Xiaomi Mi3 VS. Xiaomi Mi4: Specs Of ‘Apple Of China’s’ Android Handsets Compared; Will This Pose A Threat To iPhone Dominance?

Xiaomi Mi3 vs. Xiaomi Mi4: Android handsets from the company called “Apple of China” is in full force and the Xiaomi Mi3, the former flagship of the Xiaomi company, is now available in countries beyond its home market. Xiaomi Mi4, the newest flagship, is now avalable in China.

It is expected that the Chinese electronics giant will sell more than 40 million handsets this year and it setting it sights not only in Asia and other emerging markets but also in the U.S. This brings us to the question: Will the availability of Xiaomi flagships pose a threat to iPhone’s dominance?

We’ll know the answer to that question next year as the company has already announced that it will enter U.S. markets in 2015.

Mi3 has consistently broken sales records, selling as much as 100,000 units in as little as 10 minutes after they’ve been made available. It has also received incredible reception from Xiaomi’s newest markets, like India. The Xiaomi Mi4, the newest flagship handset of the company, was launched July 22 and can now be purchased in the company’s home market, China.

This review delves into the specs and price of these two handsets. Will you choose the old best-seller or the newest shiniest smartphone by Xiaomi?

Comparing specs

When the Xiaomi Mi3 was launched in the last quarter of 2013, the company dubbed it as the fastest Xiaomi smartphone yet. No surprise that the Xiaomi Mi4 is labeled with a similar and even bigger claim. Xiaomi notes that the Mi4 is the “world’s fastest smartphone.”

Specs of the Xiaomi Mi4 include a 5-inch Full HD display with a 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution. The Xiaomi M3, on the other hand, features a screen of the same size with the same resolution.

The Xiaomi Mi3 is lighter and thinner than the Mi4, with a thickness of 0.32 inches and weighing 145 grams. The newer handset is 0.35 inches thick and 149 grams heavy. But the International Business Times notes that the Xiaomi Mi4 comes with a dust and water proof exterior, while the Mi3 does not.

Battery life for the Xiaomi Mi3 is supported with a 3050 mAh pack, with the Mi4 having a slightly bigger power resorvoir thanks to a 3080 mAh battery pack.

It’s under the hood where the upgrades can be found for the Mi4, trailing Mi3 in numerous respects. The Xiaomi Mi3 is powered with a 2.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, while the Mi4 has a 2.5 GHZ quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. The Mi3 has 2GB of RAM while the Mi4 has 3GB of RAM. Both units are powered with the Android 4.4 KitKat as the base OS, but the Mi4 comes with the newest MIUI 6 out of the box.

The Mi3 also trails the Mi4 when it comes to camera, although both have a 13 megapixel rear camera sensor, the Mi4 has an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, more than the 2-megapixe the Mi3 has.

The 16GB of the Xiaomi Mi4 will be sold in China for an equivalent of $320, with the 64GB selling for $405. After the latest Xiaomi flagship’s unveiling, the Mi3’s 16GB version is now for sale at $270 with its 64GB variant at $320.

According to Phone Arena, 10 million Mi3 units has already been shipped and with the launch of the Mi4, it’s only expected that Xiaomi will be selling more handsets this year.

If Mi4 is launched in your market, will you consider purchasing one?

No reports have indicated that the Mi4 will be available in the U.S, but Xiaomi has announced that it will enter the U.S. market in 2015.