Xiaomi Mi4 vs. Asus Zenfone 4 Price And Specs Comparison
Lei Jun, founder and CEO of China's mobile company Xiaomi, speaks at a launch ceremony of Xiaomi Phone 4, in Beijing, July 22, 2014. China's Xiaomi unveiled on Tuesday its new flagship Mi 4 smartphone, aimed squarely at the premium handset market dominated by Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. Reuters/Jason Lee

Sapphire crystals remain highly anticipated among smartphones. Apple was not able to go through with it because of production mishaps and now Xiaomi appears to be possibly first in line to feature the components. According to The Fuse Joplin, the company is planning to release the Xiaomi MI5 with sapphire glass protection.

The component has been gaining attention for the past year especially after studies note its durability better than glass. It is also scratch resistant though not entirely immune to cracking. More importantly, some have also noted that material's strength compared to the widely used Gorilla Glass. Xiaomi apparently wants to make a move towards the high end market thus its sights on the sapphire material. It will reportedly be included in the 5.7-inch QHD panel of the device.

Other specs of the Xiaomi MI5 include Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GBRAM. Xiaomi has not released the final details of the handset but the company is expected to provide more during the CES 2015. If the company pushes through then it will gain significant lead over Apple even possibly earning market attention because of the fresh component.

In another report by the Cult of Mac, it seems Xiaomi not only wants to challenge Apple in the handset arena but also in the laptop sector. Becoming the biggest startup valuation in the world, Xiaomi has been working on penetrating Apple's market and this time possibly through a MacBook Air knockoff. Leaked via Gizmochina, the company has reportedly been working a laptop line that appears almost as similar as the Apple laptop only without the logo and $480 price tag.

Instead of the famous "Macbook Air" before the keyboard, the company swapped a bright orange MI logo under the display. Other specs include Intel i7 processor and 16GB RAM. It will also feature a 15-inch 1080p display operating on a tailored edition of the Linux. As with other leaks, people should take this with a grain of salt unless Xiaomi has finalized the details.

Email: p.silva@ibtimes.com.au