Fans waiting eagerly for the launch of Xiaomi Mi4 were left totally disappointed after the Chinese brand launched a phone with no 4G and at a price that is about 25% higher than what most people expected.
The Xiaomi Mi4 launched in India is the same 3G-only version available in the Chinese market for the last six months.
While the price had been expected to be around Rs 16,000, the actual price announced by Xiaomi for Mi4 has turned out to be a steep 19,999.
Not surprisingly, fans are totally disappointed with the launch.
“Going by the specs on http://mi.com, the Mi4 doesn’t come with LTE, 16GB and white only. Total bummer,” summed up @rajupp on Twitter.
The pricing and specifications of the Mi4 has come out as particularly disappointing considering that the Huawei Honor 6, which is almost identical to the Mi4 in all respects and also comes with 4G, recently cut its price to Rs 17,999 from Rs 19,999.
In addition, the ZTE Grand S2, which has almost the same specifications, is available in India at just Rs 13,999.
In addition, fans also have the option of buying the OnePlus One, which has arguably better specifications, including LTE, and is priced at around Rs 22,000.
“Xiaomi’s price a bit more than expectation. No LTE, no 64GB storage, no Black variant, and still 20k. OPO (One Plus One) will rule,” said Bhavul Gauri, also on Twitter.
“So I made a good decision of going for the OnePlus One. I don’t think Mi4 is worth at 20k consider price and Specs,” said Arman Chandok.
The high price also means that the HTC Desire 826, which has very similar specifications to the OnePlus One, will suddenly find itself in the reckoning when it is launched early next month.
Particularly disappointing has been the absense of LTE, though final confirmation on this aspect is still trickling in.
Comparison of Xiaomi Mi4 vs OnePluse One vs others:
| Xiaomi Mi4 | HTC 826 | OnePlus One | Huawei Hr 6 | ZTE Grand S2 | |
| Chipset | SD 801 | SD 615 | SD 801 | Kirin 920 | SD 801 |
| Processor | 2.5 GHz x 4 | 1.7×4+1.0×4 | 2.5 GHz x 4 | 1.7×4+1.3×4 | 2.3 GHz x 4 |
| LTE? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Display | FHD 5” | FHD 5.5” | FHD 5.5” | FHD 5” | FHD 5.5” |
| Camera | 13 + 8 | 13 + 4 | 13 + 5 | 13 + 5 | 13 + 2 |
| Storage | 16 GB | 16 GB | 64 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM | 3 GB | 2 GB | 3 GB | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Battery | 3080 | 2600 | 3100 | 3000 | 3100 |
| Price | 20 | 26? | 22 | 18 | 14 |
Fans were already angry at the delay in launching the phone in India, and the high price and the seeming lack of 4G have only added fuel to their outrage.
However, some expect Flipkart to price the phone below what Xiaomi has pitched it at. “19,999 for Mi4, can we expect it to come at 18,999 keeping in mind their price technique on the day of sale?” wondered Apurv on Twitter.
It is not clear whey the Chinese company decided to price it at Rs 19,999 despite knowing that fans would be disappointed.
According to industry sources, the company is probably wary of the negative publicity it got with the launch of Mi3 when demand far outstripped supply.
“We believe they will cut price after they make sure that they can meet the demand. We don’t expect a ‘sold out’ board like it happened with Mi3,” said a competitor.
At 20,000, the phone will definitely not be sold below cost, as was reportedly the case with Mi3. However, with fellow Chinese competitor Huawei offering a better speced phone at Rs 17,999, it would be tough for Xiaomi to generate the kind of sensation that they did last time.
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