Xiaomi Mi4 rumored to be equipped with 3D panoramic camera

Following Korean counterpart Samsung, Xiaomi will be the second smartphone brand to equip its newest release with a cutting edge

Panoramic 3D camera

Fitted on the backside of the new Xiaomi Mi-4 (both the Xiaomi Mi-4A and the Xiaomi Mi-4S), the high-end camera allows users to shoot real 3D pictures and movie-clips as well as the (much requested) panoramic pictures option. The camera is said to get a resolution of around 14 megapixel.

3D panorama photography possible with the new Xiaomi Mi-4

Xiaomi Mi-4 to be shipped with Tegra 6 Stark SoC

NVIDIA Tegra 6 Stark to be
included in the Xiaomi Mi-4

What we expected for some time has turned out to be anonymously confirmed from inside Xiaomi R&D: The Xiaomi Mi4 (Xiaomi Mi-4A and Xiaomi Mi-4S) will very likely be released with the latest and upcoming  NVIDIA Tegra 6 (code-named Stark) SoC while the soon to be released Xiami Mi-3A and Xiaomi Mi-3S will be fitted with an NVIDIA Tegra 5 Logan chip.

If you're still unknown with the term, SoC stands for "system on a chip" and is basically a single chip for mobile devices (such as smartphones, tablets and so on) that combines CPU (processor), GPU (graphics processor) and RAM (internal memory) in one. This results in higher performances with lower power consumption.

The Xiaomi Mi-4 will be shipped for the China Telecom market with the next generation Tegra 6 Stark, which will have a 8-core CPU / processor by Denver powering 2.66 GHz. This CPU is 64-bit and that's a world premiere. Furthermore in the Xiaomi Mi-4 Tegra 6 SoC an internal memory of 8 to 16 GB (would that be enough for you?). Both the Xiaomi Mi4 and the Tegra 6 Stark SoC will be released in the second half of 2014. As it now stands around September 2014.

MIUI Android logo

In recent weeks we can observe a lot of mentioning of the abbeeviating "MIUI". What does MIUI actually stand for, what does it mean and what does it do? Here's a quick MIUI 101.

What is MIUI?

What is MIUI?
Xiaomi MIUI screenshot

MIUI is a kind of firmware developed by Xiaomi and it is used in its smartphones Xiaomi Mi2, Xiaomi Mi3 and Xiaomi Mi4. The abbrevation MIUI stands for "Me (or Mi) You I". It's a wordplay based on the product name Mi and the term UI (User Interface).

MIUI is brand-specific firmware based on Google Android. What this means for users is that Xiaomi smartphones in essense use Android as OS, but heavily modified by Xiaomi to give users an enhanced user-experience and more capabilities. MIUI doesn't look and feel like Android (more like Apple's iOS) although it still is.

Xiaomi Mi-4 Are you ready for the fastest, most powerful smartphone ever?

With an expected release date in the second or second half of 2014, the

Xiaomi Mi4 (Mi-4A & Mi-4S)

is said to continue the trend and remain the fastest, most powerful smartphone in the world as was.is the case with its predecessors the Xiami Mi-2A / Mi-2S and the Xiami Mi-3A / Mi-3S. The world-class smartphone brand Xiaomi, based in China has previously ranked number 1 among all other smartphones including Samsung, Apple and Nokia based on specs.

Let's have a look at what we can likely expect from the Xiaomi Mi-4, although it's certainly much to early to be sure of anything.

Xiaomi Mi4 with 8-core CPU
expected release date first quarter 2014

• SoC: NVIDIA Tegra 6 Stark  with a 64-bit,  8-core (octo-core) 2.66 GHz CPU by Denver (for China Telecom models) or a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1000 2.8 GHz 8-core / octocore processor (for all other end-users)
• Display: Super AMOLED 5.4 inch Full-HD in-cell 1080p capacitive 3D touchscreen
• Resolution: 472 PPI (WOW!! Compare that with trhe S5 which is expected to come with a 448 PPI screen resolution)
• Camera back: 13.6 megapixel panoramic 3D camera
• Wireless charging: Qi 2.0
• Connectivity: NFC 2.0 chip, 5G mobile networking

Ready to get one? The big waiting game has started, hold on at least a few long months more!