两个测试是曼哈顿和霸王龙(Manhattan and T-Rex)。我们只考虑它们的Offscreen 版本(Offscreen version)，因为这样，无论设备的原始分辨率如何，测试都以 1080p 的分辨率运行。
在曼哈顿测试(Manhattan test)中，小米4(Xiaomi Mi 4)获得了706帧，与三星(Samsung)的Galaxy S5持平(Galaxy S5)。
在霸王龙测试中，小米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)获得了 1534 帧。该分数表明，小米 4(Mi 4)提供的游戏性能(gaming performance)与您从Apple iPhone 5S或HTC One M8 获得的游戏性能相似。
既然我们知道了小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)在原始功率和游戏体验方面(power and gaming experience)的表现，我们想看看它在更实际的活动中表现如何，比如浏览网页。为了衡量它在这方面的表现，我们再次求助于Vellamo。它的浏览器测试衡量设备在使用HTML 5(HTML 5)、CSS 3或运行JavaScript呈现网页时的性能。小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)获得 4043 分，排名高于LG G3或三星 Galaxy S3(Samsung Galaxy S3)。
然后，我们进行了最终基准测试，即测试设备的自主性。为此，我们将小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)的电池充满电，然后进行PCMark Work 电池寿命(Work battery life)测试。小米米4(Xiaomi Mi 4)成功抵抗了大约9个小时，令人印象深刻。
小米 4 是一款高端设备，基准测试证实了这一说法。智能手机在处理您提交给它的最苛刻的任务时也没有任何问题。(The Xiaomi Mi 4 is a high end device, and the benchmarking tests confirm this statement. The smartphone has no trouble whatsoever at handling even the most demanding tasks you throw at it.)
判决
Mi 4是中国智能手机制造商(smartphone manufacturer) 小米(Xiaomi)的旗舰产品。这是一款具有非常强大的硬件、良好的设计和良好的制造质量(build quality)的设备。定制的Android 风格(Android flavor)- MIUI - 也是一个经过微调的用户界面，既美观又易于使用。如果您还考虑到它的价格低于具有相似硬件和功能(hardware and features)的直接竞争对手，您不能不认为这是一个非常好的购买。我们非常喜欢小米米 4(Xiaomi Mi 4)，我们向大家推荐它。但是，如果您不住在中国(China)或其他靠近亚洲的国家，您应该确保您购买的型号包括谷歌应用程序(Google Apps)。
Reviewing Xiaomi Mi 4 - The Chinese High End Android Smartphone
Xiaomi is a chinese manufacturer that gained a lot of popularity in recent years, espeсially in the Asian marketѕ. In the reѕt of the world however, they аre not νery well known. As they began expanding, some of their devices arrived on the European markеts. As a result, we managed to get our hаnds on their toр smartphone: thе Xiаomi Mi 4 that сomes with Andrоid 4.4.4 preinstalled. After playing with іt fоr a fеw weeks, we are now eager to share with you everything we found. Read this review to learn whether it is wоrth buying or not:
Hardware Specifications & Packaging
The Xiaomi Mi 4 comes in a very simple and minimalistic package. It's a simple cardboard box, with nothing printed on it except the Xiaomi logo. On the bottom of the box you will find some information about its contents, but it's mostly written in chinese, so it's pretty hard to understand what you just bought.
Once you open the package, you immediately see the Xiaomi Mi 4.
Inside the box, under the smartphone, you'll find a charger and its detachable USB cable, a small pin for taking the SIM card out of the smartphone, the warranty and a quick start guide. Unfortunately, even though this is a high-end smartphone, you don't get any headphones.
Xiaomi Mi 4 is available in two versions: a 4G LTE version and a WCDMA version. The model we received in tests is the Mi 4 LTE one. In terms of body colors, this smartphone is available in white or black. As you've seen in the previous pictures, the model we received for testing was the white variant.
Mi 4 uses a beautiful 5 inch IPS LCD display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and 441 ppi pixel density. In terms of hardware specs, the smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon quad-core processor running at 2.5 GHz, complemented by 3GB of RAM memory and a fast Adreno 330 graphic chip. When it comes to the storage space available, you can opt to buy the Mi 4 with 16GB or 64GB of internal memory. Unfortunately, this device doesn't include a microSD slot, so you'll be stuck with the storage space you get from the start. Mi 4's autonomy is handled by a generous 3080 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery.
The rear camera on the Mi 4 is powered by a 13 megapixels Sony image sensor, has a 6 element lens, flash and high speed focus. The front camera is also powered by a Sony image sensor, but offers a resolution of "only" 8 megapixels.
In terms of connectivity options, you get support for microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0 and wireless networking using the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards, meaning the Mi 4 is able to connect to both 2.4 GHz and 5GHz wireless networks. An interesting addition in connectivity terms is the fact that Xiaomi Mi 4 has an IR (infrared) emitter. That means you can use your smartphone as a remote control for other various devices, like your living room TV.
Xiaomi Mi 4's body is built from aluminium and plastics, but weighs only 140 grams. The smartphone has a width of 68.5 mm, a height of 139.2 mm and is only 8.9 mm thick.
If you'd like to see more details about the specifications of the Xiaomi Mi 4, check its official website: Mi 4 Specs.
The Mi 4 is Xiaomi's flagship smartphone and it has a lot to show off. With a high end 2.5 GHz quad-core CPU, 3GB of RAM memory and a 13 MP camera, the Mi 4 is one of the best Android smartphones on the market. Its hardware will handle with ease any kind of app or game. The only thing we would hold against it is the fact that Xiaomi doesn't include any headphones inside the package.
Design & Build Quality
The Xiaomi Mi 4 looks like a unibody device, but it appears it is not. While it's not easy to remove the back cover, you can if you use a suction cup. The smartphone looks and feels like a premium device. Its rims are made from aluminium and the back is built from high quality plastic. The thin 8.9 mm profile also adds to this feeling.
The power button and volume rocker are both found on the right side of the Xiaomi Mi 4. They are easy to press and their positioning makes it comfortable to use the smartphone even with only one hand. On the other hand, we didn't like that the smartphone doesn't have a dedicated camera button. This would have been a nice addition to a smartphone with such a good camera.
On the bottom of the Mi 4, you'll find three capacitive buttons for Recent Apps, Home and Back. These buttons are small and have a minimalistic design, but they look good and fit nicely on the bezel.
The back of the Xiaomi Mi 4 also looks and feels good. Even if the backplate is made of glossy plastic, its quality is good. Being slightly rounded on the edges and having metal rims, the Mi 4 feels comfortable when you hold it and doesn't give you the impression that it will slip from your hand.
As we mentioned earlier, Xiaomi Mi 4 uses a 5 inches IPS LCD display with a Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. Because it uses an IPS panel, you get wide viewing angles and natural colors. Then, the high Full HD resolution put together with the 5 inches screen size means you also get a high pixel density (441 ppi). A high pixel density means bright colors, deep blacks, sharp edges and smooth text. The smartphone also benefits from an ambient light sensor, which automatically dims or brightens the display depending on the amount of light around you. You won't have any kind of trouble when using this device outdoors.
Xiaomi Mi 4 is a beautiful smartphone with really good build quality. To mention just a few of its strong points: the display is great both indoors and outdoors, the camera is really fast and takes nice photos and the smartphone's body feels like a premium device.
The Smartphone Experience On Xiaomi Mi 4
Phone conversations on the Xiaomi Mi 4 are of very good quality. In-call sound is clear and loud enough, in all circumstances. Even if you or the person you speak with is in a noisy environment, neither of you will have problems in understanding each other. We also didn't encounter any problems when it comes to the signal reception. That is true even in not so perfect conditions, as we tested Mi 4 in a geographical area where 4G is available, but the signal strength isn't that great.
The audio quality when listening to music or making calls using a headphones set is excellent and the available sound enhancements are really good. However, things are not so great when using the smartphone's internal speaker. Mi 4 doesn't distort any sounds, but the speaker's highest volume levels are quite low and the low frequencies (bass) don't sound too great. It's OK if you use the speaker for phone calls, but not for media playback.
In terms of the operating system, Xiaomi Mi 4 uses Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, but with Xiaomi's own skin - MIUI 5.5.15. But we'll talk more in a later section about the software found on the Mi 4. For now we'll just say that the operating system, even if heavily modified, is very fast and fluid.
Like many other high end smartphones, the Mi 4 doesn't disappoint when it comes to the camera experience. Xiaomi isn't a company that keeps the hardware components a secret and, because of that we know that the main camera on the Mi 4 uses a Sony image sensor. The end result of the powerful hardware and good image sensor is a fast camera and good photographs.
The 3080 mAh battery is also impressive, and in normal use it should be able to keep your smartphone running for more than a day. However, that depends a lot on how you use your smartphone: if you you play lots of games you will have to charge it more than once a day. But we'll see more about its performances, later on, in the benchmarks section of our review.
Overall, the Xiaomi Mi 4 offers a very good smartphone experience. Phone calls are clear and the signal strength is good even on 4G networks. The smartphone's internal speaker works well for phone conversations but we wouldn't recommend that you use it for media playback. For that, use a headphones set and you won't be disappointed. Also, the operating system is very fast and fluid, and the battery is generous.
The Camera Experience On The Xiaomi Mi 4
The rear, main camera on the Xiaomi Mi 4 has 13 megapixels, it uses a Sony image sensor and is complemented by a LED flash for low light photographs. Mi 4 also offers a front camera with 8 megapixels that is also manufactured by Sony.
The default camera software available on the Xiaomi Mi 4 comes with quite a few features. You will find that this smartphone is capable out-of-the-box of taking pictures using HDR, is able to do burst shootings, it can take panoramic photos and you can also lock the focus of your picture on a subject.
In the gallery below, you can see how photos taken with Xiaomi Mi 4 look. We included some photos taken with Mi 4's main camera outdoors in a bright sunny day, but also indoor pictures, close-up pictures and a few selfies taken with the front camera. Note that for every picture we used the auto settings for the camera, and for the outdoor pictures we also turned on the HDR capabilities.
While the main camera takes very good photos, especially in well lit environments, the front camera is not that great. However, it's 8 megapixels are more than enough for video calls and it's more than decent even when it comes to taking selfies.
When it comes to the video quality, the Xiaomi Mi 4 took us by surprise. The smartphone captures videos in Full HD (1080p at 30fps), but it is also capable of recording videos in 4K (2160p at 30fps) with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels and a bitrate of 40 Mbps. The sound you get is stereo and it's captured at a 96 Kbps bit rate.
In order to get a glimpse on how videos look when recording moving objects, check our sample below.
And further on you can see another video, in which we recorded a static panorama using HDR, while moving the phone.
The camera is also able to capture time lapse videos, for which you can also set the shoot interval, and slow motion videos. For an example of how slow motion videos look, check the sample below.
Xiaomi Mi 4 features a great camera. While it might not compare to the cameras other vendors equip their smartphones with, it is still great. Considering that the Xiaomi Mi 4 is a high end smartphone but comes at a better price than its direct competition, we cannot be anything else but satisfied.
Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, MIUI 5.5.15 & Bundled Apps
The Xiaomi Mi 4 we received in tests runs on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat. However, it's not the original Android operating system, but a heavily customized version of it, called MIUI. At the time of our testing, MIUI was on version 5.5.15.
Although it's not the original Android, we must admit we loved how fast and responsive the smartphone feels. Secondly, MIUI really looks great, since beauty was a very high priority for its developers. An interesting difference from what we were used to see on Android devices is that, instead of offering an app drawer, MIUI rather keeps everything on its homescreens. However, in order to organize your things a little, you can always create folders.
Instead of offering Google's native apps, Xiaomi prefers to bundle its own apps. Our test device had everything you need in terms of core apps. It came with its own Mail app, Music app, Camera app, cloud storage app - Mi Cloud, File Explorer and so on. However, even if you cannot remove them, if you don't like any of these apps, you can install your own and then set it as default.
In our opinion, Xiaomi Mi 4 offers a good software experience. It runs on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, but with the manufacturer's own skin: MIUI 5, which offers a very beautiful and responsive user experience. We love it and we consider it to be a lot better than other custom skins we've seen, such as Samsung's Touchwiz.
Important Things You Should Know Before Buying A Xiaomi Mi 4
Xiaomi is a Chinese manufacturer and its devices are sold mainly on Asian markets. Because China is the main target of the Mi 4, Xiaomi is rather cautious about offering Google services to their clients. By default, Mi 4 uses Xiaomi's own Mi Market instead of the Google Play we're all used to. Furthermore, the apps preinstalled on the smartphone differ from country to country, depending to where Xiaomi sells its device.
Before purchasing a Xiaomi smartphone, double check that it is a variant for European or American markets, not Asian ones. The smartphones that are created for Asian markets have no Google applications preinstalled on them. By that, we really mean nothing: no Google Play, no Gmail, no Google Calendar and no Google Docs. If you plan on buying the Xiaomi Mi 4, be sure to check first if it has Google apps preinstalled.
Performance In Benchmarks
We already know the Xiaomi Mi 4 is a beast when it comes to the hardware it packs inside. But just knowing the specs doesn't mean much, without testing the hardware. So, to get a better idea on how much performance the Mi 4 offers, we ran some benchmarks.
In order to measure how fast the CPU is, we used Vellamo, a popular benchmarking app for Android.
The first test we ran was Vellamo Multicore, which aims to measure the CPU's performance when running multiple tasks at the same time. Xiaomi Mi 4 managed to get 1696 points, which puts it above the Samsung Galaxy S5, but just under HTC's One M8.
Then we wanted to see how well the CPU handles single task operations. This test is especially important, because many apps don't know how to use more than one processor core. Xiaomi Mi 4 got 1586 points in the Vellamo Metal test, which this time around puts it above other flagships such as LG G3, HTC One M8 or Samsung Galaxy S5.
Another important aspect, especially for gamers, is the gaming performance of a smartphone. To test that, we use GFXBench GL Benchmark. The two tests we think are the most relevant from a gaming point of view are Manhattan and T-Rex. We take into consideration only the Offscreen version of them, because that way, the tests are run at a resolution of 1080p, no matter the native resolution of a device.
In the Manhattan test, Xiaomi Mi 4 obtained 706 frames, which puts it on par with Samsung's Galaxy S5.
In the T-Rex test, Xiaomi Mi 4 got 1534 frames. This score shows that the gaming performance offered by Mi 4 is similar to what you'll get from an Apple iPhone 5S or an HTC One M8.
Now that we know how Xiaomi Mi 4 fares in terms of raw power and gaming experience, we wanted to see how well it does in more earthly activities, like browsing the web. To measure its performance in this area, we turned to Vellamo again. Its browser tests measure the performance of a device when it comes to rendering web pages using HTML 5, CSS 3 or running JavaScript. Xiaomi Mi 4 managed to get 4043 points, ranking it higher than an LG G3 or a Samsung Galaxy S3.
Then, we got to our final benchmark, which is testing the autonomy of a device. To do that, we fully charged the battery of the Xiaomi Mi 4, and then we ran the PCMark Work battery life test. The Xiaomi Mi 4 managed to resist for about 9 hours, which is rather impressive.
The Xiaomi Mi 4 is a high end device, and the benchmarking tests confirm this statement. The smartphone has no trouble whatsoever at handling even the most demanding tasks you throw at it.
Verdict
The Mi 4 is the flagship of the chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi. It's a device with very strong hardware, good design and good build quality. The custom Android flavor - MIUI - is also a fine tuned user interface that is both beautiful and simple to use. If you also take into consideration that it's price is lower than its direct competitors with similar hardware and features, you can't but think that this is a very good buy. We really like the Xiaomi Mi 4, and we recommend it to everyone. However, if you don't live in China or other close Asian country, you should make sure you buy a model that includes Google Apps.
