Xiaomi mi mix 2 review. Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device. The sound was disappointing, but everything was fine with the wireless modules
Hello! As you may have noticed, this year reviews of Xiaomi devices appear on our website much faster than in the past. This is due to the company's more active presence in Russia. Xiaomi often emphasizes that Russia is one of its priority markets. This is expressed primarily in the fact that the time between the Chinese announcement and the appearance of devices in our retail stores is greatly reduced. The same Xiaomi Mi 6 was an excellent indicator of this trend.
Characteristics
| Characteristics | Meaning |
| Class | Flagship |
| Form factor | Monoblock |
| Housing materials | Ceramics and aluminum |
| operating system | Android 7.1.1 + MIUI 9 |
| Net | 2G: 850/900/1800/1900 3G: 850/900/1700/1900/2100 4G: b3/b7/b20/b38 LTE cat.11 Dual SIM cards |
| Platform | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
| CPU | Octa-core |
| Video accelerator | Adreno 540 |
| Inner memory | 64/128/256 GB |
| RAM | 6 or 8 GB |
| Memory card slot | No |
| WiFi | Yes, a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 5.0 LE, A2DP |
| NFC | Eat |
| Screen diagonal | 5.99 inches |
| Screen resolution | 2160 x 1080 pixels |
| Matrix type | IPS |
| Protective covering | Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Oleophobic coating | Eat |
| Main camera | 12 MP, phase detection autofocus, optical stabilization, dual flash |
| Front-camera | 5 MP |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, IR port, fingerprint scanner |
| Battery | Non-removable, Li-Ion 3400 mAh |
| Dimensions | 151.8 x 75.5 x 7.7 mm |
| Weight | 185 grams |
| Price | From 30 thousand rubles |
Equipment
- Smartphone
- Charger
- PC cable
- Case
- SIM eject key
- Type C to mini jack adapter
You know, I always love it when a manufacturer includes something more than a power supply and cable in the kit. It may be a simple little case, but it’s still very nice. We tested the Chinese version of the smartphone; in Russia, the kit will include a power supply with “our” plug.
Appearance and case materials
In terms of appearance, Mi MIX 2 is not much different from the previous generation. Only in size, but more on that below. The same ceramic cover, the same rounded corners, the same frameless display, but there is still one difference. The ends of the device are now made of aluminum rather than ceramic. This made it possible to reduce the cost of the new product, and the end user, in my opinion, did not lose much, and even gained.
Personally, I do not approve of the use of ceramics, at least in the glossy version found in Mi MIX 2. Although the material is scratch-resistant, it is terribly easily soiled and slippery.
There will also be a special white version of Mi MIX 2 on sale, its body is made entirely of ceramics, in the first look I showed what this version looks like, see below.
Control elements
The use of an edge-to-edge display forces the company to make certain compromises, for example, the front camera of the MIX 2 is located below the screen, and not on top.
In the last generation, they decided to abandon the traditional earpiece speaker in favor of piezoelectric acoustics (the sound was created by the screen itself); in fact, we got one of the worst earphone speakers, the maximum volume in the first MIX was completely insufficient. Apparently, Xiaomi received a lot of complaints about this, and Mi MIX 2 installed a standard speaker, but made it super compact, it’s just a small slot above the screen, you won’t notice it right away.
At the bottom end there is a Type C port, external speaker and microphone meshes, and at the top there is an IR port. There is only one speaker, but it sounds good and has a good volume reserve. But they decided to abandon the minijack, and this, in my opinion, is a minus.
On the right you can see the adjustment rocker and the power button, on the left there is a tray for two nanoSIM cards. There is no slot for a memory card, however, the internal capacity even in the minimum version is 64 GB.
At the back are the main camera and a fingerprint scanner. The scanner is fast, on par with other top-end devices, and works instantly.
Dimensions
One of the disadvantages of the first Mi MIX was its dimensions and weight. The smartphone was very thick and heavy; when looking at its frameless display, it seemed that the device would be just as elegantly light and airy, but in the end you ended up with a plump brick in your hands.
In Mi MIX 2, they worked on the dimensions, the device became more compact, lighter and thinner. However, it still feels heavy, perhaps some people will like this pleasant heaviness in the hand, but I like thinner and lighter models.
Compared to Apple iPhone 7 Plus and Xiaomi Mi A1
Screen
Before moving on to the description of the display, I can’t help but note how Xiaomi juggles facts and pictures at their presentations. I already wrote about this, but just in case I’ll remind you again. See how the comparison with the iPhone 7 Plus looks in slides and live.
Even in reality, it is clear that the Mi MIX 2, with the same dimensions, has a larger screen. I don’t understand why it was necessary to deliberately underestimate the iPhone’s performance on the slides?
Even at the presentation, they tried to ridicule competitors with their framelessness using the example of the Galaxy S8 and Apple iPhone X, but our commentators provided below a more honest comparison with the same pictures.
By the way, the company does not use the word “frameless” to describe its new flagship; Xiaomi calls it “full screen”. And this is indeed a more accurate description. Following the fashion of 2017, the aspect ratio of the model is 18:9, the display is more elongated, this made it possible to install a larger diagonal with the same body dimensions, and the user will scroll the screen less often.
Of course, such a screen has certain advantages from the point of view of reading text, but navigating the elongated display is less convenient, especially if you need to reach elements on its upper part. Another disadvantage is the black stripes on the sides when watching a video; in this scenario, the additional space simply disappears.
If we talk about the display itself, its quality is beyond praise, the brightness level is comparable to my 7 Plus, and the color scheme is a little less cool. The range of brightness is very large, the minimum is enough for your eyes at night, and the maximum is suitable for a bright sunny day.
Traditionally for MIUI, you can customize the color scheme in detail in the settings or enable a separate (also customizable) reading mode.
operating system
The device runs on MIUI 9 and Android 7.1.1. The advantages of MIUI have long been known to everyone: this includes customizing each device for yourself, a large number of different large and small features, and stable updates for most devices. Among the minuses, I would like to highlight periodic omissions of Push notifications, despite the inclusion of all the relevant settings.
Performance
Readers sometimes get mad at me for not paying enough attention to performance, but the reality is that modern flagships work quite quickly, and any stuttering or stuttering is minimal. Actually, Mi MIX 2 is no exception, and the presence of the 835 along with 6-8 GB of RAM gives the device a huge performance reserve.
In terms of heating, the smartphone was also pleasantly pleased; it remained cool throughout the entire time of use (except for running benchmarks). I sometimes encounter the problem that smartphones randomly start to suddenly heat up, although nothing in the usage scenario changes, so MIX 2 does not have such a problem.
Autonomous operation
I'll start with the good. In sleep mode, the smartphone hardly discharges; in 12 hours, in my case, it lost only 3% of its capacity. The device supports fast charging from Qualcomm, below are its performance indicators:
- 47% - half an hour
- 92% - hour
- 100% - one and a half hours
In everyday use, you can expect about four to five hours of screen time at maximum brightness. Considering the dimensions of the smartphone, I am a little surprised that the 4000 mAh battery did not fit into the case; on the other hand, in my mode of use the device worked perfectly all day.
Camera
First, let it simmer a little. To be honest, I’m a little disappointed that Xiaomi didn’t put a dual camera module in this smartphone, like in the Mi 6; such a solution would have looked logical and consistent, especially since the Mi MIX still looks like the company’s flagship device now. However, criticizing it only for the lack of a second camera is not entirely correct, so let's look at the pictures.
During the day, in natural light, the device takes excellent pictures: fast focusing, accurate white balance, high image clarity.
In low light conditions, Mi MIX 2 also copes well.
For artificial lighting, I decided to try portrait photos, they don’t come out very well, the photo turns out blurry.
In night photographs, detail drops as expected, and slight noise is noticeable, but overall the device does an excellent job, thanks to optical stabilization. For night photography, I took two pairs of frames, in auto mode and with a decrease in “brightness” (on MIUI cameras there is a special slider, you can use it to adjust the brightness of the final image), in the second case the photos come out better, you can see that on the Mi MIX 2 automatic likes to raise ISO and exposure.
| Auto | Manual |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Smartphone selfies are not good, especially when it comes to artificial lighting. However, given the full-screen nature of the device, we can at least say thank you for the fact that there is, in principle, a front camera.
The smartphone records video in 4k, in the examples you can hear a slight hum, these are planes flying past (I live relatively close to Vnukovo), and not the fault of the device. For my taste, Mi MIX 2 makes the picture too rich, close to poisonous AMOLED colors.
I also asked Roman Belykh to leave his short comment on the quality of the camera:
Photo. The most important thing to note is the colors. They are natural in all lighting conditions. Clean, pleasant shades. Definitely a pass. During the day the details are good, but not the best. In the evening the image turns into watercolor. However, the situation, again, is saved by the fact that the device honestly takes pictures of colors. I didn’t like the portrait at all - it was noisy and blurry.
Video. 4k even looks great on an FHD monitor - brilliant sharpness, accurate colors and good optical stabilization.
Wireless interfaces
At the presentation, Xiaomi boasted that Mi MIX 2 supports 43 different bands! That is, even when traveling, you will always stay connected and will be able to use the LTE networks of the local operator. The device also supports all of our bands, including b20, which respected commentators often worry about.
The smartphone has an NFC module, it can be used for Android Pay and with the Troika application, in any case, NFC Check shows support for Mifare Classic.
Conclusion
As I wrote above, this model abandoned the use of piezoelectric acoustics and switched to a traditional earpiece speaker. And although it is so thin that you cannot notice it with the naked eye, in terms of speech transmission there are no complaints about it, as well as about the microphone: you and your interlocutor can hear each other perfectly.
In my opinion, Xiaomi did an excellent job of “working out the bugs” in the second Mi MIX:
- Got rid of the quiet speaker
- We worked on the dimensions
- Reduced the price by eliminating the all-ceramic case
- Added additional bands
From advantages Mi MIX 2 I will highlight the following:
- Good quality display
- Flagship chipset
- Large amount of RAM and internal memory
- High speed
And here minuses smartphone:
- Slippery and easily soiled body
- Large weight and thickness
- No minijack
- Lack of memory card slot
- Lack of a dual camera (Mi 6 has it!)
And although formally there are more disadvantages, I still liked the device. Here, of course, everything depends on the Russian representative office, but at a price of 30-35 thousand rubles, Mi MIX 2 looks like a very interesting offer.
There is essentially nothing to compare this smartphone with: Samsung, LG and Apple also have full-screen flagships, but they cost much more. From the Chinese, you can remember Meizu PRO 7 Plus and Huawei P10 Plus, but it is problematic to compare them; I think that both companies will still have their own full-screen smartphones for comparison.
What can you say about Mi MIX 2, dear readers?
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s is the most powerful smartphone with a frameless design. The device has an advanced dual camera and a large screen. The announcement of this device took place in March 2018.
Appearance and ergonomics
The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2c case is made of ceramics, glass and a metal frame. The front has a spectacular display with truly minimal bezels and rounded corners. There are no “curtains” or “eyebrows” in the upper part, so the earpiece is located in the form of a thin strip. But under the display there is a small “chin”, on which there is only a front camera.
At the bottom you can find a USB Type-C connector, a microphone and a multimedia speaker. But on the back there is a round fingerprint scanner. At the same time, in the upper corner there is an elegant block with a dual camera and a powerful LED flash. The entire back is made of ceramic material with a glossy texture. The device looks very stylish, but tends to slip out of your hands. It is worth noting the durable case, which leaves virtually no scratches. An aluminum frame connects the ceramic back and glass front panel.
The gadget feels very comfortable in the palm of your hand due to high-quality materials and an elongated shape. Inside there is a 3400 mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 3.0 and wireless charging. Available colors: white and black. Dimensions: height - 150.9 mm, thickness - 8.1 mm, width - 74.9 mm, weight - 191 g.
Display
Mi Mix 2s has a fairly large 5.99-inch screen, which has minimal frames. This is an IPS matrix with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The display has a resolution of 2160 by 1080 pixels, and it also received protective glass Gorilla Glass 4. It should be noted that there are excellent viewing angles, and colors hardly change at angles.
There is a large reserve of brightness, which makes it possible to use the smartphone at night and in sunny weather with special comfort. Excellent color rendition is complemented by a rich picture. On such a screen it is pleasant not only to view images and videos, but also to work with graphs, process photos and more.
Hardware and performance
The Mi Mix 2c smartphone has a very fast eight-core Snapdragon 845 processor with a maximum clock frequency of 2800 MHz. It uses powerful Kryo 385 cores that deliver excellent performance in all conditions. The graphics are handled by the Adreno 630 chip. The device is equipped with 6 or 8 GB of RAM. But the amount of built-in storage can vary significantly depending on the version chosen: 64, 128 or 256 GB. The manufacturer did not equip the device with a slot for memory cards.
This gadget works straight out of the box with Android 8.0 and MIUI 9.5 shell on board. All this allows the mobile device to work really fast, as proven by synthetic tests (AnTuTu - about 270,000 points, GeekBench Multi - 8450). There are no problems with performance here, and the power reserve will last for a long time. Even games with very high-quality graphics such as PUBG and WoT run extremely smoothly, and with the maximum possible effects.
Communication and sound
The external speaker in the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s sounds convincing and loud, but the bass still merges more with the mid frequencies. The headphones have average sound quality without claims to the premium segment. Notably, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack. In this case, a special adapter is included. The phone supports two Nano-SIM cards and has a built-in Bluetooth 5.0 module. It shows good speeds on LTE networks. You can always hear your interlocutor in the best possible way through the speaker.
Camera
On the back of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2c there is a progressive dual camera with a two-color Dual LED flash. It consists of a main 12-megapixel Sony IMX363 sensor with an aperture of 1.8 and an additional 12-megapixel Samsung S5K3M3 sensor with an aperture of 2.4. There is 2x optical zoom without loss of quality, as well as an advanced Dual Pixel phase focusing system. Moreover, the camera supports optical stabilization, which has a beneficial effect on the quality of images in a variety of situations. It should be noted the excellent detail of the photo and the minimum amount of noise. The user can experiment with depth of field.
There is also a fairly simple front 5-megapixel camera that takes pictures well during the day, but does it very mediocre in the evening and at night.
conclusions
Mi Mix 2s turned out to be an extremely powerful smartphone with a flagship processor and an excellent dual camera. Don't forget about the frameless display with the appropriate design. The device really resembles top-end gadgets, but at a much lower cost.
Pros:
- Bright and large frameless display.
- Excellent build and quality materials.
- Progressive dual camera.
- Very powerful processor.
- Wireless charging and Quick Charge 3.0 function.
Minuses:
- The sound in the headphones is of average quality.
- There is no protection from moisture and dust.
Specifications Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Model | Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s |
| Date of announcement and start of sales | March 2018 / April 2018 |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 150.9 x 74.9 x 8.1 mm. |
| Weight | 191 |
| Available colors | black White |
| operating system | Android 8.0 (Oreo) + MIUI 9.5 |
| Connection | |
| Number and type of SIM cards | two, Nano-SIM, dual stand-by |
| Communication standard in 2G networks | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 CDMA 800/1900 & TD-SCDMA |
| Communication standard in 3G networks | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO |
| Communication standard in 4G networks | LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 17 (700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 27(800), 28(700), 29(700), 30(2300), 34 (2000), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) |
| Carrier Compatibility | MTS, Beeline, Megafon, Tele2, Yota |
| Data transfer | |
| WiFi | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | yes, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS |
| NFC | There is |
| Infrared port | No |
| Platform | |
| CPU | Octa-core Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 Octa-core (4×2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) |
| GPU | Adreno 630 |
| Inner memory | 64/128/256 GB |
| RAM | 6/8 GB |
| Ports and connectors | |
| USB | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector |
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| Memory card slot | No |
| Display | |
| Display type | IPS LCD capacitive, 16M colors |
| Screen size | 5.99 inches (~81.9% of the front surface of the device) |
| Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Camera | |
| Main camera | dual 12 MP (f/1.8, 1/2.55″, 1.4 µm) + 12 MP (f/2.4, 1/2.9″, 1.0 µm), 2x optical zoom, 4-axis OIS, dual pixel phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash |
| Functionality of the main camera | Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama |
| Video recording | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps |
| Front-camera | 5 MP, (f/2.0, 1.4 µm), 1080p |
| Sensors | |
| Illuminance | There is |
| Approximations | There is |
| Gyroscope | There is |
| Compass | There is |
| Hall | No |
| Accelerometer | There is |
| Barometer | No |
| Fingerprint scanner | There is |
| Battery | |
| Battery type and capacity | Li-Ion 3400 mAh |
| Battery mount | non-removable |
| Equipment | |
| Standard kit | Mi Mix 2s: 1 USB cable: 1 SIM tray eject clip: 1 Type-C headphone adapter: 1 Protective cover: 1 User manual: 1 Warranty card: 1 Charger: 1 |
Prices
Video reviews
The release of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 took place, with which we congratulate the company’s fans and admirers. The previous solution of a similar style from a Chinese company, so to speak, was successful for users. And it was even more beneficial to fellow manufacturers who, following the example, quickly riveted a bunch of frameless budget-class solutions. The release of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 was expected given the interest of users. The company even took the trouble to present the new product a day earlier. Of course, we will see the first reviews of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 in a week or two, but we can study the characteristics now. That's what we'll do.
Left – Mi Mix, right – Mi Mix 2 In the new product, the manufacturer mainly corrected the shortcomings of its predecessor - they did not show us anything conceptually new, despite early leaks. Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is presented with the same design, only the ends have become sloping. We have the same ceramic rear panel, on which, please note, there is only one camera and a dual flash. The lens received a gold-plated rim. There is also a classic Xiaomi fingerprint scanner.
The front panel of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has been slightly modernized in comparison with its predecessor. The manufacturer has reduced the lower chin by 12%, making the corners rounded. One more step closer to complete framelessness. The company abandoned the piezoceramic acoustic emitter, preferring a conventional speaker. Apparently, they thought that the usual speaker was capable of producing better sound.
The elements on Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 are arranged in a classic way. At the bottom end there are two perforation grilles and a USB Type-C port. The company did not get rid of the 3.5 mm jack, placing it on the upper end. On the right is a volume rocker and a power button, on the left is a tray for only two nano SIM cards.
The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 looks very decent, but the manufacturer, in fact, did not bring anything new - it reduced the frame at the bottom and made the edges rounded.
A little about the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 screen
Naturally, the main feature that attracts users to the line is the screen. This year, Xiaomi decided to reduce it slightly – to 5.99 inches instead of 6.4 inches in the first Mi Mix. The display is made using IPS technology, the resolution is 1080 x 2160 pixels with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The manufacturer claims that the screen occupies about 93% of the front panel (versus 91.3% last year). In fact, these figures may turn out to be somewhat exaggerated - we will learn from more detailed reviews of the characteristics.
The display is not curved at the edges, as is done in - there is only a slightly noticeable bend in the glass. The screen promises to be of high quality, bright and contrasting. We’ll talk about other characteristics of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 matrix, including viewing angles, a little later, when the smartphone is already available for purchase.
What about the performance of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2?
Despite rumors that the device could receive the latest Snapdragon 836, which has not even been announced, the manufacturer ultimately settled on Qualcomm's current flagship - . RAM is stated to be 6 gigabytes (there will also be a version with 8 GB). In fact, you can expect performance from the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 comparable to the summer 2017 flagships built on the same chipset. It’s likely that the 8 GB model will even manage to reach the top of the AnTuTu test rating. Be that as it may, miracles will not happen in terms of the power of the “filling”, but this very power will be enough for any user.
The manufacturer offers you to choose the internal storage volume yourself – 64, 128 or 256 GB. Naturally, the final price of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 depends on your choice. There is no support for memory cards. By the way, let's talk about interfaces. As already noted, the smartphone works with two nano SIM cards. The manufacturer stated that the model will be able to work in LTE networks anywhere in the world (it has acquired support for heap Band). The main connector, as expected, was USB-C 1.0. There is Wi-Fi, Bluetooth version 5.0. It was not left without NFC, the absence of which would look strange for a flagship. Although Meizu did not provide an interface in the latter.
In general, judging by the characteristics, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is equipped with all the flagship “stuff”, which will be enough for comfortable use of the smartphone.
Expected OS
Although some assumed that Xiaomi would present a new smartphone right away, Mi Mix 2 was released on Nougat, on top of which the MIUI 9 shell is installed. Most likely, the model will receive an update to the new version at the beginning of 2018, but for now you will have to enjoy Nougat. You all know about the operating system and its features, but we will discuss its operation on a specific smartphone later. We only note that there should not be any problems with the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 firmware. Since the manufacturer is talking about Bend support all over the world, it means that they are preparing a global version of the smartphone - we will get beautiful and smooth firmware.
Cameras
Xiaomi did not introduce a dual camera in Mi Mix 2, although the latest flagship Mi6 had it. On the rear panel there is a 12-megapixel sensor made by Sony – IMX386. The same one acts as the main sensor for Mi6. It has an f/2.0 aperture, optical stabilization, autofocus, the ability to record video in 4K, and all this is complemented by a bright two-color flash. In general, you can take a cool photo with the device, but it is unlikely to surpass recent solutions from Samsung (analysis) or LG ().
The front camera is 5 megapixels, supports face recognition, autofocus is declared, video can be recorded with a maximum resolution of FullHD. A classic for this year's flagship segment.
It’s too early to talk about the capabilities of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 cameras, but they definitely won’t be the best on the market.
Autonomy
The disadvantage for many will be the reduced battery capacity. Last year, the representative of the line was equipped with a powerful 4400 mAh battery. Mi Mix 2 received a 1000 mAh smaller battery – 3400 mAh. Naturally, this will affect battery life, and not for the better. Support for fast charging technology is declared.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2: buy, price
You can buy Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 right now. Naturally, we are talking about the Chinese market, where the smartphone is about to become available. The price of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 starts at $505 (almost 29,000 rubles) for the 64 GB version. The 128 GB model will cost $45 more – $550 (31,500 rubles). For the option with a 256 GB drive you will have to pay 615 dollars (35,000 rubles). The most expensive version will be the special version, which the manufacturer will prepare from a single piece of ceramic (it will receive 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of permanent memory) - $722 (41,000 rubles).
You can buy Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, as you probably noticed, quite cheaply, remembering the prices of the latest flagships. However, the price is indicated for the Chinese market, so in Russia the smartphone will cost significantly more. It will probably appear in Chinese online stores soon.
As a result
For its price, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has very decent characteristics. It is noticeably cheaper than its counterparts, which at the same time have wide frames around the screen. The smartphone looks good, is equipped with fresh hardware, and has a good camera. Autonomy may raise questions, but so far we have not seen any real testing results.
Will Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 succeed? It is quite possible, if in the end local retailers do not raise the price several times. However, let’s not forget about online stores, which will most likely require a lot at the start of sales, but over time the cost will settle down. In general, we'll wait and see.
Read the article: 615
We've seen some innovations in the smartphone market in recent years, but one of them stands out. In 2016, the Xiaomi Mi Mix smartphone was released.
It was he, and not devices from more well-known manufacturers, that became the first smartphone with a frameless screen. After this, competitors followed the example of the Chinese company. Samsung, LG, Apple and many others have released similar models. Nowadays, frameless screens have become a mandatory part of smartphones.
Mi Mix is important for Xiaomi not only from a design point of view, but also from a business point of view. The company wants to be perceived on par with the largest manufacturers in the global smartphone market.
After that, she redesigned the device and released Mi Mix 2, again without frames. This time around, it's going up against the likes of the Galaxy S8, LG G6, Essential Phone and iPhone X. Bezels have suddenly become so important that great phones like the 16:9 Pixel 2 look outdated.
Now Xiaomi needs to prove that the success of 2016 was not accidental, but it will have to do this surrounded by successful competitors. In addition, the company chose this device to enter the European markets. Can it hold its own against Apple, LG and Samsung products here? Let's find out.
Specifications
- Dimensions and weight: 151.8 x 75.5 x 7.7 mm, 185 g
- Materials: ceramics, aluminum
- Biometrics: fingerprint scanner
- Colors: black
- OS: Android 7.1, MIUI
- Screen: 6 inches IPS LCD, 1080 x 2160, 403 ppi, 80.81%
- Cameras: rear 12 MP, dual LED flash, pixel size 1.25 microns, 1/2.9 inch sensor; phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilization; video 4K 30 fps. Front 5 MP
- Processor: Snapdragon 835 8-core 64 bit, Kryo 280 2450 MHz, 10 nm, Adreno 540
- Memory: 6 GB, storage 256 GB, microSD up to 256 GB
- Battery: 3400 mAh
Design
Appearance is a matter of taste, but such a large screen catches the eye. The famous French designer Philippe Starck took part in the development. Mi Mix 2 combines a premium feel with a luxurious look.
Much has been carried over from the first generation smartphone, but the screen diagonal has decreased from 6.4 to 5.99 inches. As a result, the case is 7 mm shorter and 6.4 mm narrower, as well as thinner.
Naturally, the smartphone also weighed less. Weight is 185 g, which is 24 g less than the original device. The first smartphone was too large and heavy compared to the 2016 models; the developers responded to this complaint.
The device has a ceramic back surface with an aluminum frame. Ceramics are rare in smartphones; this material has pros and cons. It looks great and is difficult to scratch, but it is a fragile material. It collects fingerprints and easily slips out of your hands.
The edges of the case are aluminum, which gives it a durable feel, and the screen is covered with Gorilla Glass 4.
The delivery set includes a durable plastic case, as if the manufacturers themselves admit that such a device is easy to drop out of your hands. As a result, the case covers a significant part of this splendor.
On the front there is a frame only under the screen. Xiaomi did not make a cutout on the screen in the style of the iPhone X or Essential Phone. Instead, the camera is located under the screen, which is also a questionable decision.
This time, not only the bezels have been removed, but also the 3.5mm headphone jack. Instead, an adapter for the USB-C port was included in the package. It eliminates the need to use wireless headphones.
At the top of the screen is a small telephone sink. The first generation smartphone used piezoelectric acoustic technology. It did not live up to expectations and was replaced with a regular speaker.
On the left side of the case there is a compartment for two SIM cards, on the right there is a volume control and a power button. A fast and reliable fingerprint scanner on the back of the smartphone, where the index finger rests. Nearby, in gold letters, it is indicated that this is a device made by Xiaomi. The camera also has a gold rim that stands out beautifully against the ceramic.
The developers did not provide the device with protection from water and dust. It should be used carefully; it may not survive accidental immersion.
Screen
The screen-to-body ratio exceeds 80%, so it takes up almost all the space here. Despite the large diagonal, the resolution is only 1080 x 2160, and the corners of the body are rounded.
Even if the screen is not Quad HD, it looks great and individual pixels on it are impossible to see even with careful study. An IPS panel with good viewing angles is used, the brightness is also at a high level, as is color rendition.
Compared to the AMOLED screens in smartphones like the Galaxy S8 or OnePlus 5T, the display here is not as rich. If you like bold colors, you can change them in the settings. True, they will not reach the level of the above-mentioned devices.
Working outdoors and in the sun will not be a problem as you can increase the brightness and see the image on the screen. A minor complaint is that the adaptive brightness control is sometimes too aggressive indoors. The screen is so dark that almost nothing is visible. You can change the brightness yourself in quick settings.
If a smartphone's screen is of utmost importance to you, the Galaxy S8 is a better choice. However, such a large panel provides an immersive effect and should not disappoint. It is good for reading, watching videos and surfing the Internet. Viewing angles are impressive, especially in good lighting.
Performance
Thanks to the above features, apps load quickly. Android works just as quickly; running multiple applications at the same time does not slow down the work. You can minimize windows and then return to them to continue working without delay.
Thanks to its high performance, stereo speakers and large frameless screen, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is an excellent multimedia device. The flagship Snapdragon 835 processor is used, 6 GB of RAM ensures gaming and multitasking.
If you hold the device in landscape mode, you can cover the speaker with your hand, and also accidentally press on the edges of the screen where there are no frames. Over time you can get used to it.
There is another speaker in the telephone sink, but it is quite weak. There is no headphone jack, so you need to use an adapter or wireless headphones.
Software
Recently, Xiaomi has cleaned up its MIUI skin. It is still far from a stock version of Android like Oxygen OS on OnePlus, but the interface elements are quite convenient and largely copy Apple iOS and some other Android shells.
The most obvious difference from stock Android is the lack of an app drawer, meaning all shortcuts are on the home screen. You can put them in folders or install a third-party app list.
Many Mi Mix 2 units came with MIUI 8 version, but MIUI 9 is already available, to which the smartphones will be updated. It is based on Android 7, although six months have passed since the release of Android 8. Xiaomi is already testing this version and should release this update as well.
Even if you prefer pure Android, MIUI is a good skin. There are exclusive features like Quick Ball, which makes navigation buttons unnecessary. There is support for simultaneous login to two accounts in one application. Many interface elements can be customized using themes. Xiaomi also has its own screen recording program, which is simple and reliable.
Despite all this, Xiaomi goes its own way when developing MIUI. In China, the company sells smartphones with its own services instead of Google services. Instead of the Play Store, the Mi Store and Mi Account are used. The international MIUI firmware is free of this, but some Xiaomi quirks remain, such as aggressive memory optimization. As mentioned above, it can be disabled.
Some may like the MIUI design even more than the pure version of Android. Small features like the wallpaper carousel, where the lock screen and home screen are updated from the Xiaomi cloud service, improve the appearance of the system. In terms of reliability, it is also good, there are almost no slowdowns or application crashes.
Cameras
The rear camera uses a 12MP Sony IMX368 sensor with HDR support, face detection and 4-axis optical image stabilization. The front camera resolution is 5 megapixels, it is located in the lower right corner under the screen.
The camera software is similar to that used in other Xiaomi smartphones running MIUI. The developers borrowed a lot from Apple. The application interface is simple and offers various shooting modes. Xiaomi did not try to offer anything extraordinary, as it did with the dual camera on the Xiaomi Mi 6. Apart from image stabilization and 4K video shooting, there is nothing special to highlight.
Given sufficient lighting, the camera does its job well, even if the owner has no knowledge of photography. The photos come out with rich colors and good dynamic range, and focus is achieved quickly. In low light, stabilization comes to the rescue and helps produce good videos, but the quality of photos is poor. Even if you hold the smartphone with a very steady hand, the images come out blurry and with digital noise. Compared to the cameras on the Pixel 2 or even the iPhone 7, the results are unimpressive.
The strange placement of the front camera turns video chats in third-party applications into complete chaos. Many programs simply don’t know that you need to flip the screen along with the camera. The viewing angle is very narrow, whereas many smartphones now offer wide-angle cameras.
We can say that Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 will not be a competitor to the best photographic smartphones, but under favorable conditions the results will be good.
Autonomy
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3400 mAh, which fits into a 7.7 mm thick case. This is 1000 mAh less compared to the first generation device, but the battery life is still quite good. The smartphone works throughout the day, with a moderate load, 10%-15% remains in the evening.
Duration of work
Xiaomi aggressively manages the power consumption of apps, throttling background processes to the point where they are simply useless. This is unlikely to appeal to those who need to quickly receive notifications from different programs.
Disabling this control does not cause the smartphone to drain much faster and it is still capable of working all day. Approximate tests showed that 20 minutes of browsing in the browser consumes 3% of the battery, 20 minutes of watching a video 5%, and 7% playing games for half an hour.
Fast charging standard Quick Charge 3.0 is supported. If you're going away and have little time, a few minutes of recharging will give you several hours of smartphone use. Not all smartphones with batteries with a capacity of more than 3000 mAh can boast of this.
Charging time
The package includes a fast charger; adapters from other smartphones, such as the Nexus 6, are also suitable. There is no support for wireless charging.
Price and Availability
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 was released in some countries; it also has no problems with availability in Russia. It supports 4G frequency bands around the world, so you can safely buy it from foreign online stores.
Price from 30,000 rub. and higher makes this smartphone a competitor to the OnePlus 5T model, which belongs to the category of flagship devices at a reduced cost. The base model of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 received a memory configuration of 6/64 GB. The maximum flash memory is 256 GB.
An even more premium model with 8 GB of RAM and a ceramic body is sold in China.
Conclusion
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is an excellent device for its price category. It has a beautiful edge-to-edge screen and powerful components, impressive battery life and many other advantages.
Despite this, compared to other Xiaomi models, this device is expensive. Its main competitor will be OnePlus 5T.
If it was all about appearance, Mi Mix 2 would have no equal, but it also has its drawbacks. MIUI takes time to get used to, there is no protection against water and dust, the cameras are far from the best.
If you want top performance but aren't going to pay a fortune for an iPhone X, or just love Android, the Mi Mix 2 is a great choice. At a price that's more than half the price of Apple's device, you get an equally large screen, and you also don't get the nasty notch at the top of that screen.
pros
- Great edge-to-edge screen
- Ceramic back surface
- Autonomy
Minuses
- No headphone jack
- Rear camera could be better
- No protection against water and dust
Full Screen, or in Russian: the entire display, is a term that Xiaomi introduced. It was used as a slogan for the first generation Xiaomi Mi Mix. Well, now we have seen the second generation of Mi Mix, which means that it also needs its own slogan! Marketers got seriously confused and here it is: “Full Screen 2.0” is the slogan for the new flagship.
In this way, the company tried to hint at the improvements that the smartphone should come with. As we know, many companies are obsessed with mocking their rivals in the market in their advertising campaigns. This explains why some of Xiaomi's competitors have announced their own bezel-less smartphones with the slogan: “Full Screen 2.1” or “Full Screen 29.0”.
In any case, Xiaomi is the first smartphone manufacturer to sell truly frameless devices. However, some of you may remember a phone from Sharp that was shown quite a long time ago, but also boasted an edge-to-edge display. You may also recall that it did not go into mass production.
XIAOMI MI MIX VS MI MIX 2
The new product has a lot of changes and improvements compared to its predecessor. Firstly, the second generation of the devicebecame less. The display size has been reduced by 0.4 inches. However, the device is in the category of so-called “phablets” and does not pretend to be included in the list of regular smartphones. It’s just that now it’s easier to use the phone with one hand while doing other things with the other.
Due to the absence of frames, the dimensions of a device with a 6-inch display are comparable to the dimensions of devices with 5.5-inch displays, with frames, of course. Another advantage over is the aspect ratio: 18:9 versus 17:9.
The first generation used a lot of innovative technologies, such as a piezoelectric earpiece and an ultrasonic proximity sensor. What does it mean? First, sound vibrations are projected directly through the display, so a person can communicate on the phone without a traditional speaker. Secondly, the proximity sensor uses acoustic radiation to determine the distance. The technology is very cool, although complaints about call quality are also not uncommon. Thus, Xiaomi had to solve a serious problem: to allocate as much space as possible for the display without creating new problems, for example, when making phone calls. Luckily, our favorite company knows a lot about innovation.The second generation comes with three new technologies that reduce the size of the phone by 12%: a micro-front camera module, Chip-On-Film screen technology and a software-controlled active antenna for improved call quality.
The third big change concerns the design. The first generation looks brutal, and its successor is more modern. The company made rounded corners at the edges of the device so that it fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Moreover, the new product will be available in not one, but two versions: with a ceramic rim and cover made of Series 7 aluminum, or in a completely ceramic version.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is a true flagship equipped with the latest hardware. But there was still room in this ointment for a couple of fly in the ointment. Let's take a closer look at the new product together and try to understand where the company gave up.
APPEARANCE
We've talked about the design of this device many times. The main reason why we did this is due to the name of its designer - Philippe Starck. He is one of the most popular industrial designers around the world. Thanks to his ideas, the first generation became very popular. Surely, this factor was the most important in Xiaomi’s decision to collaborate with Stark again. Luckily for us, Philip knows how to create dream phones.
Everything about this device hints at premium class. Even the box looks like a box with luxury inside. It is made in a square shape with the phone name on top. On the bottom edge of the box there are only a few factory stickers with information on the specifications of the device.
Since the device is very fragile, a protective case is expected. In addition to it, the box contains the smartphone itself, a USB cable and an 18W charging block. No headphones were delivered.
Mi Mix 2 has a 5.99-inch display with a resolution of 2160x1080 pixels and a pixel density of 403ppi. There are almost no frames on the top and side ribs, but there is a frame on the bottom. The anterior camera is located here. You can also notice that, unlike Mi6, there is no physical Home button.
The back panel of the device looks amazing. This is where the main camera is located, which we will talk about later. The camera eye is framed in gold. Nearby is a dual-tone flash, necessary for better shooting in low-light conditions. And right below the camera is a fingerprint sensor.
There is also a popular phrase on the back panel:“MIX Designed by Xiaomi”. These are really important words, because design here is the starting point for everything else.
The bottom edge is almost no different from that of the first generation. There are two speakers and USB Type-C in the middle. The only difference is two antenna inserts, which were not present in Mi Mix.On the right side there is a volume rocker and a power button.
On the right is a microSD card slot. There is a microphone hole at the top.
You won’t find a 3.5 mm audio jack here, but IP67 protection is claimed.
PERFORMANCE
In terms of hardware, only a few devices can compete with this phone. For example, OnePlus 5 or ZTE Nubia Z17. Like the Mi Mix 2, these smartphones are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.
Possible configurations of Mi Mix 2 are described below:
6 GB + 64 GB
6 GB + 128 GB
6 GB + 256 GB
8 GB + 128 GB
It is also worth noting the fact that the memory in the device is made using UFS2.1 technology, which is faster than eMMC. The read speed is about 740 MB/s, and the write speed is 240 MB/s. This is the fastest memory in mobile devices today.
The results of testing Mi Mix 2 with 6 GB of RAM in Antutu are amazing. The device scored 180,000 points, which is higher than the ZTE Nubia Z17 with 8 GB of RAM, and very close to the results of OnePlus 5. Just imagine what result a smartphone with 8 GB of RAM will show!
XIAOMI BATTERY
It may seem that the battery capacity must be large enough to ensure good autonomy of the device. But imagine our surprise when we found out that the Mi6 has only a 3350 mAh battery. However, the device worked almost the entire day with active use. Thanks to Qualcomm for improved power consumption. Pass. So Xiaomi also installed a 3400 mAh battery in Mi Mix 2.
The device supports fast charging. In just 20 minutes, Mi Mix 2 charged from 44% to 79%. A full charge takes 1.5 hours.
COMMUNICATION IN XIAOMI
It's no secret that the second generation supports full-featured NFC. This is no secret because, according to one of the leaks, this model ended up in the payment system in the Beijing metro. This means that the phone supports AliPay and other payment systems. In addition, the phone is equipped with 4 4x4MIMO LTE antennas. Thus, the 4G network is covered in 6 modes and 43 frequencies.
We have already said that the device can be supplied in a ceramic case, or in an aluminum case, but with a ceramic rim. What does it mean: ceramic body? This is not the traditional pottery we have seen before. The ceramics of this smartphone are reinforced with nano-zirconium powder particles, the size of which does not exceed 50 nm. The entire process takes about 10 days and involves a myriad of processes including powder finishing, molding, high temperature sintering and post-processing.
Compared to glass, ceramics are considered one of the hardest materials. On the Mohs scale, it has a degree of hardness of 8.5, that is, it scratches glass and can only be processed with diamond. This ceramic is in second place after sapphire and diamond. The great news is that such ceramics transmit electromagnetic radiation well, therefore, the 4G signal level increases.
As for the earpiece speaker, the device has returned to the traditional type, without piezoelectric elements. Xiaomi has installed a small hole above the screen, just large enough for sound to pass through.
Finally, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 still uses an ultrasonic distance sensor instead of an infrared sensor. The phone is equipped with an internal ultrasonic transmitter operating at a frequency of 40 kHz. This is the same technology as in the first generation. But thanks to the speaker hole, it will work better.
CAMERA
Well, the camera in Mi Mix 2 is definitely its weak point. Unfortunately, the smartphone has only one 12-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX386 module. If you remember, one of the lenses on the Mi6 has a similar camera. This means it comes with a 1.25 micron sensor, 4-axis image stabilization, and other nice but not life-saving options for better shooting.
But to understand what has been improved over the first generation, let's dive into the details. Mi Mix is equipped with a 16-megapixel camera (OV16880) with f/2.0 aperture and 1 micron matrix.
In fact, when comparing pictures taken by both devices in good lighting conditions, the Mi Mix's color reproduction is slightly better. As the example photos show, the colors are more vibrant, the perception is more real, but the photos are a little muted and slightly white.
However, the Mi Mix 2's camera has a little more detail in objects and detects edges correctly. And this is more important when it comes to background blur.The smartphone is also great for night shots. Pictures taken on Mi Mix have much more noise.
So we can say that the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 takes better pictures than its predecessor, but we would like to see a dual camera module.
Finally, the device comes with a 5-megapixel front camera.
