Last week, Xiaomi took the wraps off the Mi 6 at an event in China, but the OEM has yet to confirm the global availability of the new flagship killer.
Like Samsung Galaxy S8, the Xiaomi Mi 6 is among the first handsets to come with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, but this is not all. To give you a closer look at the Mi 6, here’s our early take on the phone.
For starters, you should know that the Xiaomi Mi 6 comes in three different variants. The base model has 64GB of storage with a glass back while the high-end model has 128GB storage, but one variant has a glass back while the other has a ceramic back – the latter is the high-end version of the two. One high-profile feature missing on the Mi 6 is the 3.5mm headphone jack, which means that like the Moto Z and HTC U Ultra, you’ll depend on the same USB Type-C port for audio output as well. The good side of the story is that Xiaomi will be shipping the phone with a Type-C to 3.5mm converter to let you keep on using your current headphones.
As for the overall design, the Xiaomi Mi 6 looks more premium than the Mi 5 thanks to its rounded edges as well as a curved back (all four sides), something that adds more to the already nice touch of the handset. But as usual with glass, you’ll be leaving lots of smudges on the phone, something that Xiaomi seems to be aware of and thus includes a bundled case.
Despite attracting lots of fingerprints, this changed back panel also houses the most notable design change of the Xiaomi Mi 6. There’s a dual-lens camera of 12MP+12MP lenses, with the ceramic variant getting 18K gold rims around the cameras. One of the two sensors is a wide-angle while the other is a telephoto. The former has a 27mm lens, a large f/1.8 aperture, and impressive 4-axis optical image stabilization while the latter takes the phone’s photography to the next level with its 2x optical zoom capabilities. Unlike the Mi 5, the Mi logo doesn’t appear on the front panel.
Speaking of the front panel, you’ll come across a typical 5.15-inch Full HD display screen, same size as the Mi 5 and Mi 5S. Being an LCD panel, you’ll love the level of brightness it delivers, but this is not always good for the battery. There’s an 8MP selfie shooter alongside the usual sensors and ear piece on the top bezel while the bottom bezel houses a home button that also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. This bezel also houses the phone’s stereo speakers as well as USB-C port.
As noted at the beginning, the Xiaomi Mi 6 is among the first handsets to come with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC running the show. Similar to the premium Samsung Galaxy S8+, the Mi 6 pairs this flagship processor with an impressive 6GB RAM. The base model gets 64GB of storage while the high-end variant has 128GB, but unlike before, there’s no room for microSD card storage. Keep in mind that to get your hands on the ceramic variant, you’ll have to get the 128GB variant.
To keep the Xiaomi Mi 6 going is a massive 3350mAh battery unit, up from the 3000mAh used in the 2016 Mi 5. Given that the Snapdragon 835 is meant to be more power efficient than the Snapdragon 820 used in the Mi 5, you can expect a much longer battery life from the new Mi 6 as compared to its predecessor. If you are worried about the size and charging time, well, the phone comes with support for Quick Charge 3.0 technology for fast charging. Software-wise, the Xiaomi Mi 6 has the latest Android Nougat OS with the company’s MIUI 8 skin running on top.
So, what do you think about this Xiaomi Mi 6 smartphone? Does it carry the qualities of a true flagship killer, especially now that it has a price tag of about $363 for the entry level model and $435 for the ceramic variant? Share your thoughts with us in your comments below.