Xiaomi Mi4 release date: The rumored upcoming Android smartphone by the “Apple of China” may have a Snapdragon 800 processor and a 5.5-inch display (exact res specs unknown). Some also predict that this could be the international handset of the “Apple of China.”

In an announcement made earlier, by the end of the year, the company will make available its current flagship in India, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

It will remain unexpected until we see the final product if it can beat the success of the Xiaomi Mi3. The device has received rave reviews for its look and performance though it’s not yet available in many countries.

The rumored Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC under the hood of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi4 is a powerful chipset and clocks in at 2.46GHz.The chipset is the same that Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One 2 has. It will also have a 13MP camera, 3GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. The Mi4 will be launched with the Android 4.3 and will support 4G LTE networks.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak recently gave his seal of approval for Xiaomi, saying that its good enough to challenge high-end models sold in the states. Wozniak says he has been using the manufacturer’s current high-end model, the Xiaomi Mi3.

The current Xiaomi flagship could well be the best-selling handset in China for 2013. It sold 100,000 units in less than two minutes when it was first launched. The Mi3 is said to be released by batches of 100,000, with minor updates on every new batch.

Xiaomi is expected to sell 40 million smartphones for the year 2014, twice the amount of what it sold in 2013. The Xiaomi Mi4 is a key move to accomplish their lofty targets. Though most Xiaomi handsets are available only in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, the company’s decision to expand its product line and make it available to more countries is a move that will definitely help in their target.

Aside from handsets, Xiaomi is also creating pocket Wi-Fi’s and other gadgets. Its devices too are seemingly at par with what Apple can offer.

According to Forbes, the company’s Mi3 is cheaper than the iPhone 5C and is also better in some specs. It has a larger and sharper screen and a camera with high-density pixels.