In an event held in China today, Xiaomi announced the successor to the hugely affordable Mi3. Aptly named the Mi4, the new smartphone receives some upgraded specs in the name of a 2.5Ghz Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GBs of DDR3 RAM, faster 16GB/64GB storage, slightly larger 3080mAh battery, and improvements to the cameras as well. Additionally, the phone will remain as affordable as ever – with an estimated price of US$322 for the 16GB model.

Xiaomi Mi4 – Estimated $322 (16GB) / $400 (64GB)
– 2.5Ghz Snapdragon 801 Processor
– 5.0″ 1080p OGS Full Lamination Display
– Android 4.4 Kitkat with MIUI ROM (MIUI 6)
– 13MP Camera + LED Flash, 8MP front
– 3GB RAM, 16/64GB ROM, No MicroSD
– 3,080mAh Non-Removable Battery
– SingleSIM (China LTE only so far)

Of course, this was just announced in China today and the accompanying MIUI 6 OS won’t be arriving until August. We should at least assume it’ll take some time before it reaches our shores, and let’s not assume it will be priced the same way. Then again, Xiaomi has proven they can keep their prices very competitive in the local space. Let’s also hope they can manage LTE connectivity here as well. We’ll definitely be waiting for more developments as they come.