Xiaomi Mi MIX Review Beautiful Frameless Phablet

The first smartphone with frameless design is Sharp Aquos Crystal, released in 2014. True, it was somewhat ahead of its time. Xiaomi Mi MIX appeared 2 years later, and many people nicknamed it “smartphone of the future”.  Its main feature is a huge, bright display, surrounded on three sides by narrow frames. The device is equipped with a powerful processor, large amounts of memory and a battery of solid capacity.

Xiaomi Mi MIX is presented in the market in two versions, which differ in memory capacity. At the time of this review, the price Xiaomi Mi MIX (4/128 GB) is 592 USD. The older version of Mi MIX 18K (6/256 GB) is priced at 690 USD.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Design

Xiaomi Mi MIX looks really impressive and even futuristic. Thanks to the narrow framework, the developer managed to fit a 158.8 x 81.9 x 7.9 mm display with a 6.4 “diagonal into the case. The weight of the product is a considerable 209 g. The case is non-separable, without plastic inserts, made of ceramics.

The upper and the two side frames are identical. The bottom frame is the widest, but there are no navigation buttons on it. They are displayed in the operating system interface. If desired, can be hidden, and their location can be adjusted at their own discretion. On the bottom frame are located: front camera, charge indicator light and light sensor. Instead of the usual proximity sensor, ultrasound is used.

Initially, Xiaomi Mi MIX was presented in a mirror-glossy version of black color, later a white color was added.

The power and lock buttons received a standard layout on the right side edge. On the left you can find a tray for two SIM cards.

The bottom side is the USB Type-C connector, a multimedia speaker and a microphone.

Above is a headphone jack and an extra microphone.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: CPU

The smartphone is equipped with the flagship by the standards of 2016 64-bit processor Snapdragon 821. The frequency of its 4 Kryo cores can reach 2.35 GHz. The video accelerator Adreno 530 is responsible for graphics processing. The version with 4GB of RAM in the synthetic performance test AnTuTu is gaining an average of 140 thousand scores.

The device demonstrates excellent performance in all scenarios of use. Thanks to the powerful hardware, the smartphone is also quite good in 3D games: almost any will go at maximum graphic settings. True, if you actively load the smartphone with games, its case will be noticeably warm. As a result, cases of FPS subsidence are possible.

For example, with the first test on ultra-graphics, Epic Citadel issues 58.7 FPS, and after heating with the repeated testing – 40.4 FPS.To reduce the heating level, you can disable the active Internet connection. If this is an online game – “tweak” the graphics settings.However, the maximum heating in this case is not critical, which excludes the negative effect on iron. When performing everyday tasks, the smartphone body in most cases remains cool.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Memory

The junior version is equipped with 4 GB of fast RAM such as LPDDR4. In this case, 4 GB is not a luxury. Rather, the normal volume for adequate operation of the device while running several applications at the same time. MIUI is quite demanding on resources: at times, the application can be unloaded from memory right after folding. For those who expect to get the most out of the device, you should pay attention to the older version with 6 GB of RAM.

With the amount of built-in memory, the situation is as follows: the younger version is equipped with a 128 GB storage device, the older one with 256 GB. Memory is fast (UFS2.0), and free space is enough for even the most demanding users. Therefore, the manufacturer can be forgiven for the fact that he did not provide a slot for connecting MicroSD. If necessary, an external drive can be connected using an OTG adapter or cable.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Battery

In Xiaomi did not begin to save on the autonomy: the device comes with a non-removable battery capacity of 4400 mAh. In the usual scenario, using a fully charged battery lasts for a day. That is, the device can withstand the working day of moderately active operation, plus a night in standby mode. And still there will be a charge for work during the next morning.

In the web surfing mode, the smartphone will last 10.5 hours, while playing HD video – about 9 hours. Thanks to the support of technology Quick Charge 3.1, the process of replenishing the charge from 0 to 100% takes only 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Camera

Unfortunately, there were some compromises. “Achilles’ heel” Xiaomi Mi MIX – weak photo opportunities. As the main camera is used 16-megapixel sensor Omnivision OV16880. It is supplemented with a phase (PDAF) autofocus and a two-color LED flash. It has a f / 2.0 aperture, and the pixel size is 1 μm. The application interface for shooting is simple, peculiar to devices with MIUI firmware.

In it you can find a simple manual mode with the ability to set the ISO, shutter speed (1/1000 – 1/4 s), focus distance and white balance adjustment. What is strange – the device is by no means cheap, but on the quality of the images it is comparable with the Chinese for 130 – 150 USD.

Yes, in the street with good daylight, it is realistic to get a good, clear picture with acceptable detail. But this is not a flagship level.

At night, frames often turn out to be blurry, they do not have enough detail, but there is an abundance of noise and artifacts. Horrible quality of images can not be called, just at this price you expect a much better result.

It supports video shooting in 4K resolution (30 frames / s), and Slow Motion in HD resolution (120 frames / s). Optical stabilization is absent, only software, so the image twitches. Re-focusing too often occurs during video shooting, and this is annoying. The picture quality of the recorded video can be considered mediocre.

The front camera (sensor OV5675 at 5 MP) is also not happy. It is suitable for video communication, but not for selfies.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Display

It is difficult to call Xiaomi Mi MIX the smartphone: it is a tablet with a diagonal diagonal of 6.4 inches. The IPS screen occupies 91.3% of the faceplate area. It has a non-standard resolution (2040 x 1080 pixels), and a rather unusual aspect ratio (17: 9). The pixel density is 362 PPI. The image is bright, juicy. To the viewing angles do not find fault, and the upper and lower thresholds of brightness contribute to the comfortable use of the device at any time of the day.

Taschskrin recognizes up to 10 touches. A very high quality oleophobic layer is applied to the protective glass: it is pleasant to the fingers, and the prints are easily erased.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Connectivity

The device is equipped with a slot in which 2 nano SIM cards are placed. Possible work in 2G, 3G and 4G networks. A solid set of LTE frequencies is supported (Bands 1-5,7,8,38-41). The set of wireless modules includes: full-function NFC, dual-band (2.4 and 5 GHz) WiFi standard a / b / g / n / ac and Bluetooth 4.2.

Supports satellite systems GPS (+ A-GPS), GLONASS, BeiDou. There is an electronic compass. Navigation works perfectly: quick start, instant search and connection to satellites, precise positioning.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Sound

The smartphone does not have a familiar conversational speaker. Instead, a piezoelectric ceramic acoustic system is used. The technology works by the principle of bone transfer of sound vibrations into the inner ear. When talking, the smartphone does not have to be carried to the ear by the upper part of the case. The voice of the interlocutor can be heard literally through the whole area of ​​the screen, at its contact with any area of ​​the face.

Unusually the solution, however, with its help the manufacturer managed to get rid of the “extra” elements on the front panel, and narrow the scope. The resulting sound can not be called crystal clear, but the audibility is normal.

The main multimedia speaker produces a loud enough sound (louder than average). Even low frequencies are felt when playing music tracks. The device is equipped with a dedicated DAC AQSTIC. In high-quality headphones we get a Hi-Fi sound. It is far from audiophile level, but ordinary music lovers will definitely like it.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Software

Xiaomi Mi MIX runs on MIUI 8, based on Android 6.0 OS. The shell is beautiful, flexibly customizable, but contains inherent disadvantages for MIUI. It’s about her voracity to system resources, as well as about the features of the work of notifications. To ensure that notifications from the same messengers and social networks regularly appear in the blind, you will have to play around with the settings.

The next flaw of the firmware concerns directly this model. There is no official global version of the software for this smartphone, and, apparently, will not. Those who need a multi-lingual interface, as well as support for services from Google, will find a solution in the corresponding 4PDA branch. The most optimal option is to install a custom multilanguage firmware.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Features

The front panel is on the bottom frame. To ensure that the image was not rotated 180 degrees when shooting, keep the smartphone “upside down”. And at the bottom of the main photomodule is a fingerprint sensor. Because of the small diameter, the fingerprint scanner seems slightly uncomfortable. It’s not so easy to get into it with a finger. But, with a precise hit, it works quickly and correctly.

Advantages and disadvantages Xiaomi Mi MIX:

Pros:

• Chic design, narrow frames;
• High-quality large display;
• Powerful iron;
• good sound;
• Solid internal memory;
• Wide network capabilities;
• Support fast charging.

Cons:

• Camera;
• Glossy body – gets dirty, and very slippery;
• Absence of official global firmware;
• Too high a price tag;
• Impractical design: ceramic, no metal on the fins. It is terrible to imagine what can happen if the device fails to fall on the asphalt.

Xiaomi Mi MIX: Alternatives

Fablets with minimal frames are not so often found. Until recently, competitors with Xiaomi Mi MIX with some reservations could be considered unless ZTE Nubia Z11 and ZUK Edge. Both devices have 5.5-inch displays, and with relatively similar characteristics, their cost seems more attractive.

In the spring of 2017 A-brands demonstrated their own “smartphones without borders.” Flagship models Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 +, as well as LG G6 were introduced. They are distinguished by very high-quality cameras, work on Android 7, are protected from dust and water according to the IP68 standard, but also are not cheap.

Our review Xiaomi Mi MIX

Due to the size of this smartphone is not suitable for everyone. However, in the near future – for compact fablets, the most successful examples of which are found in this review. With the help of Xiaomi Mi MIX it is convenient to watch videos, read e-books, browse the web, use navigation, etc. There is also something in which the device absolutely does not meet expectations. The solid cost is poorly combined with the frankly weak possibilities for taking photos and video. This factor may alienate some potential buyers.

Source: mi