Chinese phone maker Xiaomi Inc. emerged three years ago from nowhere to become one of the top-selling brands in China's competitive smartphone market on the strength of its top-shelf specs and cheap prices. As of this year's first quarter, Xiaomi had 11% of China's smartphone market share, on par with Lenovo Group and trailing only Samsung Eelctronics, which commands some 18% of the market, according to data from research firm Canalys.
三年前白手起家的中国手机制造商小米公司(Xiaomi Inc)如今已经成为中国竞争激烈的智能手机市场上最畅销的品牌之一，它制胜的关键是高配置与低价格。研究公司Canalys的数据显示，截至今年第一季度，小米手机在中国智能手机市场的占有率已经达到11%，与联想集团(Lenovo Group)不相上下，仅仅落后于三星电子(Samsung Eelctronics)，后者在中国市场的占有率大约为18%。
But along the way the company's products got a reputation for feeling a bit...well, cheap. More than one reviewer has cited a flimsy, plastic feel to earlier models, though other features have gained praise.
不过，小米产品一直以来给人的感觉是不够高贵。尽管小米手机的不少特点获得了称赞，但不止一名评论人士认为之前几代小米手机塑料感强，不够结实。
Xiaomi Chairman Lei Jun appears to have been reading his reviews. On Tuesday he unveiled the latest version of his flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi 4, at a typically raucous presentation before fans. While he touted its more powerful battery and faster Qualcomm processor, he lingered particularly on the fact that the new phone's housing contains much more metal than earlier models, giving it a higher-quality feel.
小米公司董事长雷军似乎一直在阅读对小米手机的评论。周二他以一贯热闹的方式向粉丝推出了最新的旗舰智能手机小米4。在强调更加强大的续航能力和更快速的高通(Qualcomm)处理器的同时，他特别提及新小米手机的外壳比之前的型号包含更多金属材质，显得更有质感。
The phone's frame is made of stainless steel, he said, joking that it should be called the 'kitchen knife.'
雷军称，小米4的边框是不锈钢材质，他还调侃称，应该称之为“菜刀”。
Mr. Lei said Xiaomi went to the same companies that made the metallic-framed Apple iPhone to see what they could do for him. During his presentation, he showed his audience a video of the phone's frames getting bent, smoothed, washed and tested before emerging as a finished product. He also showed the raw components themselves, holding a phone frame into the air.
雷军表示，小米去了为苹果(Apple)的iPhone生产金属边框的几家公司，询问能给小米生产出什么样的边框。雷军在介绍小米4时向观众展示了这款手机的边框在成为成品前变弯曲和平整以及水洗和测试的视频。他还手拿小米4的金属边框，展示原材料本身。
Specwise, the phone looks aimed at the same market as Apple Inc.'s iPhone, Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy line and HTC Corp.'s One line. The five-inch phone features a high-definition screen, a 2.5-gigahertz Qualcomm processor and a battery that Mr. Lei said was bigger than the models offered by rivals. The new phone will cost 1,999 yuan ($258) for a basic model with 16 gigabytes of memory and will be available later this month. A 4G version for China Mobile will be available in September.
从参数来看，小米4似乎要和苹果公司的iPhone、三星电子的Galaxy系列以及宏达国际电子股份有限公司(HTC Co., 2498.TW, 简称：宏达国际)的One系列手机抢夺市场。这款大小为5英寸的手机配备高分辨率的屏幕、2.5GHz高通处理器以及据雷军称超过竞争对手机型的续航能力。16G版小米4的售价为人民币1,999元（合258美元），将在本月晚些时候上市。中国移动(China Mobile) 4G版要到9月份才能推出。
Other draws for potential users include a new function that maps out the branches of endless recorded customer-service phone trees, allowing a user to quickly tap the place he or she wants to go when calling companies that cooperate with Xiaomi on the service. And in an Apple-inspired 'one more thing' moment -- punctuated with an image of the English phrase appearing on a screen behind Mr. Lei -- the company also unveiled a 79 yuan bracelet that can connect to the phone and offer features such as a vibration function that can also act as an alarm clock.
小米4还有一项能吸引潜在用户的新功能，即在拨打运营商客服电话时，可以将语音菜单翻译为文字，用户通过触屏操作选择服务内容，可迅速接入自己所要选择的那项服务。受苹果公司“最后时刻意外惊喜”桥段的启发，小米公司在周二的发布会上还推出了售价为人民币79元的小米手环，这款设备能连接到小米4，而且具备震动等功能，可当闹钟用。