Xiaomi HyperOS 4 is here! Glass design takes center stage, performance has also improved. Who will get it first?

Xiaomi has lifted the curtain on the next generation of its overlay. HyperOS 4 is built on three pillars – a new glass design inspired by Apple, deeper performance optimization, and a smarter AI assistant (though likely only Chinese users will benefit from it). The manufacturer revealed everything the system will offer and when it will arrive on the first devices. We have the official list.

Glass design inspired by Apple

The most striking change is the appearance. HyperOS 4 introduces a new interface material, which Xiaomi roughly translates from Chinese as “soft translucent glass.” Panels and surfaces are semi-transparent and adjust their transparency level based on what is currently underneath them on the screen. Additionally, when tapped and dragged, they are accompanied by a smooth light effect that mimics finger movement.

The inspiration is clear. Apple introduced the transparent “glassy” look last year under the name Liquid Glass, and Xiaomi is now following the same path. We described a similar direction for the upcoming overlay before, most recently when leaked code revealed that the most beautiful effects might only run at full capacity on the most powerful chips – specifically on Snapdragon 8 Elite, Dimensity 9500, and Xiaomi’s own Xring O1 chip and newer.

However, the redesign is not limited to the material. HyperOS 4 significantly expands desktop customization options – you can freely move the clock on the lock screen, group notifications, resize folders with a single tap, or stack widgets on top of each other. The notes and weather applications have also received a revamped look.

Xiaomi made another leap in performance

Speed is the second major theme. Xiaomi claims to have optimized the system down to the kernel level, summarizing the result with the slogan “one swipe, smooth to the end.” Under the hood, two new technologies serve this purpose – precise load calculation and memory preloading – supplemented by a dedicated runtime environment for applications.

However, the specific figures come from Xiaomi’s own measurements, so take them with a grain of salt. According to the manufacturer, after nine hours of continuous use, the sum of the startup times for thirty applications was reduced by 17.5% compared to HyperOS 3. The cold start of the camera reportedly dropped from 1043.6 to 808.8 milliseconds, HDR image speed increased by 23%, and the average frame loss rate during long scrolling of short videos fell to just 0.11%. We cannot independently verify these values, but these are precisely the features one notices daily on a phone.

Super Xiao Ai 2.0: an assistant that sees the screen

The biggest functional novelty is the redesigned voice assistant Super Xiao Ai 2.0, which is now based on Xiaomi’s own large language model, MiMo. Two new control methods have been added. Tasks will now “settle” into a dynamic island similar to what we know from HyperOS 3, where they will show progress in real-time and automatically display the result upon completion. The so-called Super Island has, by the way, grown to over 130 services and received its own settings page. However, it remains to be seen how significant these changes will be on European Xiaomi devices.

Xiaomi calls another new feature the “inspiration orb”. Once invoked, you place it on text or an image on the display, and the assistant will immediately search for the same item, create a calendar event, provide navigation advice, or edit a photo accordingly. The principle resembles the Circle to Search feature, which your smartphone might also support.

Also included is an expert mode, which can, for example, select the best photos from an album, plan a trip, connect smart home devices, or preheat a car with a single sentence. Independently, it can also generate a longer research paper, presentation, or a simple website, and establish a conversation between the phone and a Windows or macOS computer, including remote access to files on the PC.

New features in the device center and voice recorder

The connected device center can now pin favorite devices and switch between multiple homes; the ability to receive calls on two phones under one account and synchronize verification codes between them has also been added.

Thanks to AI, the voice recorder can automatically extract key points from a meeting and create an outline, while the Super Xiao Ai keyboard can smooth dictated text and translate between Chinese and English. The AI call feature, which automatically answers the phone for you and summarizes the conversation, will arrive in mid-September. Privacy is handled by a system of calculations running partly directly on the phone and partly in the cloud – it blocks sensitive queries on the locked screen, changes and data submissions require a second confirmation, and the assistant’s memory can be cleared with a single tap.

Which devices will receive HyperOS 4 first?

Xiaomi decided not to unveil HyperOS 4 at a traditional press conference – company president Lu Wej-ping confirmed this, stating that instead of a large event, the system immediately launched a website and recruitment for the beta program. The first round of recruitment started in the morning; however, according to Xiaomi, some applicants whose applications were approved have not yet received any update, which the company is addressing.

The stable beta will then gradually roll out to phones and tablets in several waves. The first batch will arrive as early as the afternoon of August 14.

• Phones: Xiaomi 17 Ultra (including Leica version), Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, Xiaomi 17 Pro, Xiaomi 17, REDMI K90 Pro Max (including Champion Edition), and REDMI K90
• Tablets: Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro and Xiaomi Pad 8

The second wave is scheduled for August 27.

• Phones: Xiaomi 17 Max, Xiaomi 17T Pro, Xiaomi 17T, Xiaomi 15 Ultra (including dual-satellite version), Xiaomi 15S Pro, Xiaomi 15 Pro, Xiaomi 15, REDMI K90 Max, and REDMI K90 Ultra
• Tablets: REDMI K Pad 2

The last announced wave will arrive on September 17.

• Phones: REDMI K100 Pro Max, REDMI K100 Pro, REDMI K80 Pro, REDMI K80 Ultra, REDMI K80, and the foldable Xiaomi MIX Flip 2
• Tablets: Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra and Xiaomi Pad 7S Pro 12.5

However, everything above currently concerns the Chinese version of the system. Xiaomi has not specified when and in what form HyperOS 4 will reach global and Czech phones – global releases of the overlay traditionally come with a delay.

What interested you most about HyperOS 4?

Sources: Xiaomi, IThome, MyDrivers