Just when you thought the video doorbell market had its established players, Xiaomi is kicking down the door—again. The company has a long history of commoditizing tech with its aggressive pricing, and its new Smart Doorbell 4 series looks to be the next chapter in that playbook. They’ve unveiled two models, a standard and a Pro, and the strategy is clear: offer a compelling baseline for peanuts and an irresistible upgrade for just a little more.
The Smart Doorbell 4: Your New Everyday Guardian
Officially hitting the market on July 21st, the standard Smart Doorbell 4 is up for pre-order at 299 yuan (about $41). For that price, you’re getting a feature set that, just a couple of years ago, would have been considered premium. Xiaomi has built this around a dual-camera system (3MP main, 1MP secondary) aimed at solving a common doorbell problem: seeing a visitor’s face and the package at their feet. With a 160° main view and 108° on the lower camera, blind spots should be minimal.
But let’s talk about the real-world conveniences. The company is claiming a four-month battery life from its 5100mAh cell. If that holds up under normal use, it’s a significant win for anyone tired of the constant maintenance other brands require. Toss in 5-meter night vision and Wi-Fi 6 support, and you have a device that punches well above its weight class.
Stepping Up to the Pro: When ‘Good Enough’ Isn’t Enough
This is where things get interesting, though. For an extra 200 yuan, bringing the total to 499 yuan (around $69), Xiaomi is betting you’ll want the Smart Doorbell 4 Pro. And frankly, looking at the spec sheet, they might be right.
The Pro isn’t just a minor bump; it’s a substantial leap. The camera gets a jump to a 5+2MP setup for much sharper, more useful video. The battery is nearly doubled to a massive 9800mAh, pushing the claimed operational life to an incredible six months. But the real upgrade is the intelligence. The Pro model incorporates dual infrared sensors and an AI engine that can tell the difference between a person, a pet, and a package. For anyone who has been bombarded with notifications because a stray cat wandered onto their porch, this is the feature that will justify the price hike all on its own. It also includes 32GB of local storage, giving you an out from mandatory cloud subscriptions.
A Smart Hub for Your Front Porch
Of course, this is a Xiaomi product, which means the ecosystem is the endgame. Both doorbells integrate fully with the Mijia smart home platform. The potential here is real. Your doorbell detects a person, which triggers your Xiaomi porch light to turn on and your indoor camera to start recording. It’s this kind of seamless automation that locks users in.
As a bonus, both Xiaomi Smart Doorbell 4 and 4 Pro come with two-way talk (with a voice-changer for privacy). They also have a free 3-day rolling cloud storage plan, which is a nice touch.
So, while the market isn’t short on options, Xiaomi is leveraging its biggest strengths: manufacturing scale and a sprawling ecosystem. They’re not just selling a doorbell; they’re selling an inexpensive, feature-packed entry point into their entire world. And at these prices, it’s a very tempting offer.
