When Xiaomi released the Mi Mix last October many of us thought it was nothing more than a fancy concept phone. Its improbably slim bezels, giant curved-edge 17:9 screen, and ceramic back didn't seem like something that should be real. Xiaomi even referred to it as a concept phone, but the remarkable device had a price tag (around $516) and could be bought by anyone. The Philippe Starck designed phone won many plaudits for squeezing an enormous 6.4" display into a tiny frame, and it looked certain there would be a follow up this year. That time has now come.
The Mi Mix 2 goes even further than its predecessor, with a 5.99" inch screen crammed into a body that's 11.9% smaller. The chin of the phone is reduced from the original Mi Mix, and the display is now the same 18:9 aspect ratio we've seen employed by LG for its 2017 flagships. The piezoelectric earpiece is replaced by a more traditional speaker, which now takes up a little bit more space at the top of the screen. The front camera remains below the screen, aided by an ultrasonic proximity sensor.
The standard Mix Mix 2, available only in black.
SPECS
OS |
Android 7.1.1 Nougat with MIUI 9 |
Display |
5.9-inch IPS LCD, 2160 x 1080 (403ppi), 18:9 |
Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
Graphics |
Adreno 540 |
Storage |
64GB, 128GB or 256GB |
Memory |
6GB or 8GB |
Battery |
3400mAh |
Rear Camera |
12MP, Sony IMX 386, f/2.0, 1.25-micron pixels, 4-axis OIS, two-tone flash |
Video Recording |
4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps |
Front Camera |
5MP, 1080p video |
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, MU MIMO, 2x2 MIMO LTE with VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou |
Dimensions |
151.8 x 75.5 x 7.7mm |
Weight |
185g |
Other |
Rear fingerprint scanner, USB-C, Quick Charge 3.0 (9V/2A), Dual nano-SIM slot |
There are two different versions of the Mi Mix 2, with varying amounts of ceramic used in the construction. The standard edition has a ceramic back flanked by an aluminum frame, which should make it a little better protected against corner drops than its predecessor. The Special Edition takes things one step further than even the original Mi Mix, with a stunning ceramic unibody (the original had a separate frame and back plate). Apparently, during production it takes 7 days to polish and "requires the use of diamond powder because ceramic is incredibly hard."
The Special Edition, with full ceramic unibody, in black or white.
The screen may be the key feature here, but the phone's flagship status is backed up by its other specs, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, 6GB of RAM, and storage options including 64/128/256GB options. The Special Edition will have (an unnecessary) 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage. Although it probably won't be released in the US ever, the Mi Mix 2 does at least have the required bands to work on US carriers; with 43 in total, it should work pretty much anywhere. Pricing starts at RMB 3299 (around $506) for the lowest specced model and goes up to RMB 4699 (around $720) for the Special Edition.