Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro Review: A Camera-focused Smartphone with Flagship-level Specs

Dhaka
June 29, 2024, 12:39 PM
by Shahriar Rabab

UNB News
Dhaka
Publish- June 29, 2024, 12:39 PM
Shahriar Rabab
Update- June 29, 2024, 12:59 PM

Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro

Xiaomi launched the Civi 4 Pro on 21st March exclusively in China. Its global version, the Xiaomi 14 Civi has also been recently launched. The Civi line of smartphones is known for its camera prowess. And as expected, the latest model 4 Pro is also no different. But this time, Xiaomi brought more than just camera upgrades to the table. Let’s take a detailed look.

Key Specs of Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro

Design and Build Quality

The Civi 4 Pro brings a good mix of innovative design with a utilitarian approach. This year, there are seven colorways to choose from, 3 of them being limited edition ones. The large pool of personalization options is backed by premium material. The front features Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection with a glass back or eco-leather finish depending on the color. The aluminum frame also exudes a premium finish.

The dimensions of the 4 Pro come in at 157.2 by 72.77 by 7.45 to 7.75 mm depending on the back material. The weight also ranges between 177.6 g to 180.9 g. Ports and buttons are in their usual spot without any change from the previous generation.

The Civi 4 Pro, just like its predecessor has a dual camera on the front. The front dual camera is arranged in such a way that it will easily remind anyone of the dynamic island found on the iPhones. Other than this, the design of the 4 Pro is something that stands out among the rest.

The Display

The display on the Civi 4 Pro is a 6.55-inch AMOLED one with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 68B colors, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ support. The panel also boasts 3000 nits of peak brightness which is more than enough for even the harshest sunlight.

The 4 Pro sees an upgrade in resolution from the Civi 3 as it now comes with 1236 by 2750 pixels resolution and 460 ppi density. The near edge-to-edge display has a 90.4% screen-to-body ratio which is one of the highest among Androids.

In terms of performance, the display on the Civi 4 Pro performed well. It supports a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut for vibrant colors and great contrast. The viewing angles were also sharp which makes this panel one of the best in its price class.

The Camera

Now onto the all-important camera for which the Civi line is so famous. There’s a total of five cameras on the Civi 4 Pro with three on the back and two on the front. The main back camera is a 50 MP, f/1.6, 25mm wide-angle shooter with a 1/1.55’’ sensor size. It’s a Leica Summilux lens which is known for its distinct color tone and consistency. The other two sensors are a 50 MP, f/2.0, 50mm Leica Professional telephoto lens and a 12 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 120˚ ultrawide lens.

The front features a dual 32 MP sensor. One is a f/2.0 standard lens and the other is a f/2.4 wide angle one.

In terms of camera performance, the Civi 4 Pro fixed the greatest gripe with the Civi 3, that is the color reproduction at different zoom levels. The 4 Pro showed consistent color reproduction at ultrawide, standard 1x, 2x, and lossless 4x images. The dynamic range also held pretty well in daylight conditions. The night mode also greatly improved the exposure consistency in images. However, the lens flare still remains an issue.

The front camera can take decent images in both daylight and night environments. The ultrawide lens is a game changer in the sense that most smartphones don’t have a dedicated ultrawide shooter like the Civi 4 Pro.

The videography is rated at 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960fps, 720p@1920fps. The videos natively support HDR10+ and 10-bit codecs for smooth playback.

Processor and Performance

The processor on the Civi 4 Pro is the new Qualcomm SM8635 Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 based on a 4 Nm architecture. In use, the 8s Gen 3 performs much like last year's 8 Gen 2 with minor upgrades. The chip design comes in at 1x3.0 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4x2.8 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A520 with Adreno 735 GPU.

In terms of gaming performance, there’s a bit of a cost-and-benefit situation. Most games tested on the 4 Pro ran on the highest settings without any stutter. However, the cost of performance was that the device would heat up a lot in prolonged gaming sessions.

Games like Genshin Impact were able to maintain a constant 41.9 fps with a max temperature of around 44 degrees Celsius. PUBG on the other hand recorded a constant 59.7 fps at around 40 degrees Celsius.

The UFS 4.0 upgraded storage is a welcome addition to the 4 Pro. However, on the flip side, the 4 MB L3 cache might bring some performance issues down the line.

Benchmark

Antutu Score: 1504192
Geekbench 5 Score: 1463 (single core); 4678 (multi-core)
3D Mark Wild Life Score: 3361

In terms of absolute benchmark scores, the 4 Pro falls short of the Xiaomi 13 featuring an 8 Gen 2, and the Xiaomi 14 featuring an 8 Gen 3 processor.

Software

The software on the Civi 4 Pro is HyperOS based on Android 14. HyperOS is practically a revamped visualization of MIUI with the same old DNA and the same old issues. There are noticeable number of bloatware and the whole UI might feel clunky at times. Google Services are now supported natively though you might have to download it manually. Even then certain Play Store apps didn’t properly run on the OS.

Battery and Charge Time

The battery on the Civi 4 Pro is 4700 mAh. It might seem a bit small for a phone of its size but Xiaomi has included 67W wired fast charging which can take the device up to 100% in just 40 minutes.

Pros and Cons of Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro

Pros

- AMOLED panel with 120 Hz refresh rate
- Upgraded camera and post-processing
- Front-facing dual camera
- Video recording supports HDR10+ and 10-bit codec
- UFS 4.0 storage
- Great gaming performance
- Stereo speakers
- Wide range of color options
- 67W wired fast charging.

Cons

- The optical zoom lens is limited to just 2x
- No card slot or headphone jack
- No water protection rating
- No wireless charging support
- No reverse charging support.

Price of Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro

Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro comes in 12/256 GB, 12/512 GB, and 16/512 GB storage options. The prices of the variants come in at 2799 RMB, 2999 RMB, and 3299 RMB respectively. It roughly translates to around 45288 BDT, 48524 BDT, and 53378 BDT respectively (1 RMB = 16.18 BDT). There’s also Disney Princess Limited Edition and Limited Custom Editions. Both are priced at 3299 RMB.

However, the official price of Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro in Bangladesh may vary due to tax and other issues.

Verdict

The Civi 4 Pro brings some useful updates over last year's Civi 3. The updated design, display, and processor are a testament to Xiaomi’s commitment to positioning the 4 Pro as a top-end mid-range device rivaling flagships. Particularly the improvements in the camera department are a welcome addition.

In hindsight, the processor and the OS need more optimization to fully benefit from the display and the processor capabilities. Although priced a bit high, the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro can easily rival alternatives like Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, realme GT 6, and the Poco F6.