When I first heard that Xiaomi was coming to Nigeria I was very excited.
Why? Because as a tech lover I have followed the development of the company over the years and read numerous reviews on how its packs the best phone specifications for the cheapest price available in the market, and this had been the company’s selling point from inception.
So you can understand my excitement when my friends at JSP communications informed me of the arrival of Xiaomi in the Nigerian market.
The company introduced the Redmi2 and its Flagship the Mi4 into the Nigerian market . The Mi4 is what I use and can talk about from my own experience.
From a tech point of view the Xiaomi Mi4 is a masterpiece. It has a gorgeous design with a precisely engineered stainless steel frame. It comes with a 5” IPS Full HD display that is incredibly sharp, a 1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 ppi pixel density), Android OS, v4.4.3 (KitKat), planned upgrade to v6.0 (Marshmallow),a 13MP f/1.8 rear camera for beautiful pictures, and a front-facing 8MP camera for great selfies.
But this review isn’t going by the specifications on paper. I’m reviewing the Xiaomi Mi4 from its performance in the last couple of weeks since I started using it. I will be breaking the review down based on what I think are the most impressive features on the phone.
Customisation:
Before I laid my hands on the Mi4, I used three phones, an Apple device being the top of the list. All these phones are some of the best in their range, especially the iPhone 6+which runs on iOS. However these devices lacked something which I have always loved in smart phones: detailed customisation. Don’t get me wrong, my other phones are very customisable, but not like the Mi4. The Mi4 takes customisation to the next level. From thousands of beautiful themes to chose from to the ability to rearrange to your taste almost anything on the phone, the Xiaomi Miui(thats the operating system) gives you the feeling of having a very personal connection with the phone, and is not just another android operated device.
Feel and Clarity:
The Xiaomi Mi4 feels very solid to hold, and is a very beautiful device to behold. Since I started using the device, many smartphone savvy users who have seen the phone with me and asked to take a look have been mesmerised by the phones aesthetics, especially considering that it wasn’t made by one of the big names popular in Nigeria.
Going to the interior, the crispness of the colors and screen is simple stunning. The colors are sharp and very clear. Since I started using the Mi4 I prefare opening my blog on the browser than my iPhone 6+ which was my previous favourite. It just makes the blog very beautiful, the colors very sharp and easy to surf through.
I remember telling my friend to help take some pictures at a wedding I attended sometime last month. After taking he first few shots, she had to ask me, “Moji what phone is this?”, turning the phone in her hands for thorough examination. She used a very high end device herself and when I told her the name and how much it cost compared to her over N100,000 device, she just kept saying ‘WOW’. Such is the effect the Mi4 has on people. The phone is just beautiful.
Battery:
With a 3080mAh battery with fast battery charging: 60% in 30 min (Quick Charge 2.0), the Xiaomi Mi4 is perfect for the Nigeria power situation. I have a lot of contacts on bbm, and this usually runs down battery than other applications. However despite taking pictures, using heavily bbm, calls amongst other things, my Mi4 lasts me an entire day without having to charge it. I mean if I leave the house around 6am in the morning, I hardly every charge my phone until late at night, and the phone battery percentage is most times more than 40%. The battery is remarkable.
Camera:
For me the most beautiful thing about the Mi4 is the camera. Impressive will be a gross understatement or word to describe how crispy clear and sharp the quality of the camera is, especially considering the price point. Since I started using the Mi4, I hardly remember to use my iPhone front facing camera which I used to previously love. The 8mp selfie cam gives very clear pictures with amazing clarity and attention to detail. The camera also has a fun feature which detects the age of the person its about to snap and guesses the age accurately most of the time. For the price point of N55, 000, The camera of the mi4 is one of the best you can get in the market right now.
Below are some photos I have taken with the phone’s camera in recent times:
Others
About two weeks into using the phone, I found that its could also serve as a remote control of for TV and DVD. I’m aware some phones can do this, but its usually the very premium ones. How I knew? I was looking for my dvd remote when I remembered that I had seen somewhere within the phone a remote. I tried it with my DVD and it worked perfectly. I was very impressed, once again.
The MI4 costs just N55,000 and is sold exclusively on Jumia for now. If however you want a cheaper Xiaomi device that still packs a lot of functionality for a relatively low price point, the Redmi 2 which costs N25,000 is your pick.
The only issue I have with the Mi4 right now is the lack of accessories. On Jumia, there are very few accessories for it and those available are ridiculously expensive. The cheapest case available costs over N5,000 and the accessories are not available in the Nigerian market. I’m told however that these is been looked into. Other than this, the Mi4 is a truly remarkable device.
So if you’re looking to buy a new smartphone this season and can afford up to N50,000, the Xiaomi Mi4 will be a great choice for you, with top notch specifications for the price point. I have been gifted as a blogger a couple of devices but none has impressed me like the Mi4. Little wonder its the highest selling brand in the Asian speaking world. Great phone.
Nice Palm
i just hope I won’t be disappointed when I get one
All this are old technology, I’ve been using my phone as remote since 40yrs ago, your selfie is showing the wrong writing, your camera isn’t up to 19megapixels, you can’t use it to measure your heart rate, you can’t open 2 application at the same time on the screen. If you’re writing reviews for them. Tell them I’ll give then 1 star out of five. They know that Nigerian are wannabes, do they gave a big screen phone and that makes you feel that you in vogue. Please try the S6edge, iphone6s, the LG’s, just my take.
There is NOTHING old bout the technology of the Mi4, and all these phones you mentioned cost over 100k. The price point is the key here, its just 55k.
The phone can be used as a health and exercise monitor as well, I just didn’t mention that. Asians are the most tech savvy people on the world and Mi4 is one of the highest selling phones there. Also Please do your research well, and compare the phone specs with others in the same price points before concluding next time. Cheers.
I’ve learnt something over the years that good things are not cheap and cheap thing are not goodoing.
Dude, you need to shut up. First you rule out the phone as been good, now are saying something else. When did expensive translate to good? That a phone is affordable, does that make it bad? How many Nigerians as a matter of fact with the current economic issues can afford 55k? You can’t even speak correct English yet you think its ok to rubbish other people with baseless , gutter talk? Moji its you I blame for even letting people like this talk on your blog. i DON’T USE THE PHONE BUT ISAY THIS IS A GOOD REVIEW. And i did check it out and its selling fast in Asia so that does count for something. So Mr Yinka, take SEVERAL SEATS ABEG!
Sounds really cool, but the problem with using phones like this is the stress one will have to go through in getting them fixed when they get faulty due to limited spare parts in the market.
Seems cool, I ve been looking for an upgrade on my bb, just that I am so addicted to blackberry because of its subscription. 1k for 1month and two weeks seems like a good deal. But I know that android is the deal, will check this out when i finally decide to upgrade. Nice review.
At first glance, the Xiaomi Mi 4 bears a striking resemblance to the design of the iPhone — especially the stainless steel banding around the sides. The company has obviously owes a good deal to Apple, and the white plastic inserts in the frame are definitely familiar.