OnePlus One offers more than Xiaomi Mi4 in same price range

Xiaomi Mi 4

Specs: 5-inch display; Android 4.4; 2.5-GHz quad-core processor; 3 GB RAM; 16 GB internal storage; Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth; 149 grams; 3080-mAh battery

After announcing the Mi4 in July last year, Xiaomi has finally launched this device in India. But is the Mi 4 for Rs 19,999 worth the money and can it take on the competition?

Design and built quality: I had been waiting for this smartphone for a very long time. And watching the video of how this Mi 4 was crafted (at the launch), I was super excited. But I was disappointed holding the Mi 4 in my hand. The stainless steel rim running around the sides seems to be inspired by the iPhone 5S and does look good.

But the white glossy plastic rear spoils the show and makes it slippery. It feels sturdy yet is heavy to hold at 149 grams. It packs in a 5-inch display with 1080x1920 pixel resolution and has been designed in such a way the phone doesn't feel too broad to hold. There is a SIM card slot on the left panel, volume control and power key on the right and charging jack at the bottom. The back is non-removable, which means it doesn't support an expandable memory card slot.

User Interface & Operating System: Running on Android 4.4.4, the Mi 4 comes installed with MIUI6. This is a custom user interface designed by Xiaomi that offers a great level of customisation. Swiping up unlocks the phone. All the apps are scattered on the homescreens, just like iOS, and there isn't any app tray. There is a notification bar at the top that gives quick access to notifications and shortcuts such as mobile data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, torch, etc. along with the music player controls. The icons look neat and colourful. All the Google apps were clubbed together and added to a folder. Flipkart, WPS Office, Mi Remote are a few apps pre-installed on the phone. While setting up the smartphone, one can choose the default keyboard out of the five options available - Swiftkey, Google keyboard, Google Pinyin Input, Flexsy and Google Hindi  Input.

Hardware and Performance: The performance of the Xiaomi Mi 4 is impressive. Browsing on the Chrome browser was smooth and there wasn't any lag in multi-tab browsing either. Switching between multiple apps running in the background was smooth.  It handled YouTube videos and gaming with ease. It packs in a 2.5-Ghz quad-core processor on Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset and has 3 GB of RAM, which is exactly the same as on OnePlus One. However, the phone comes with 16 GB of internal storage, of which only 12.27GB is user accessible, plus it doesn't support a memory card slot. Also, the one launched in India supports 3G and not LTE.

Camera: It has a 13-MP rear camera and an 8-MP front facing one. The camera interface is slightly different and you will take some time to master it. The camera software supports face recognition and even shows the gender and age. There is a panorama mode, HDR, Refocus, filters and burst shoot settings too.  The images captured using this phone came out clear, sharp and rich in colours. However, the edges were not that sharp. The night shots too looked decent. Overall, I was impressed with the camera quality.

Battery: The 3,080-mAh battery on the Mi 4 was good enough to last me a day on a single charge. If used wisely, it can stretch up to a day and a half.

Verdict: Xiaomi Mi4 isn't the best smartphone at this price. Consider OnePlus One 64-GB variant priced for Rs 21,990.

Price: Rs 19,990

Verdict: 4/5

Plus: Display, Camera

Minus: Heavy to hold, limited storage