Hands on with the No.1 Mi4 (Xiaomi Mi 4 clone): It’s built like a tank!


Users of the iPhone have accused Xiaomi of being ‘inspired’ by the iPhone design for the Xiaomi Mi 4. Regardless, the phone continues to do well in China, and is on the verge of launching in other countries. It turns out a large section of the people don’t really mind the Mi 4 looking a bit like another phone; No. 1 decided to take this opportunity to build its own clone. Not of the iPhone, but of the Mi 4. Many of you might already know about the up and coming company from China, they’re already quite popular for making a lot of clones. But the No.1 Mi4 is perhaps their best shot at clone making yet.

The phone retails for around the US$150 mark via resellers. It comes with a mind-blowingly similar design; mind blowing not because of the degree of similarity, but because of the fact that it sells for such a low price. It has a solid metal frame around the edges, which although doesn’t feel as polished as the original thing, gives the phone a rather US$300+ look and feel. To top off the cloning, the No.1 Mi4 also gets the much talked about IR blaster feature.

Most other US$150 Chinese phones of today would probably give you 2GB of RAM and perhaps even an octa-core processor. However, the No.1 Mi4 comes with the quad-core MediaTek MT6582 and 1GB of RAM. Perhaps a trade-off many would be happy to make! And, in my books, the MT6582 is a much better SoC in general than the MT6592; I’m sure many of our readers would agree too.

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Picture Gallery

No.1 Mi4

Xiaomi Mi 4 vs. No.1 Mi4

So, besides the quad-core processor and 1GB RAM, the No.1 Mi4 has a 5-inch display; it’s however knocked down from the Xiaomi Mi 4’s 1080p resolution to 720p. To No.1’s credit, the difference is hardly noticeable. Now, the Mi 4 comes with a really nice display panel, and No.1 would’ve had a hard time sourcing the 5-inch 720p panel that they eventually ship the No.1 Mi4 with.

The rest of the design is literally 1:1, save for the logo (of course). No.1 have gone for the shiny plastic logo on the back as Xiaomi, and in real life it doesn’t look as bad as you think to have ‘No.1’ in place of ‘Mi’. However, not everything in the garden is rosy. There’s a few things that do differentiate the No1. Mi4 from the original thing, and if not on the outset, these are noticeable up close.

For one, there’s quite a lot of light leak on the capacitive buttons below. So much so that it gives you the impression that the notification LED is lit as well! Also, No.1 certainly haven’t used a diffuser to distribute the amount of light that glows from the button cut-outs, making certain sections look brighter than other ones. Light leak isn’t limited to the capacitive buttons; there’s a little leak from the display’s backlight panel as well, which appears to come through from the right edge of the phone.

In a nutshell, there are always some trade-offs that need to be made to build a phone. In this case, No.1 have gone for some high-grade material; however, the high grade doesn’t reflect on the precision in which the materials are put together.

You can find more info about No.1 and the No.1 Mi4 on their official website.

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

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65 Comments

  1. Marco Lancaster
    December 4, 2014

    The only downside is 1800mAh battery, I could consider a Doogee Hitman, a inspired Mi4, over this one.

    • balcobomber25
      December 5, 2014

      All 3 of these phones (including Elephone P4000) are made in the same factory they just offer different specs. Even so I doubt there will be that much of a noticeable difference with the batteries, even with the Doogee sounding much better on paper.

  2. Riccardo Benzoni
    December 4, 2014

    mt6582 better than mt6592? Only on energy-saving, but if you put a 1800mah battery… and performance per-core and gpu make some difference in demanding apps/games! just save your money and buy the upcoming jiayu s3 at more or less the same price, a whole different beast and has its own personality!

  3. Honzys1983
    December 4, 2014

    I am curious if there is a black version available 😀

    • December 4, 2014

      Let us check with them and get back to you on that 🙂

    • balcobomber25
      December 5, 2014

      Not of this one but the Elpehone P4000 (same design from same factory) will have a black version and slightly better specs.

    • December 6, 2014

      Hi Honzys1983, No.1 will have a black variant of this. At least they say so.

      • Honzys1983
        December 6, 2014

        Thanks for replies.. I gues Xiaomi will get its ass kickem in this point 😀

  4. Harry
    December 4, 2014

    HI. Why is 6582 better SOC then 6592 ? I was thinking that 6592 is better one.

    • Xalis
      December 4, 2014

      It’s better, just some people feel the need to justify their crappy phones talking shit about better phones, but to be honest the extra 4 cores on the 6592 are not what make it a better SoC but the two extra cores on the GPU Mali-450MP4 over the Mali-400MP2, I wish you could easily turn off cores on smartphones like you can on desktop CPU’s so we could get only 4 cores from the 6592 while keeping the 4 cores from the Mali-450, go gain a little extra battery life.

      • Riccardo Benzoni
        December 4, 2014

        totally agree. As I wrote in a post before this, the only real advantage of mt6582 on mt6592 is power consumption, but performance per-core and gpu are better on mt6592, so the performances are better in every aspect. I also agree that 8 or 4 cores would have been the same, it’s more a marketing move by mediatek than a real need.

      • Marco Lancaster
        December 5, 2014

        Yeah and actually, on MTK6592 launch Mediatek has shown too the MTK6588 who turns to be a QuadCore version of MTK6592, with same Clock, and most important the Same Mali-450MP4 GPU, but the brands have not shown interest on it, so we never saw a phone with MTK6588.

  5. Marco Lancaster
    December 4, 2014

    The only downside is 1800mAh battery, I could consider a Doogee Hitman, a inspired Mi4, over this one.

    • balcobomber25
      December 5, 2014

      All 3 of these phones (including Elephone P4000) are made in the same factory they just offer different specs. Even so I doubt there will be that much of a noticeable difference with the batteries, even with the Doogee sounding much better on paper.

  6. Riccardo Benzoni
    December 4, 2014

    mt6582 better than mt6592? Only on energy-saving, but if you put a 1800mah battery… and performance per-core and gpu make some difference in demanding apps/games! just save your money and buy the upcoming jiayu s3 at more or less the same price, a whole different beast and has its own personality!

  7. Honzys1983
    December 4, 2014

    I am curious if there is a black version available 😀

    • Yash Garg
      December 4, 2014

      Let us check with them and get back to you on that 🙂

    • balcobomber25
      December 5, 2014

      Not of this one but the Elpehone P4000 (same design from same factory) will have a black version and slightly better specs.

    • Yash Garg
      December 6, 2014

      Hi Honzys1983, No.1 will have a black variant of this. At least they say so.

    • Honzys1983
      December 7, 2014

      Thanks for replies.. I gues Xiaomi will get its ass kickem in this point 😀

  8. Bailey
    December 4, 2014

    I placed a order for this phone and it ended costing me £94 and £12 for postage of course this phone is not going to be perfect its cheap. But it would make a great second phone especially when i go out.

  9. Harry
    December 4, 2014

    HI. Why is 6582 better SOC then 6592 ? I was thinking that 6592 is better one.

    • Guest
      December 4, 2014

      It’s better, just some people feel the need to justify their crappy phones talking shit about better phones, but to be honest the extra 4 cores on the 6592 are not what make it a better SoC but the two extra cores on the GPU Mali-450MP4 over the Mali-400MP2, I wish you could easily turn off cores on smartphones like you can on desktop CPU’s so we could get only 4 cores from the 6592 while keeping the 4 cores from the Mali-450, go gain a little extra battery life.

    • Riccardo Benzoni
      December 4, 2014

      totally agree. As I wrote in a post before this, the only real advantage of mt6582 on mt6592 is power consumption, but performance per-core and gpu are better on mt6592, so the performances are better in every aspect. I also agree that 8 or 4 cores would have been the same, it’s more a marketing move by mediatek than a real need.

    • Marco Lancaster
      December 5, 2014

      Yeah and actually, on MTK6592 launch Mediatek has shown too the MTK6588 who turns to be a QuadCore version of MTK6592, with same Clock, and most important the Same Mali-450MP4 GPU, but the brands have not shown interest on it, so we never saw a phone with MTK6588.

  10. John
    December 4, 2014

    Could I ask you andi?

    I want a xiaomi mi4, so I tried to fetch the lowest prices on the internet and got on the hktdc.com who redirected me to the supplier http://www.elec-trading-mall.com, but I got too good prices to be true a xiaomi mi4 for 120$, can it be not fake? Furthermore the prices were too good on other things also for example LG G Flex $155

    Should I trust this supplier, they seem quite legimate and even sent me their business license (in Chinese) and their Annual Examination (in Chinese)

    • Akimitsui
      December 4, 2014

      No… just think. Why would they sell the Mi4 for $120 when they can easily sell it like hotcakes for $300? If they are legitimate there is no way they can make money off a $120 Mi4 due to costs of parts and manufacturing on Xiaomi’s part.

      Even if the phone is stolen they would not sell it for THAT low… the only real option is that they are selling fakes or are scamming for money. If they don’t accept Paypal or they do but advise you to mark the money transfer as “gift” – then that is a major warning sign…. since Paypal will get your full money back if you did not receive the item you ordered.

      • John
        December 5, 2014

        They want me to use the western union account and when I asked them, what about COD? They told me that they dont do that and that I should trust them. What should I do? Order it from Amazon?

        • Akimitsui
          December 5, 2014

          If you use Western Union there is no way to get your money back, a lot of scammers or sites that sell counterfeits use this method of payment. If you want the Mi4 you have to pay the regular price for it, the only real way to get it cheaper is by going to China yourself :).

          With that said, i ordered mine from ibuygou.com – they are a trusted reseller and have the cheapest price from all the legit resellers. Just be sure to order DHL shipping with insurance just in case, and buy the screen protector from them as well since the phone screen is not scratch resistant.

          • John
            December 5, 2014

            ty very much and btw what phone would u suggest is the nicest one currently out there? I am thinking huawei mate 7, one plus one, and xiaomi mi4. I currentli have the mipad and im very happy with it, the only problem the display already has scratches

            • balcobomber25
              December 5, 2014

              That’s a loaded question. What do you want most in a phone? There are several very good phones out there but need to know more to answer your question. What size screen? What will use it for most? Max price?

            • John
              December 5, 2014

              max 5,5 inch
              min 13mpx good cam with flash
              min 5mpx good cam
              min 2 Ram
              min 2 ghz
              min fhd display
              max 480 dollars

              free shipping to the center of the europe
              and most important a nice phone

            • balcobomber25
              December 5, 2014

              For that price range you can get a lot of good phones. The best are the One Plus One, Honor 6, Mi4, and Mx4. I suggest reading some of the reviews and maybe watching some unboxing videos on Youtube of each of these phones, try to see what fits you the best. Personally I like the Mi4 and Honor 6 the best, but others like the OPO.

            • John
              December 6, 2014

              I’ve already watched some reviews, and am thinking between one plus one and huawei mate 7

            • January 21, 2015

              where do you want to buy Huawei mate 7 from? my friend John

            • Akimitsui
              December 6, 2014

              If you want the best price for the specs, I would recommend the One+1. The non-invite sale just ended, so you now need an invite to get the phone. If you can get an invite then $349 for those specs are unbeatable… but once you start looking at chinese resellers it is no longer worth it compared to the competition.

              Me personally after using the Mi4 64GB since September I cannot recommend it enough. MIUI is a pleasure to use, thanks to the themes market the phone always feels fresh. The phone is fast, never slows down, cleans trash and scans for viruses, MIUI updates come bi-weekly the latest, and the phone itself is built like a tank. I have dropped it straight on concrete an on other hard surfaces accidentally and all that happened were a few minor scratches – many other phones would not have survived that impact… and I don’t even use a case! The glass is not Gorilla Glass, but Concor Corning which isn’t scratch-proof but is shatter-proof. You can make the screen scratch-proof by purchasing this specific screen protector by Nillkin: http://www.ibuygou.com/p-nillkin-xiaomi-mi4-nano-anti-burst-tempered-glass-6208.html

              In my opinion, it is a near-perfect phone. I really cannot speak for the competition besides the OPO since I have not used any others besides those two.

            • Chico Migraña
              December 6, 2014

              Nubia Z7 MAX

            • Evgenij Nebotov
              December 18, 2014

              meizu mx4

        • balcobomber25
          December 5, 2014

          Western Union is the least secure method of payment, their is zero buyer protection with it. Once you send that money off it is gone. If a reseller won’t accept paypall I would be very wary of them.

    • balcobomber25
      December 5, 2014

      If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

  11. Bailey
    December 4, 2014

    I placed a order for this phone and it ended costing me £94 and £12 for postage of course this phone is not going to be perfect its cheap. But it would make a great second phone especially when i go out.

  12. John
    December 4, 2014

    Could I ask you andi?

    I want a xiaomi mi4, so I tried to fetch the lowest prices on the internet and got on the hktdc.com who redirected me to the supplier http://www.elec-trading-mall.com, but I got too good prices to be true a xiaomi mi4 for 120$, can it be not fake? Furthermore the prices were too good on other things also for example LG G Flex $155

    Should I trust this supplier, they seem quite legimate and even sent me their business license (in Chinese) and their Annual Examination (in Chinese)

    • Akimitsui
      December 4, 2014

      No… just think. Why would they sell the Mi4 for $120 when they can easily sell it like hotcakes for $300? If they are legitimate there is no way they can make money off a $120 Mi4 due to costs of parts and manufacturing on Xiaomi’s part.

      Even if the phone is stolen they would not sell it for THAT low… the only real option is that they are selling fakes or are scamming for money. If they don’t accept Paypal or they do but advise you to mark the money transfer as “gift” – then that is a major warning sign…. since Paypal will get your full money back if you did not receive the item you ordered.

    • John
      December 5, 2014

      They want me to use the western union account and when I asked them, what about COD? They told me that they dont do that and that I should trust them. What should I do? Order it from Amazon?

    • Akimitsui
      December 5, 2014

      If you use Western Union there is no way to get your money back, a lot of scammers or sites that sell counterfeits use this method of payment. If you want the Mi4 you have to pay the regular price for it, the only real way to get it cheaper is by going to China yourself :).

      With that said, i ordered mine from

    • Akimitsui
      December 5, 2014

      – they are a trusted reseller and have the cheapest price from all the legit resellers. Just be sure to order DHL shipping with insurance just in case, and buy the screen protector from them as well since the phone screen is not scratch resistant.

    • balcobomber25
      December 5, 2014

      If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

    • balcobomber25
      December 5, 2014

      Western Union is the least secure method of payment, their is zero buyer protection with it. Once you send that money off it is gone. If a reseller won’t accept paypall I would be very wary of them.

    • John
      December 5, 2014

      ty very much and btw what phone would u suggest is the nicest one currently out there? I am thinking huawei mate 7, one plus one, and xiaomi mi4. I currentli have the mipad and im very happy with it, the only problem the display already has scratches

    • balcobomber25
      December 5, 2014

      That’s a loaded question. What do you want most in a phone? There are several very good phones out there but need to know more to answer your question. What size screen? What will use it for most? Max price?

    • John
      December 5, 2014

      max 5,5 inch
      min 13mpx good cam with flash
      min 5mpx good cam
      min 2 Ram
      min 2 ghz
      min fhd display
      max 480 dollars

      free shipping to the center of the europe
      and most important a nice phone

    • balcobomber25
      December 6, 2014

      For that price range you can get a lot of good phones. The best are the One Plus One, Honor 6, Mi4, and Mx4. I suggest reading some of the reviews and maybe watching some unboxing videos on Youtube of each of these phones, try to see what fits you the best. Personally I like the Mi4 and Honor 6 the best, but others like the OPO.

    • Akimitsui
      December 6, 2014

      If you want the best price for the specs, I would recommend the One+1. The non-invite sale just ended, so you now need an invite to get the phone. If you can get an invite then $349 for those specs are unbeatable… but once you start looking at chinese resellers it is no longer worth it compared to the competition.

      Me personally after using the Mi4 64GB since September I cannot recommend it enough. MIUI is a pleasure to use, thanks to the themes market the phone always feels fresh. The phone is fast, never slows down, cleans trash and scans for viruses, MIUI updates come bi-weekly the latest, and the phone itself is built like a tank. I have dropped it straight on concrete an on other hard surfaces accidentally and all that happened were a few minor scratches – many other phones would not have survived that impact… and I don’t even use a case! The glass is not Gorilla Glass, but Concor Corning which isn’t scratch-proof but is shatter-proof. You can make the screen scratch-proof by purchasing this specific screen protector by Nillkin: http://www.ibuygou.com/p-nillkin-xiaomi-mi4-nano-anti-burst-tempered-glass-6208.html

      In my opinion, it is a near-perfect phone. I really cannot speak for the competition besides the OPO since I have not used any others besides those two.

    • Ricardo A.
      December 6, 2014

      Nubia Z7 MAX

    • John
      December 6, 2014

      I’ve already watched some reviews, and am thinking between one plus one and huawei mate 7

    • Evgenij Nebotov
      December 18, 2014

      meizu mx4

    • Coolicool
      January 21, 2015

      where do you want to buy Huawei mate 7 from? my friend John

  13. balcobomber25
    December 5, 2014

    I have always been very curious about clone phones so I finally bit the bullet and bought one of these. I already own the original Mi4 so I really wasn’t looking to use this for anything more than a comparison and add it to my emergency backup collection (excuse I use to buy new phones lol).

    The write up is pretty spot on, it looks as close to the original as you can get but when compared side by side the quality of the Xiaomi really starts to stand out. Specs wise the 720p screen looks very good and the phone is fast enough to compete with most mid range devices. One interesting feature is the software, this seems to really depend on who you order it from. Mine came with MIUI (version 5) but many comes with just the MIUI launcher (which is what I was expecting). All in all the Xiaomi Mi4 is one of my favorite phones ive ever used (except I have issues with GPS) but the No.1 is good alternative for anyone on a budget.

  14. balcobomber25
    December 5, 2014

    I have always been very curious about clone phones so I finally bit the bullet and bought one of these. I already own the original Mi4 so I really wasn’t looking to use this for anything more than a comparison and add it to my emergency backup collection (excuse I use to buy new phones lol).

    The write up is pretty spot on, it looks as close to the original as you can get but when compared side by side the quality of the Xiaomi really starts to stand out. Specs wise the 720p screen looks very good and the phone is fast enough to compete with most mid range devices. One interesting feature is the software, this seems to really depend on who you order it from. Mine came with MIUI (version 5) but many comes with just the MIUI launcher (which is what I was expecting). All in all the Xiaomi Mi4 is one of my favorite phones ive ever used (except I have issues with GPS) but the No.1 is good alternative for anyone on a budget.

  15. sunny
    February 23, 2015

    From where I can buy xiaomi mi4 fake screen touch digitizer??

  16. sunny
    February 23, 2015

    From where I can buy xiaomi mi4 fake screen touch digitizer??