Xiaomi Launches World's First Tegra 4 Smartphone

Nvidia said on Thursday that China's Xiaomi Tech has launched the world's first smartphone powered by the Tegra 4 chip, the Xiaomi Mi3. The device was officially introduced during a special event in Beijing, and will launch on China Mobile, the world’s largest carrier, in October.

It's also interesting that Xiaomi is using the Tegra 4 instead of the smartphone-focused Tegra 4i. The latter chip has its own built-in modem whereas the Tegra 4 relies on Nvidia's discrete Icera i500 modem. Then again, the Tegra 4 is designed for high-end smartphones as well as tablets, thus Xiaomi was obviously looking for high-performance in this new flagship device than a cost-saving Tegra alternative. AnandTech verified with Xiaomi that the phone doesn't use the Tegra 4 compatible i500 modem, but a different solution instead.

Regardless of the chip, the new flagship phone also sports a 5 inch 1080p IPS screen built by Sharp or LG, which supposedly offers "ultra-sensitive touch" capabilities even for users with wet or gloved fingers. The phone also contains a Cirrus Logic CS42L73 DAC chip, Immersion haptic feedback, a 13MP Sony IMX135 sensor with an F2.2 sapphire lens and dual LED on the back, and a 2MP camera on the front.

The phone also includes 2 GB of LPDDR3 RAM, at least 16 GB of storage with a read speed up to 120 MB/s, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC and a 3,050 mAh battery. All of this is packed into a 8.1 mm high slick metal case featuring an aluminum-magnesium alloy metal inner frame. The phone currently costs CN¥1,999 (US$330) for the 16 GB version and CN¥2,499 ($410) for the 64 GB model.

"The Mi3 with Tegra 4 provides an amazing experience that consumers will absolutely love," said Lei Jun, Xiaomi founder and CEO. "We wanted it to be fantastic, and that’s why we partnered with Nvidia. Tegra 4 provides performance and features never before seen in a smartphone."

Nvidia talks more about the world's first Tegra 4 smartphone in a blog here.

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Kevin Parrish
Contributor

Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.

  • I for one am very interested in how the terga 4 performs in a phone. If it can bring similar capabilities (not scaled down capabilities) to the tablet, then I would think it would be a viable alternative, maybe even a platform for a Nexus device from google.
    Reply
  • teh_chem
    Curious what the battery life is going to be (and how scaled down the speed of the T4 in this phone is relative to tablet variants).
    Reply
  • theclouds
    It is a good looking phone. I remembering flashing the Miui rom a couple months. Nice interface, and now a device to match!
    Reply