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Apple iPhone 6 Vs Xiaomi Mi 4 Review: Tim Cook's Clone Wars

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For many, Xiaomi's Mi 4 is the talismanic smartphone that is almost invisible in the West. Xiaomi, often referred to with the moniker 'China's Apple' is seen as the leading 'clone' company of Apple's iPhone. Now I've reviewed the Mi 4 here on Forbes, that labelling is out of place. Yes there are similarities, but put any two modern touchscreen smartphones next to each other and you will find areas of commonality. You'll also see the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two handsets.

So let's do that. Let's take Xiaomi's Mi 4 (released August 2014) and put it in a head-to-head next to Apple's iPhone 6 (released September 2014).

Design, Duplication, And Differentiation

As noted, at first glance the Xiaomi Mi 4 does have an echo of the iPhone. It's just that it echoes the more angular design of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S family. With a metal band running around the edges at 90 degrees to the glass screen, with a slight chamfer at the join to prevent a hard edge being felt, and thin metallic buttons for power and volume, that first glance is the closest you will get to mistaking the handset for an iPhone.

You'll note that the back of the Mi 4 has a convex bevel, which lifts the edge of the handset up from the surface of the table, and provides a touch more internal volume. The camera and LED flash is in the central axis, not left of centre like the iPhone, and the plastic back is slippy and does not match the tactile quality of the iPhone 6.

That said, the greater surface area on the edge of the Mi 4 and the curve on the back plate mean the Xiaomi handset sits far more comfortably in the hand than a naked iPhone 6.

The Mi 4 does not go for 'thin and fashionable', it is a square-jawed chiselled-chin powerhouse of 8.9 mm (compared to the iPhone 6's 6.9mm), and is 20g heavier than the 6.

The iPhone feels like a little bit more care has been spent on it. The physical home button is far easier to locate by touch than the touch sensitive area of the bevel on the Mi 4 (and of course it has TouchID, useful for unlocking, security, contactless payments and more); the volume and power buttons on the iPhone have great haptic feedback, and the choice of materials in the iPhone make it feel like a 'better' phone.

The iPhone 6 wins the design category, not because it was 'first'. It wins because it feels more modern, it feels like it has been designed with a huge amount of attention, and it looks unique.

(Read my long-term review of the Apple iPhone 6 here).

Two Evenly Matched Displays

With a five-inch display and 1080p resolution (1080 x 1920) the Xiaomi Mi 4 screen is both bigger in pixels and physical size than the iPhone 6's 750 x 1334 4.7 inch screen. Apple's handset sticks with the by now traditional 326 pixels per inch, while Xiaomi clocks in at 441 ppi.

Given the extra pixels, it is strange that the iPhone screen feels like it can show more information. Through smaller fonts and a tighter user interface, iOS 8 in the iPhone 6 offers more information on the screen at one time. Because of the increased density, it actually feels older than the Mi 4. Its use of MIUI pushes a palette with more pastel tones, featuring gentle gradients of color. The extra pixels are used for a better environment, rather than more information.

This is a tough one to judge. Both screens are IPS LCD based screens, with LED backlighting, both are comfortable to use and offer wide viewing angles and the ability to alter the color tone on display. But the cramped nature of the iPhone 6 is pushing me every so slightly towards the Mi 4, and I don't want to chicken out and say a score draw.

Next page: the battle of the operating systems and the batteries...

Vanilla iOS or Themed Android?

Normally in these comparisons I reserve my 'score draw' for the OS battle. Both iOS and Android are perfectly capable of handling the modern smartphone world, and as the capability of the two platforms line up, the choice is less about differentiation and more about personal preference.

There will always be small areas that can make a huge difference to an individual (Apple Pay, iCloud, Google Now, Android Wear support), but tribal loyalty will always be a huge part of a comparison.

In the case of the Mi 4 I'm going to make an exception and not casually skip over a pit of flamewar. The Mi 4 is a Chinese smartphone. Unsurprisingly, the Mi 4 is tied in heavily with the Chinese market and the sensibilities around the cultural norms there. My Mi 4 is an imported handset, and while it is on sale outside of China, these sales are restricted to territories such as Singapore and Taiwan...not the United Kingdom, Sweden, or the US.

That means the look and feel of MIUI is one step removed from the normal Android experience. This is an Android look that does not have an app drawer (which curiously brings it closer to Apple) but it does allow widgets and apps to be mixed on the screen. The settings and dialog screens feel like a tweaked version of Android, while MIUI's habit of putting a big picture at the top of the screen and the information on the bottom half gives a consistent but new way of presenting information. It will take some getting used to.

Neither is there Google Play Support for the Chinese variant of the Mi 4. A modified version can be downloaded from the Xiaomi App Store, or if you source a handset from Singapore then Google Play Services will be available out of the box, although you'll need to load in all of the Google Apps.

One huge advantage that MIUI and the Mi 4 has is the ability to theme the OS. This is a huge but expected feature in China, and you'll find skins online that replicate every OS under the sun (yes, even iOS), but also as advertising and marketing for feature films, TV shows, and cuddly toys, You'll find radical reworkings of manga-inspired UIs , and as long as you are happy to navigate the Chinese app store to check out all the artwork options, it's likely you won't stay on the MIUI default theme for long.

(Read my standalone review of the Xiaomi Mi 4 here on Forbes).

This category is still a score draw, because the newness of MIUI that increases the learning curve also encourages you to tinker with the software to get it running correctly. That does add complexity, but it is balanced out in my mind by the strong theme support giving you far more control over the look of your device.

If you like Android and the open nature of that OS, then the themeing of MIUI is going to be very welcome. If you'd rather the simplicity and single design ethos of iOS, then stick with Apple.

Performance, Power, And Positivity

If you were to look at the numbers in the specification sheet, then the clear winner in terms of performance should be the Xiaomi Mi 4. With a 2.5 GHz quad-core CPU, Adreno 330, and 3 GB of RAM, the Mi 4 is squarely in the high-sepcs Android space, although this space is about to get some 64-bit competition at Mobile World Congress next week which will nudge the Mi 4 down a step on the ladder. Right now the Mi 4 tops the benchmarks of the currently available handsets in the AnTuTu benchmark website.

The numbers are still higher than the iPhone 6, with its 1 GB of RAM and 1.4 GHz dual-core CPU inside the A8 system on chip, but numbers, as we've said many times, are not the only judge of performance.

Both handsets are fast and smooth in operation. Apple has managed this through optimisation and making the best use of the integration of software and hardware development, while Xiaomi has went with building in reserves of grunt and power. Xiaomi's win is more about the slickness of MIUI - Samsung could learn a thing or two about skinning Android and keeping things smooth.

Ultimately the Mi 4 has more potential because of the raw power available. Unlike other Android devices it has used that power wisely and smartly, so it just shades a victory in performance.

Next page: The battle of the Sony cameras, value for money, and the final score...

The Camera Battle Of Sony Vs Sony

One thing to note about the Xiaomi Mi 4's camera is that it's actually Sony's technology. Xiaomi make no bones about this, so it's a similar shoot-out here to the iPhone 6 vs Sony Xperia Z3 Compact from late last year (complicated by the fact that Apple also uses some Sony parts in its camera unit).

Apple is the clear winner here. The extra technology Cupertino has added to the camera, including the use of focus pixels to speed up the shot-to-shot time, is a huge benefit and imparts a confidence that you çan always get a good shot. With easy access to burst mode for rapid fire pictures, the slow-mo mode for video capture, the general level of simplicity in Apple's app the software makes this an easy win for Apple.

The East vs West perceptions kick in here as well. While Apple has done its best to keep a natural tone to the images that it takes, Xiaomi has really pushed the color reproduction here, and as a result every picture is a bit more vibrant, a bit more pop, and to my eyes a bit more artificial. All of these can be corrected in post production, but the Mi 4 is a touch too aggressive for me under normal circumstances.

Battery Life And Endurance

With a paltry 1810 mAh battery in the iPhone 6, Apple's leading smartphone struggles to make a full day of heavy use. It's a weakness of the thin design, partially balanced out by the chips and screen of the iPhone 6 requiring less power. Even though Xiaomi's 3080 mAh battery is far larger, the faster processor (with twice as many cores), extra memory, and larger screen, all require more power. While the Mi 4 can last a full day, it doesn't go much beyond that.

One issue that I found was the larger battery of the Mi 4 meant that to reach 100% charge took longer on Xiaomi, even with its fast charge technology. Keeping both handsets topped up is key to continued usage, and that gives Apple an edge in terms of time required.

Both handsets are at the low-end of acceptability for battery life. Xiaomi shades it in terms of running time, and even though the iPhone 6 has a shorter charge time, I'm still awarding this to the Mi 4 for the longer endurance.

Availability

This is an easy win for the iPhone 6. It's available worldwide, in vast numbers, and even if you aren't close to an Apple Store any major electrical chain or carrier is going to have the handset in stock.

Obtaining an Xiaomi Mi 4 is a little harder. It's sold online in China, so you have to be confident you want it, and while there is availability outside of China, any western fan of the brand is going to have to resort to the grey import market to obtain a device. Not only does that drive the price up, but it also creates issues around warranty and servicing. That reduces the impact of Xiaomi's relatively low price for the powerful handset.

Naturally it's a slightly different story in China, where I would put both handsets on a par in terms of availability, so do take that into consideration if you are living in Xiaomi's home territory. For everyone else the shorter supply chain, warranty and repair route, and ease of access, hands this to the iPhone 6.

Final Thoughts

The 'clone' tag that hangs around the Xiaomi Mi 4 is tough to escape from, but the handset has earned the right to be seen as a standalone product. It performs well, it is tailored for its home market, and it does everything you would expect of a smartphone. Just like Apple, the Mi 4 is part of a wider play by Xiaomi to build up its user base and credentials as a strong consumer brand - if there's any part of the Apple strategy that has been admired and absorbed, it is this part, not the external design of the smartphone.

Xiaomi has a strong Android handset, with a more than competent operating system and impressive cloud support for its users. The Mi 4 is a handset that will not leave you asking for more.

Neither does the iPhone 6 leave you wanting. Apple's strategy plays out in this smartphone just as much as the iPad or the MacBook range of computers and laptops. It also delivers a solid smartphone experience, perhaps with a bit more of a restricted vision but that focus allows for more innovation in smaller and more delicate areas that gives the iPhone 6 a more rounded and professional feel.

In terms of scores in the category breakdown, there was one draw, Apple took three victories (design, camera, value for money) and Xiaomi took the other three (display, performance, and battery life). Personal preference is going to play a big part in any decision, as is your geographic location. Outside of China the winner is the iPhone 6, but inside China it is a much closer contest.

Given the view early last year that Apple was nowhere close to being competitive in China, that's a massive turnaround for Tim Cook and Cupertino. Xiaomi are unlikely to spread much outside of the regional footprint it has, so the closest challenger to the iPhone is not going to cause too much mischief in the rest of the world.

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