Xiaomi Mi4 VS. HTC Desire 816: Specs Of Handsets Compared In This Review; Display, OS, Camera & Battery Life Pitted

Xiaomi Mi4 vs. HTC Desire 816: Xiaomi Mi4 is the newest handset from the company hailed as the “Apple of China,” Xiaomi, and is now available in select regions worldwide. It's expected to be available worldwide on the fourth quarter of 2014. The unit is powered with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor that clocks in at 2.5GHz. The HTC Desire 816 is a 5.5-inch handset with a 1.6GHz quad-core processor that was unveiled on February of this year.

Both these handsets sports some high-end specs and bears premium look. Its manufacturers are also known for producing quality handsets. We delve in this comparison review, originally posted at the International Business Times, notable features of the device.

Display & Built

The Xiaomi Mi4 sports a 5-inch Sharp/JDI OGDS full lamination display with a good screen resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 pixels and it has a pixel density of 441. The HTC Desire 816, on the other hand, has a 5.5-inch Super LCD2 display with a lower screen res of 720 x 1280 pixels and 267 pixel density.

In terms of built, Trusted Reviews noted that the HTC Desire 816 has a glossy polycarbonate plastic exterior. The matte effect surrounding the smartphone’s corners gives a solid, likeable look for the device. Xiaomi Mi4 has a metal-like body that accompanies its glass display and CNET says that Xiaomi Mi products offer good value for the dollar because of attention to detail and quality construction.

Both devices are water and dust-resistant. Xiaomi Mi4 is 0.35 inch thick and weighs 149 grams, while the HTC Desire is 0.31-inch thick and weighs 165 grams.

OS

Xiaomi Mi4 runs on Android 4.4.3 KitKat OS and is powered with the MIUI6 user interface. The HTC Desire 816 runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat coupled with HTC’s own Sense 6.0 UI.

The Xiaomi handset storage options begins at 16GB with an option for a 64GB storage. HTC Desire 816 has a built-in 8GB of storage. There are no microSD options for Xiaomi Mi4, but the Desire 816 comes with an expandable memory of up to 128GB.

Camera and Battery Life

One of the cornerstone features of a handset is its camera and battery life. The Xiaomi Mi4 has a huge 3080 mAh battery while the HTC Desire 816 has a 2600 mAh battery. Neither batteries are user-replaceable.

The Xiaomi Mi4 has a 13MP rear-facing camera, same specs as the HTC Desire 816. But it’s front-facing camera is at 8MP compared to HTC Desire’s 5MP. The Mi4 can also shoot 4K videos with a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, something that the HTC Desire 816 can’t do.

The Xiaomi Mi4 carries a $320 price tag while the HTC Desire 816 can be purchased for around $350.