In the past few years, Xiaomi has gone from a small Beijing based electronics manufacturer to a multi billion dollar company recognized internationally for their premium, yet affordable products. Not too long ago the Mi 5 was released, a powerful smartphone made to compete with Apple and Samsung’s flagships. It was (and still is) and excellent device, sporting the highest end specs of its time while retaining an affordable price tag and a premium build. Successes like the have resulted in Xiaomi becoming the 4th largest smartphone manufacturer. But their new device, the Mi Mix, is hardly for the masses.
Immediately noticeable is the bezel, or rather lack thereof. The Mi Mix definitely looks like something from the future with an impressive 86.1 percent screen-to-body ratio. Xiaomi took this opportunity to give the device “phablet status” by making the display a rather large 6.4 inches. The display also curves around the sides. Keep in mind that it is still relatively the size of an iPhone 7 Plus thanks to the lack of bezel. This is especially impressive given that Apple’s phablet only has a 5.5 inch display. The other side of the device is just as beautiful, with a black ceramic build reminiscent of the OnePlus X.
The camera and fingerprint sensor on the higher end model also feature 18-karat gold accents, which is something you would only expect on a luxury device. But Xiaomi didn’t take this opportunity to over-price the Mi Mix and has kept it at a reasonable $516. But you’ll need $590 if you want the gold accentuation, additional storage and RAM.
What lies within the beautiful unibody build is just as impressive. The higher end model features a quad core Snapdragon 821 processor with an Adreno 530 GPU. This is currently the most powerful offering available on an Android smartphone. The $590 model also features a generous 256GB of storage and a whopping 6GB of RAM. Photography wise, the 16 megapixel rear camera is capable of 2160p video and phase-detect autofocus. The battery weighs in at a rather ridiculous 4400 mAh, most likely to keep up with the powerful processor and large display. The Mi Mix also features dual SIM capability, something kept in high regard in China. Xiaomi also jokingly notes the headphone jack as quite impressive, with 192kHz / 24-bit-DAC chip for high resolution audio. Definitely a sneaky reference to a certain fruity company.
You might have noticed that there is very little in terms of sensors on the device. This is where Xiaomi’s innovation really shines. Other than the 5 megapixel camera on the bottom right of the device, the rest of the sensors are internal. The proximity sensor has been replaced with ultrasound. Whereas the earpiece is now a piezoelectric speaker that uses the metal frame to generate sound. All this is the result of not only Xiaomi’s innovation team, but also that of French designer Philippe Starck, who Xiaomi recruited to make the device what it is.
Although Xiaomi regards the Mi Mix as a “concept phone,” they do plan to launch it on November the 4th, but only in China. It goes without saying that there will most likely be very few available. But if you can get your hands on one, consider yourself lucky as this seems to be an amazing device.
Leave a Response