There is a first time for everything.   Despite many decade of journalism and a fascination with electronic toys, I have never before reviewed a smartphone.   I know the geeks among you will pour over specifications, and that you can Google a pretty authoritative assessment at the click of a mouse, but that is not my style.   So it has taken me a while to work out what to say about the Mi 4 from Xiaomi.   On the plus side, this is a device which seems to be on a par with a lot of far more expensive smartphones.  I think the world has gone rather mad when you spend more on a phone than you do on a TV – something I have already done this year.   And, let’s face it, some of us like to own a decent phone while still having enough cash left over for food, drink and merriment.  On the negative side, this is not yet a well-established brand in South Africa, but it is being launched and distributed by the people behind Apple imports and distribution, and they should know a thing or two million about cellphones.   So, before I return the trial device to the mad fools who let me play with it, I shall sum up my thoughts:  If you want a cellphone which does all the good stuff of its far more expensive rivals, and even makes phone calls, then the Mi 4 is well worth considering. The same people make a range of other phones and I believe their tablet devices may soon also reach the South African market.  The Chinese are all the rage in Africa at the moment, as they buy up most of the Continent, so why not give this Chinese phone a try?   Unless you plan not to eat very much for the next 24 months?   One thing is for sure.  The Mi 4 will impress you a lot more than my first ever cellphone review.

 

Tweet of the Day:

Famous-Quote.net (@famousquotenet):  The minute you read something that you can’t understand, you can almost be sure it was drawn up by a lawyer. – Will Rogers

 

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