Three Models Of China's Xiaomi Mi Phones Are Pictured During Their Launch
Three models of China's Xiaomi Mi phones are pictured during their launch in New Delhi July 15, 2014. China's Xiaomi said it intends to invest heavily in India as the budget smartphone maker launched on Tuesday its flagship Mi phone and other products in the world's third largest smartphone market, currently dominated by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. Reuters

The HTC Desire 816 was released in the first quarter of 2014, whereas the Xiaomi Mi4 has recently been launched in July. However, the Xiaomi Mi4 handset is now available for purchase in selected regions. The global release can be expected in the third quarter of 2014. Readers who are interested in the HTC Desire 816 or the Xiaomi Mi4 should check out this specifications, features and price comparison.

Display, Exterior And Size

The Xiaomi Mi4 features a 5.0-inch Sharp/JDI OGS full lamination display bundled with a good screen resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 pixels and 441 ppi pixel density. The HTC Desire 816, on the other hand, comes with a whopping LG G3-like 5.5-inch Super LCD2 display along with a relatively inferior 720 x 1,280 pixels resolution and 267 ppi pixel density.

The HTC Desire 816 comes with a glossy polycarbonate plastic exterior unlike the metallic look of the high-end HTC One M8. Nevertheless, the matte effect surrounding the corners of the phone provides a solid, likeable look to the handset, according to Trusted Reviews. Even though the phone is made of plastic, Xiaomi has earned the reputation for quality build of Mi series of phones. The plastic used in the Xiaomi Mi series of phones provide premium look with its metal-like body accompanying the glass display. Xiaomi's Mi series of handsets offer good value for money because of the attention to detail and quality construction, according to CNet.

Nevertheless, both the phones do not feature dust/water resistant exteriors. The thickness and the weight of Xiaomi Mi4 are 0.35-inch and 149 g respectively, whereas the HTC Desire 816 is 0.31-inch thick and weighs 165 g.

Hardware, Software And Memory

Xiaomi Mi4 is powered by a superior quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801) Krait 400 processor clocked at 2.5 GHz. Whereas the Desire 816 is powered by a quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400) Cortex-A7 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. Furthermore, the Xiaomi Mi4 houses a superior 3 GB of RAM, while the HTC Desire 816 houses a relatively inferior 1.5 GB of RAM.

The HTC device runs on Android v4.4.2 KitKat OS along with HTC's Sense 6.0 UI, while the Xiaomi Mi4 runs on Android v4.4.3 KitKat OS with MIUI 6 UI. When it comes to memory, Xiaomi handset offers 16 GB and 64 GB of internal storage, whereas the HTC handset offers 8 GB of in-built storage. While the Xiaomi Mi4 does not support microSD card, the HTC Desire 816 comes with expandable memory option up to 128 GB.

Camera And Battery

Both the phones sport the same 13 MP rear-facing camera unit. While the Xiaomi handset comes with dual-LED flash, the HTC handset houses LED flash. When it comes to secondary camera, the Xiaomi phone trumps the HTC device with a surprisingly good 8 MP camera, while the Desire 816 houses a 5 MP front-facing shooter. The Xiaomi Mi4 can shoot 4K (3,840 x 2,160) videos, whereas the HTC smartphone can't.

Furthermore, the Xiaomi Mi4 houses a killer Li-Ion 3080 mAh battery unit, whereas the HTC Desire 816 comes with a relatively inferior Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery unit. However, both the batteries are not user-replaceable.

Connectivity, SIM And Colour

Both the phones come equipped with Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11, Wi-Fi hotspot, microUSB port and NFC support. In addition, the Xiaomi Mi4 supports Infrared port. While the Xiaomi handset supports micro-SIM, the HTC handset supports nano-SIM. Furthermore, several variants of the Desire 816 come with dual-SIM support.

It is worth noting that Xiaomi supports WCDMA at this point, but a new variant is expected to hit the markets later this year with LTE support. Moreover, the Desire 816 comes in black, white, red, green and gray hues, whereas the Xiaomi Mi4 comes in the standard black and white shades.

Price

The HTC Desire 816 (Dual-SIM) is priced at AU$389.95 in Australia. The Xiaomi Mi4, on the other hand, is priced at US$449 (roughly translates to AU$482) at this point. The handset is now available for purchase in Oppomart. In addition, interested readers can buy the Xiaomi handset from Xiaomi World for US$459.99. However, the Xiaomi Mi4's release date in Australia is unknown at this point.

Also Read

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Priced At $813 To House 4 GB RAM And More; Launch Date Confirmed For Sept 3 - [Read]

2. Xiaomi Mi4 To Faceoff New Meizu MX4 Priced At $320 With 5.5-Inch Display, 3 GB RAM And More - [Read]

3. HTC One Mini 2 vs. Oppo N1 Mini - Specifications, Features And Price Showdown - [Read]

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