Xiaomi Mi 4i review—The best specs for $200, but not the best software

Specs at a glance: Xiaomi Mi 4i
Screen	1920×1080 5.0"(441 PPI) IPS LCD
OS	Android Lollipop 5.0.2 with MIUI 6
CPU	Eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (Four 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 cores and four 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53 cores)
RAM	2GB
GPU	Adreno 405
Storage	16GB
Networking	Dual Band 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
Ports	Micro-USB 2.0 A/B, headphones
Camera	13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera,
Size	138.1 mm x 69.6 mm x 7.8 mm
Weight	130 g
Battery	3120 mAh, not removable
Starting price	$200 unlocked
Other perks	RBG notification LED, dual SIM slots, LTE, Quick Charge 2.0

Xiaomi is one of the more interesting OEMs out there. While some smartphone OEMs seem to be in autopilot mode, Xiaomi looks like it's built for disruption. It combines great build quality and specs for prices that are often half that of the competition. We've mostly paid attention to the company's flagship lineup—the Mi 4 and the Mi Note—but when even the high end stuff is only $480, what do the company's lower-end offerings look like?

Today we're looking at the recently launched Mi 4i, a Xiaomi phone that costs just $200. The price puts it in the same ballpark as the $180 Moto G, but compare the specs and you'll see that Xiaomi blows away Motorola's nearly year-old phone. The 2014 Moto G has a 5-inch 720p display, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and an 8MP camera. The Mi 4i takes those specs and bumps just about everything up a tier. You get a 5-inch 1080p screen, a 1.7GHz (64-bit) Snapdragon 615, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 13MP camera. Neither device has NFC, but the Mi 4i trades the microSD slot for a second SIM slot, and—oh yeah—the Mi 4i has LTE. The best part is the battery: the Moto G has a 2070 mAh battery, but the Mi 4i has a much larger 3120 mAh battery.

That's a huge difference between the two devices. You might think it's because the Moto G is from 2014, but the rumored 2015 Moto G specs are pretty similar. The difference, (besides the extra $20) is something we've seen over and over from Xiaomi: it has lower prices than anyone else.

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