Conclusion

The Xiaomi Mi4 Overseas Edition is a strange phone. It’s a 3G flagship in an era of 4G mainstream phones, so it’s clearly not a good choice for people who want to use the fastest possible mobile data standard.  

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because 4G is simply not available in a lot of markets, and coverage is spotty even in countries that already have a 4G infrastructure. If you live in a country with no 4G, or in a remote location where you can only use 3G, the watered down Mi4 starts to make perfect sense.

The Mi4 Overseas Edition sells for $227 via GearBest, but if you pounce over the next few weeks, you can use coupon GBMI4 to get it down to $205 (valid till January 15). Basically the Mi4W costs as much as a mid-range phone. It’s actually slightly cheaper than the Mi4c we had a chance to review a couple of months ago. 

Apart from the lack of 4G support, there’s really not much to complain about. The biggest problem for most users will be lack of storage, because Xiaomi is only marketing the 16GB version at this time, and there is no microSD support. At the end of the day, you’re getting a flagship phone for peanuts, so we can see a lot of bargain hunters choosing the Mi4 Overseas over the Mi4c and competing mid-range models from other brands. It just makes sense.

Bottom line: If you don’t need 4G connectivity, the Xiaomi Mi4W offers exceptional value for money, and we can’t think of any other device that can come close in terms of sheer value.

Xiaomi Mi4W Overseas Edition Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Value for money
• Performance
• Excellent cameras
• Build quality

Cons:

• No 4G support
• Limited storage