NEW DELHI: In India, the company has gained recognition primarily due to the flash sales of its budget smartphones; few days back, its last flash sale saw 50,000 units of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G going out of stock in just 5 seconds while the 20,000 Xiaomi Redmi 1S units went out of stock in 4 seconds. The fact is that Mi handsets are a judicious mix of hardware and software and are able to attract cost-conscious buyers because of their affordable price tags.
For those who came in late, Xiaomi entered India with online retailer Flipkart.com in July last year, selling phones through flash sales whereby availability is limited to short time frames. The online strategy cuts down on marketing and distribution costs, allowing Xiaomi to sell feature-rich phones at low prices.
This time around, Mi India is testing the waters with its new flagship device, the Mi 4, a gorgeous device packed with powerful specifications. It retails for Rs 19,999. Until now, Mi handsets were positioned in the mid segment and by virtue of being feature-rich phones at low prices definitely attracted the customers; the Mi 4 is in an altogether different price segment and therefore, it remains to be seen whether it will be able to generate similar excitement among the buyers here.
Mi 4 also includes a 13-megapixel rear camera, and an impressive wide-angle (80 degree) front-facing camera of 8 megapixels, both with an unprecedented f1.8 aperture.
Today, people take pictures and share images with their friends, followers, and family with just several taps on their phone. In sync with this trend, the Mi 4 permits users with its ability to not only take great still photographs; it can shoot superb videos as well.
With the advanced close-loop focus system of this device, it can autofocus in just 0.3 seconds.
SPECIFICATIONS
* Display: 5-inch HD IPS LCD display
* Resolution: 1920 x 1080p Full HD (441 ppi)
* Processor: 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
* Operating system: MIUI 6 based on Android 4.4.4
* Memory & storage: 3GB LPDDR3 RAM, 16GB eMMC 5.0 flash memory
* Camera: 13 MP (rear); 8 MP front cameras
* Battery: 3080 mAh Lithium-ion polymer battery
** Estimated street price: R19, 999