Xiaomi's HyperOS 4: A Glimpse of the AI-Powered Living Room

The AI Arrives, Quietly

For years, Xiaomi phones were known for speed—fast updates, aggressive pricing, quick iterations. But when it came to AI, the company was in no hurry. While rivals raced to bolt on chatbots and flashy features, Xiaomi took its time. Now, with HyperOS 4, the first true AIOS from the company, it's clear that patience wasn't about hesitation—it was about building something that actually fits into daily life.

I've been running HyperOS 4 on a Xiaomi 17 Ultra for a few weeks. The experience is a mix of subtle tweaks and deep integration. On the surface, it's a restrained redesign—glass textures, cleaner icons, smoother animations. But underneath, AI is woven into nearly every corner of the system. It's not a gimmick; it's a foundation.

A Fresh Look, Without Overdoing It

The most obvious change is visual. Lock screen, control center, and folders now have a frosted glass effect. Backgrounds peek through with a soft blur, and icons respond to your touch with shifting light. It's polished but not flashy. Text remains crisp, and the interface feels calm—no overwhelming gradients or busy layers. The design language is back on track with mainstream aesthetics.

Performance also gets a boost. Xiaomi claims optimizations in load balancing, memory preloading, and app execution. In practice, that means fewer stutters and better battery life. Nothing revolutionary, but the everyday experience feels noticeably smoother.

AI as the System's Nervous System

The real story is how AI has become the backbone of HyperOS 4. At the helm is Super Xiaoai, the upgraded assistant that now acts as a system-wide controller. It handles memory, input, and cross-app actions. Earlier this year, Xiaomi split Xiaoai into three parts: model foundation, cloud engineering, and on-device products. The base model belongs to the MiMo team, while product capabilities go to various business units. This shift signals that AI is no longer a feature—it's infrastructure.

Memory That Remembers Everything

One of the standout features is Xiaoai Memory. Swipe up with three fingers on any screen, and the system captures what's on display—text, images, even screenshots—and stores it in a searchable memory. Later, you can ask Xiaoai to find it. The recognition is impressively accurate, and retrieval feels natural. But currently, it's limited to storing and answering. For instance, if you capture a receipt for a takeout order, it won't automatically extract calories or log an expense. That's a missed opportunity, but Xiaomi is reportedly working on integrating such actions into the island feature by late August.

Memory also syncs across devices. Notes, conversations, and photos from your phone can appear on your PC via the Xiaomi Interconnect app. Even Windows and Mac users can access Super Xiaoai now. Set up a recurring task—like checking email every morning—and it runs without fail. I've tested several of these, and they've been reliable.

AI in Every App

Native apps have been given an AI makeover. The Notes app now offers real-time recording that distinguishes speakers, then generates a transcript and meeting summary. It's perfect for meetings or capturing ideas on the fly. The Recorder app also supports live captions and AI summaries. Interestingly, both use the MiMo-V2.5 model, but their data isn't fully synced yet. This is the central tension of HyperOS 4: AI is everywhere, but memory isn't fully unified. I suspect future updates will close that gap.

Super Xiaoai Input is another example. Beyond standard AI suggestions and rewriting, it includes AI voice input. Speak, and words appear in real time. Pause, and the content is neatly organized. You can edit, translate, or polish it. Voice input is faster than typing, and this implementation is solid—a feature worth watching.

These are just a few examples. I keep stumbling upon AI functions in unexpected places, and that's exactly what I like: it's pervasive without being intrusive.

Interaction: The Super Island and Beyond

For longer agent tasks, progress appears on the Super Island, so you always know what's happening. Global AI writing and memory are handy, but there's a catch: no dedicated AI button on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Gestures like memory or voice input aren't intuitive when you can't see the screen. A physical AI key would improve the experience—maybe in the Xiaomi 18 series.

One feature I'm excited about, though not yet available, is the Inspiration Ball. It's a magnifying glass you can place anywhere on the screen. Then, when you summon Xiaoai, it uses that focused area as context for searches or answers. It's like giving the AI a precise pointer—no need to describe what you're looking at. Just point and ask. This complements Xiaoai Memory: one remembers, the other retrieves.

AI as a Subscription: The Cost of Convenience

Super Xiaoai now has a subscription option. Basic tasks are free, with 1,000 points per month. Each “expert mode” conversation costs about 12–20 points, so you get roughly 50–80 uses monthly. Complex tasks like generating PDFs or PPTs cost 100–300 points. Paid plans start at 29 yuan/month (19 yuan for continuous subscription) for 4,000 points, up to 149 yuan/month (99 yuan) for 34,000 points. It's a clear move to monetize AI, adding value to hardware. Whether users will pay remains to be seen, but it's a bold step.

The Big Picture: AI as the New Foundation

Looking at memory, apps, and interaction, it's evident that Xiaomi has moved beyond “adding features” to making AI the very fabric of the system. This is rare among hardware makers. Xiaomi owns its foundation model, its operating system, and a vast ecosystem of phones, cars, and smart home devices. That combination is nearly unique. When the model is tightly integrated with the OS, AI can access system-level data and permissions directly, rather than working as an external add-on. Cross-device connectivity lets context flow: what you jot on your phone, your computer can use; your habits inform your smart home.

While others are still deciding which model to plug in, Xiaomi has already embedded its model into the system. This gives it an edge in not being “swallowed” by AI. But the tight coupling also raises the bar for the model's intelligence. If the foundation model lags, errors become systemic—wrong memories, incomplete tasks. Lei Jun has pledged 60 billion yuan over three years for AI R&D, which is substantial but not limitless. The challenge is immense, but so is the opportunity.

“AI+” is replacing “Internet+” as Xiaomi's core narrative. HyperOS 4 shows the company's ambition and readiness. The only question left is: how smart can the model become? The era of AI phones is beginning, and Xiaomi has its cards on the table. The strategy is clear; execution is now a matter of time.