$204 Xiaomi Mi 4c officially unveiled, comes with Snapdragon 808, 2GB of RAM, 5-inch FHD display

The Xiaomi Mi 4c features a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels (FHD) at a PPI of 441. The panels will be provided by Sharp, AUO, and LG, and feature a variable refresh rate, a trick that allegedly makes the panels 10% more power efficient. In the camera department, the Xiaomi Mi 4c is equipped with a 13MP primary sensor (either a Sony IMX258 a Samsung S5K3M2 sensor) and a 5MP wide-angle front camera. These specs are all identical to the ones found on the Xiaomi Mi 4i. 

In terms of appearance, you'll be hard pressed to find a difference between the Mi 4i and the recently-unveiled Xiaomi Mi 4c, as both phones come with the same matte polycarbonate build and the exact same design curves. If you look carefully, though, you'll find that the Mi 4c swaps the microUSB connector on the Indian Mi 4i for a modern USB Type-C connector.

The only area where the Xiaomi Mi 4c comes with significant updates compared to the Mi 4i is processing power. While the Mi 4i is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615, an upper mid-range chipset, the Mi 4c comes with a Snapdragon 808 chip, which is the same chip that powers high-end phones such as the LG G4 or the Motorola Moto X Style. Furthermore, while the Xiaomi Mi 4i is only offered in a 2GB variant, Xiaomi will also sell a version of the Mi 4c with 3GB at a slightly higher price tag. 

Xiaomi's traditional ingredient for success has been the comparatively low price of its handsets. With the Xiaomi Mi 4c, the manufacturer has continued to apply the same recipe. The Xiaomi Mi 4c will be launched at the equivalent of $204 for the version with 16GB of internal storage, and at the equivalent of $235 for the version with 32GB of internal storage and 32GB of flash storage.

On the software side, the Xiaomi Mi 4c will launch with MIUI 6, but the company promised to update the phone to MIUI 7, Xiaomi's customized take on Android Lollipop, in a few weeks' time. 

As a neat added bonus, the handset will also come with an Edge Tap feature. As the name suggests, Xiaomi's trick will allow the user to perform actions by tapping the edge of the phone. To take a photo, the user can single-tap the edge of the Mi 4c while in the camera app. A double tap will be equivalent to pressing the back button. At the moment, it's unknown if the Edge Tap feature can be customized, but this would certainly be a really nice feature to have.

Other specs include an IR blaster, dual-SIM capabilities (both with LTE support), as well as the usual range of sensors and connectivity options. All of these hardware components will be powered by a 3080mAh battery that supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0 technology.

Unlike the Mi 4i, which is exclusive to the Indian market, the Xiaomi Mi 4c is destined to make waves in China, Xiaomi's home market. The phone will launch tomorrow on Mi.com and Tmall. To get your hands on one in the US, you'll have to go through unofficial channels and import one.