What the first Xiaomi phone looked like: design, features and history of the Mi 1

Xiaomi smartphones are now associated with innovative technology, affordable prices and minimalist design. But few remember where the giant began: The company’s first phone, the Xiaomi Mi 1, was released in August 2011 and became a sensation in the Chinese market, its emergence not only laid the foundation for the future success of the brand, but also changed the idea of what a “budget flagship” should be.

In this article, we will look at how Xiaomi’s first smartphone looked, what technology it used, and why it became a cult device, how it was designed, hardware, software, and even how much it cost to launch, and compare the Mi 1 to today’s models to see how far the company has come in 13 years.

If you’re a collector of retro equipment or just interested in the history of gadgets, this material will be a real find for you. We have collected rare photos, technical specifications and little-known facts that will help to restore a full picture of the evolution of Xiaomi.

Design: What the Xiaomi Mi 1 looked like on the outside

The Xiaomi Mi 1 was a very different look from the brand’s current smartphones, with a matte plastic body with a metal frame around the perimeter, giving it a solid and premium look: the phone was 125 × 63 × 11.9 mm in size and 149 grams in weight, which was considered compact and light by 2011 standards.

On the front panel were located:

• 📱 4-inch TFT- screen with a resolution of 854×480 (245 PPI) — at the time, this was more than enough for a comfortable viewing of content.
• 🔘 The three touch buttons under the display: Menu, Home and Back, a classic layout for Android devices of the period.
• 📞 Speaker for conversations, front camera VGA (0.3 MP) and proximity sensor.

The back cover was removable (unlike modern monoblock cases), under it were hidden:

• 🔋 A removable battery with a capacity of 1930 mAh was the standard for the time.
• 📷 8MP Main Camera with LED- Flash and Autofocus.
• 🎵 Multimedia speaker and noise reduction microphone.

The color options were minimalistic, black and white, and the white Mi 1 was considered rare and cost more than the base version.

Technical characteristics: what was hidden under the hood

Despite its modest appearance, the Xiaomi Mi 1 was a technical breakthrough for its time, with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 (MSM8260) dual-core processor under its hood, considered one of the most powerful smartphone chipsets in 2011.

• 🖥️ 1 GB of RAM is a record figure for the budget segment.
• 💾 4 GB of internal memory (without support for microSD cards), of which the user was available about 2.5 GB.
• 🎮 The Adreno 220 graphics accelerator, which allowed for the running of modern games at the time.

The operating system is Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread with the MIUI V4 branded shell. Interestingly, Xiaomi initially positioned itself as a software company, and MIUI was its first product.

Compare the key parameters of the Mi 1 with the flagship of 2026 – Xiaomi 14 Ultra:

The Xiaomi Mi 1 was the first smartphone in the world to support the Double Tap to Wake feature, which is now the standard for most devices.

Software: MIUI at the dawn of its journey

One of the key factors in the success of the Xiaomi Mi 1 was the MIUI firmware, which was radically different from the standard Android, and the developers were inspired by the design of iOS, but added unique chips:

• 🎨 A completely redesigned interface with flat icons and minimalist animations.
• 🔒 Built-in tools for performance optimization and memory cleanup.
• 📱 Design themes support – users could change the look of the system in just two clicks.
• 🔄 Weekly firmware updates (on Fridays) were unprecedented for Android devices.

MIUI on Mi 1 was based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but visually and functionally very different from the "naked" Android.

• 📁 A file manager with cloud storage support.
• 🔍 Built-in antivirus and permission manager for applications.
• 📊 Tools for monitoring battery consumption and traffic.

By the way, the first version of MIUI weighed only 150 MB - today the firmware size for Xiaomi flagships exceeds 4 GB!

Price and Positioning: How Xiaomi Has Covered the Market

When it launched in August 2011, the Xiaomi Mi 1 cost 1999 yuan (about $315 at the time), compared to the other brands’ flagships (such as the Samsung Galaxy S II or HTC Sensation) costing $500-$700, so Xiaomi offered twice as affordable an alternative at comparable specs.

The company has a unique marketing strategy:

• 🛒 Sales were made exclusively through the online platform (mi.com), with no retail stores.
• ⏳ The first batches sold out in minutes, with demand exceeding supply by a factor of ten.
• 📢 Actively engage with fans through forums and social media (before the era of Instagram and TikTok).

In its first year, it sold nearly 3 million devices — an incredible result for a startup.The success of the Mi 1 has allowed Xiaomi to attract investment and start developing new models, including the Mi 2 and Redmi.

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If you want to buy a Xiaomi Mi 1 today, be prepared to pay collectors $200 to $500, depending on the condition of the device and the configuration, especially the original package with intact film on the screen.

Comparison with competitors: why the Mi 1 was revolutionary

In 2011, the smartphone market was dominated by Samsung, HTC and Apple. Let's take a look at what the Xiaomi Mi 1 looked like in their background:

As you can see from the table, the Mi 1 was not inferior to competitors in hardware, but it cost much less, and thanks to MIUI, it offered a unique user experience that other Android smartphones did not have.

Another key difference is that it's open to modifications, because Xiaomi has been supporting the firmware customization enthusiasts from the start, which has led to a lot of unofficial MIUI ports on other devices.

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Xiaomi Mi 1 proved that a smartphone with flagship characteristics can cost 2 times cheaper than branded counterparts, this strategy became the basis of the business model of Xiaomi for the next 10+ years.

Where to Find Xiaomi Mi 1 Today and Should You Buy It?

If you’re excited about buying the first Xiaomi smartphone, here are a few ways to find it:

• 🛒 eBay and AliExpress – Retro devices are often sold here, but be careful with scammers.
• 🤝 Thematic forums (e.g., XDA Developers or 4PDA) – enthusiasts sometimes sell their collectibles.
• 🇨🇳 Chinese sites like Taobao or JD.com are more likely to find a device in good condition.

However, before buying, take into account a few nuances:

⚠️ Warning: The Xiaomi Mi 1 doesn’t support modern communication standards. It only works on 2G and 3G networks, which means that in some countries (for example, in Russia) it will no longer be able to call due to the disconnection of outdated networks.

It is also worth remembering that:

• 🔋 A 1930 mAh battery today discharges in a few hours — it will have to be replaced.
• 📱 The 854×480 screen looks archaic against the backdrop of modern displays.
• 🔄 The latest official firmware for the Mi 1 is MIUI 5, based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Newer versions of Android don't spoil it.

So should you buy the Xiaomi Mi 1 today? Only if you're a collector or a fan of the brand. It's absolutely not suitable for everyday use.

Interesting facts about the first Xiaomi phone

We will conclude our review with a few little-known details about Xiaomi Mi 1:

• 🎉 The first 100,000 devices sold out in 34 hours, a record for the Chinese market.
• 🔧 The smartphone was disassembled without special tools - it was enough to tuck the back cover with a nail.
• 📦 The kit included a fake leather case with the MI logo — today, such accessories cost up to $50 at auction.
• 🚀 Xiaomi founder Lei Jun personally tested each update MIUI on his Mi 1.
• 💰 A year after the release, the price of the Mi 1 dropped to $200, but demand remained strong.

Xiaomi Mi 1 became the first smartphone for which the official firmware with support for the Russian language was released - this happened in 2012, when the company began to actively enter international markets.

If you ever see this smartphone live, look at the engraved back cover, which shows the serial number and production date, and the first batches (August-September 2011) were engraving in gold, making them even more valuable to collectors today.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi Mi 1