Xiaomi's new $200 Mi 4c has everything you need in a smartphone

The new flagship has the best of all worlds at a price that's hard to beat

Earlier this year, Xiaomi introduced the Mi 4i for India, and today it's launching the Mi 4c for China. Both new Android phones eschew the metal design of the Mi 4 for a unibody polycarbonate shell and an even cheaper price. The entry-level Mi 4c, powered by a Snapdragon 808 processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, costs just ¥1,299 (or $204). For that price, the Xiaomi Mi 4c delivers pretty much everything you need from a smartphone and nothing you don't. It has a 5-inch, 1080p display, a 13-megapixel camera with fast phase detection autofocus, a 3080mAh battery, and even a USB Type-C port.

The Xiaomi Mi 4c can accommodate two SIMs, an important consideration for its home market, and comes with an IR blaster and accompanying software to turn the phone into a remote control. Xiaomi is being coy about what the "c" in the product name stands for, whether it be China, or the variety of colors available, or the USB-C connector, which promises to be the future of cables. But for those of us outside China, it could just mean "cheap," because for that price — or even the $235 for the upgraded variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage — the Mi 4c seems like excellent value for money.

Xiaomi's new flagship Android smartphone will be available from September 23rd, only in China, via Mi.com and Tmall.