Xiaomi launches the Mi 4c: high-end specs for less than $240

Xiaomi has released a number of new phones this year and CEO Lei Jun has just announced the company’s latest Mi 4c handset. The Mi 4c is another high-end smartphone with a very competitive price tag, in fact it might just be the company’s best value smartphone that we have seen so far.

Jumping right on in to the specifications, the phone’s display measures 5-inches and comes with a familiar 1080p resolution. Xiaomi states that the screen retains excellent visibility in bright conditions thanks to ‘Sunlight Display’ technology, just like the Mi 4i, and that the display also comes with a variable refresh rate, which is 10 percent more battery efficient.

A hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SoC powers the handset, which is accompanied by either 2GB or 3GB of RAM, depending on whether you opt for the 16GB of 32GB internal flash memory option, and a large 3,080mAh battery. The rear camera is also a high end piece of kit. The phone features a 13 megapixel sensor, either a Sony IMX258 or Samsung S5K3M2, complete with phase-detection auto focus that takes less than 0.1 of a second to bring your target into focus. There is also a wide-angle 5 megapixel camera on the front.

The Mi 4c also comes with a nice selection of extra features. There’s a USB Type-C connector, support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology, and a built-in IR blaster. Xiaomi has also implemented a double tap screen-on feature and ‘Edge Tap’ software, which uses taps at the phone’s edges to initiate shortcuts, such as a quick tap to take a picture. An update to Xiaomi’s latest MIUI 7 OS is on the way in the near future.

While the specifications might not be revolutionary, the price that is the real talking point here. The 2GB RAM and 16GB flash memory option retails for just RMB 1299 (US$204) in China, while the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant costs RMB 1499 (US$235). The phone will ship in Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink and White color options. We don’t know how many other countries Xiaomi will be launching the Mi 4c in yet, but here’s hoping that the phone isn’t just limited to China.