This QiYi 4x4 is part of its Carbon range: it takes a stickerless entry-level cube and covers it in black stickers with a carbon-fibre texture. The result is a 4x4 that looks almost black, with the colour of each piece visible only at the edges.

• BrandQiYi
• Type4x4
• MagnetsNo
• FinishCarbon-fibre stickers over coloured plastic

Design

The base is a stickerless cube (no stickers: the colour is in the plastic). On top, each piece carries a black sticker with a carbon-fibre pattern that covers almost the whole visible face. This style, which some shops call phantom, means you have to recognise each piece by the narrow strip of colour left visible, so identifying cases is harder than on a normal cube. The texture of the sticker also changes the feel compared with smooth plastic.

How it works

Inside it’s a non-magnetic 4x4: the layers don’t settle back into place on their own at the end of each turn. As with all 4x4s, there are no fixed centres, and it’s usually solved by reduction: first the centres are grouped, then the edges are paired, and finally it’s solved like a 3x3, with the occasional parity case specific to this format. The tension is adjusted with the internal screws.

What level is it for?

The mechanism is entry-level, but the decoration makes it more demanding on the eyes. It tends to appeal to people who already solve the 4x4 and want a visual variant or a recognition challenge. For learning from scratch, a 4x4 with solid colours is clearer.