Finally, the 64 gb variant of the much awaited Mi4 from Xiaomi is here. Coming via the Facebook page of the Indian arm of the Chinese smartphone giant just one day before the first flash sale of the 16 GB Mi4 commenced, the announcement said that sales of the 64 GB variant will begin on February 24 which in keeping with Xiaomi’s tradition, happens to be a Tuesday.
Xiaomi had launched Mi4 in India just last month with the promise of a 64 GB variant but had not outlined a schedule.
The Mi4 is a clear model of Xiaomi’s policy of top end but affordable smartphones. There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core CPU clocked at 2.5GHz and an Adreno 330 GPU. There is also 3GB of RAM along with 13MP and 8MP Sony sensors for the front and rear spaces respectively.
The 64 GB version has been priced at INR 23,999 which means that buyers are to pay about 4000 than the 16GB version which is priced INR 19,999. This is fine when compared to the likes of major Smartphone manufacturers out there, but the Mi 4 fails to conquer OnePlus One which sells for INR 21,999 for the 64GB variant.
Xiaomi became one of the top smartphone vendors in the world almost overnight with its feature rich, pocket friendly smartphones despite the fact that the company — apart from a few select countries — has a very small overseas presence. Although, with consumer rich markets like China and India, the company has enjoyed rapid growth.
However, this time it may not have things all its way as OnePlus — another startup from China — seems all set to take on the Mi 4 with its OnePlus One phone. The OnePlus One which until now was available on an invitation only basis is scheduled for an open sale in India tomorrow, the same day as the Mi4. While it may just be a co-incidence, it certainly seems like OnePlus is not willing to let go of its share of the Indian consumer market without a fight.
Though both the phones offer top-end features, OnePlus One is considered to enjoy a slight edge due to the fact that it is priced a tad lower than the Mi4 while possessing a larger screen size. More importantly, it raises a question mark over Xiaomi’s values for money philosophy as well as its claim of offering the most sophisticated gadgetry at pocket friendly prices.
