Lets have a quick comparison between these two variants of Xiaomi:
Operating System: The “Xiaomi Mi 4” runs on Android Kitkat with MIUI 6.0 whereas the the “Xiaomi Mi 4i” runs on latest Android 5.0 Lollipop with MIUI 6.0. Network Connectivity: Xiaomi Mi 4 is a single SIM phone with 3G in India whereas Xiomi Mi 4i is a dual SIM phone which has 4G support on both the SIM which further supports upto 16 bands. Both the phones further also support WiFi. Display: Both, Xiaomi Mi 4 as well as Xiaomi Mi 4i has a 5 inch IPS LCD screen with 1080 x 1920 p resolution which will give pixel density up to 441 ppi however the Xiaomi Mi 4i scores over its variant with its “sunlight display” feature. This sunlight display uses a technology which eliminates the light refractions resulting in an improved readability under sunlight. Look: The new Xiaomi Mi 4i scores over its variant on the looks because it has an unibody design that is wrapped on the rear end and it also blends across the display edges giving it a sleek look further the back cover is also coated with material that is resistant to grease and fingertips which gives the Mi 4i the aesthetic look. Storage: The Xiaomi Mi 4 is available in both variants 16GB and 64GB however the Xiaomi Mi 4i is available only in the 16 GB variant. Processor: The Xiaomi Mi 4 is equipped by a Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor clocked at 2.5GHz and further coupled with 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU. Whereas, Xiaomi Mi 4i is powered with a Snapdragon 615 Second Generation 64-bit quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 and a quad-core 1.1 GHz Cortex-A53 processors coupled with 2GB RAM and an Adreno 405 GPU. Camera: Both the smartphones, Xiaomi Mi 4 and Mi 4i sport a 13MP rear camera, with LED Flash. The only difference being the front camera specifications and here Xiaomi Mi 4 has a 8 MP front camera whereas the Xiaomi Mi 4i has a 5 MP snapper. However, the new Xiaomi Mi 4i has some additional features like geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR. Battery: The Xiaomi Mi 4 has 3080 mAh battery whereas Xiaomi Mi 4i is powered with 3120 mAh battery. So comparitively, the new variant has a larger battery capacity. Cost: Xiaomi Mi 4 is available in Rs 17,999 and Rs. 21,999 as per its variants 16 GB and 64 GB as compared to Xiaomi Mi 4i which is available for a price of Rs. 12,999. Dimensions: Xiaomi Mi 4 is 8.9 mm in thickness and weighs around 149 grams whereas the new Xiaomi Mi 4i has a thinner look with 7.8 mm thickness and weighs only 130 grams.
As per Manu Jain, Xiaomi’s India head, they were not aware of the spectrum situation in India and hence they first launched the Xiaomi Mi 4 with 3G in January, however after a detailed study regarding the spectrum availability in India the company has launched its Xiaomi Mi 4i version with 4G LTE. However, that is not the only difference in the two variants as we have already seen Xiaomi Mi 4 has an excellent processor, RAM and a front camera however in comparison Xiaomi Mi 4i scores over OS, looks, dimensions, battery, network connectivity, additional camera features and the most important is the cost. In comparison to the 16 GB variant of Mi 4 which is available for Rs 17,999 the new Mi 4i is available for a lesser amount and at Rs 12,999. Its upto the users now to choose from the two variants of Xiaomi because if they need a powerful engine then Mi 4 is the answer and if it for normal day to day requirement the Mi 4i would be the answer.
