Xiaomi has sold 26.1 million smartphones in first half of 2014, and is still on target for 60 million this year. The upstart gadget-maker’s flagship phone, the Mi3, sold 10 million units in the first nine month after it went up for sale. And that’s why Xiaomi has a launch event today – to reveal its next flagship phone, which will probably be called the Mi4.
Here’s our live blog (event started 2pm Beijing time). Please refresh this page every few minutes for updates:
#14:10: Here’s the first big stat from Xiaomi – it’s sold 57.36 million phones in its first three years of operation, says founder Lei Jun onstage.
#14:12: There’s the sales breakdown: 7.9 million Xiaomi M1 phones, 17.4 million Xiaomi Mi2 series, 10.5 million Xiaomi Mi3, 18 million Hongmi (Redmi outside China), and 3.56 million Hongmi Note (or Redmi Note).
#14:16: So clearly its cheaper (yet larger-screened) Hongmi/Redmi series is working out well.
#14:22: Remember that Xiaomi is currently selling to mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and India. Other countries in the pipeline include Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, and Brazil.
#14:26: Lei says that Xiaomi’s MIUI OS/ecosystem, which it has built on top of Android, now has 65 million users.
#14:44: MIUI V6, the next version of its Android skin, comes out August 16.
#14:46: Here it is: New Xiaomi Mi4 being detailed by Lei.
#14:49: Some Xiaomi Mi4 specs: Snapdragon 801 processor tuned to 2.5GHz, 3GB RAM, 5-inch screen at 1080p HD, 13MP rear camera and 8MP front camera.
#14:51: The Xiaomi Mi4 screen is the same as the Mi3, but this one has a newer processor, more RAM, and a much stronger selfie camera on the front.
#14:53: Still no images of the Mi4 yet.
#14:54: Ah! Here it is, and it’s just the same as the leaks a few weeks back:
#14:57: And here’s a rear view in black of the Mi4:
#14:59: Xiaomi has just put out this Apple-esque teaser video showing the Mi4 body up close:
#15:07: Xiaomi’s social media posts are emphasizing how it’s made of a machined block of metal. Not sure which metal exactly at this stage:
#15:10: The Xiaomi Mi3 goes on sale in India today. Some Indian geeks are gotta be hurting that they’re now buying what’s effectively the previous flagship.
#15:13: Surprisingly little said about 4G, but it seems the Xiaomi Mi4 has a 4G chip.
#15:17: First impression of the Xiaomi Mi4 from those images. It looks like an iPhone around the edges, and the back looks like a Samsung Galaxy Note. Disappointing that there aren’t more original details in the Mi4 body at a time when Xiaomi is trying to pay more attention to its hardware.
#15:20: What do you think of its specs and appearance? Hit the comments section!
#15:24: Xiaomi’s also coming out with a fitness wristband. Yes, wearable tech. It’s a very cheap RMB 79, which is US$12.80. This is an official photo of it:
#15:26: More colors:
#15:30: Back to the Mi4 – it’ll have a large range of rear covers; a lot more than Xiaomi offered before. Inspired by the Moto X, there’ll even be (faux?) wooden ones:
#15:33: Wooden ones look nice. Not so much these marble- or stone-effect rear covers:
#15:39: The Mi4 weighs 149 grams, up a feather from the Mi3′s 145 grams. So all that extra metal will not make it noticeably heavier.
#15:47: Details are trickling out slowly. The event is not yet over, and Xiaomi hasn’t updated its website yet. Still a lot of questions remaining about MIUI V6 new features, and what’s going on what that wristband gadget.
#15:48: The Xiaomi Mi4 has Android 4.4 under MIUI V6 – so that’s the first time a Xiaomi phone launches with the very latest version of Android in China.
#16:03: Lei Jun is still going through a lot of very technical details about the new phone.
#16:03: The new Mi4 has a very slim bevel at each side, but the company assures people that the screen will ignore accidental inputs on the side, such as with your palm:
#16:07: Xiaomi is now extolling the virtue of its camera. As with the Mi3, it’s still a 13MP shooter on the Mi4′s rear, but the new phone has a better apperture lens that goes all the way to f1.8. The Mi3 goes to f2.2.
#16:09: The Mi4′s revamped camera is faster and can take photos at 4K TV resolution.
#16:12: Finally we have prices for the Mi4 in China. RMB 1,999 (US$322) for the 16GB version, RMB 2,499 (US$400) for the 64GB Mi4. Same as the Mi3 price when it launched before it later got a price cut.
#16:14: Since Xiaomi doesn’t inflate its prices in other markets (unlike most phone-makers), you can be sure the Mi4 will be pretty much that price when it hits other countries eventually. But no time-frame yet.
#16:15: The confusing state of 4G in China also muddies the situation for the Xiaomi Mi4. The WCDMA Mi4 for China Unicom ships this month; the CDMA one for China Telecom in August; and the 4G one for China Mobile (so that’s TD-LTE) in September.
#16:17: So it appears that the Xiaomi Mi4 only supports TD-LTE at this stage, which is bad news for other markets. That’s because only China’s TD-LTE network is in action while the nation’s other two telcos await the green light to start their FD-LTE 4G networks. Most of the world uses FDD-LTE.
#16:18: My colleague has a good explainer of what on earth is going on with 4G in China: How deliberately crippling its 4G rollout will help China bust a global monopoly and make billions.
#16:28: More details of the Xiaomi Mi Band: you can use it to unlock the phone (more details how later), monitor exercise and sleep quality, and there’s a smart alarm clock. It’s waterproof. Xiaomi indicates a standby time of 30 days, but it’s not clear how long it’ll last when you’re truly using it. But there’s no power-sapping screen, so it should be better than the average smartwatch because it’s a different type of gadget.
#16:30: Fitness tracking in action:
#16:34: The Mi Band is bad news for Fitbit, which charges RMB 899 (US145) for the Fitbit Flex in China. Remember this is just RMB 79 (US$12.80).
#16:56: That’s a wrap on the event. Thanks for following the live blog. Keep the debate going in the comments.
Xiaomi unveils new Mi4 smartphone and MiBand fitness tracker (live blog)
