While Apple fans are still dreaming of a bezel-less iPhone 8 in 2017, Xiaomi Mi MIX is already here and in fact, this smartphone is already gaining rare reviews as the best in 2016.
Of course, we are still far from seeing a true bezel-less smartphone, but what the Xiaomi Mi MIX presents is the first attempt towards achieving this status. You will still notice the borders, but there is no other phone on the market that beats the Mi MIX when talking about thin and small bezels. If anything, the likes of Google and Apple will be feeling embarrassed with their current creations – Pixel and iPhone 7 – when put head-to-head with the Chinese firm’s latest flagship.
The design of the Xiaomi Mi MIX is nothing you find on the likes of iPhone 7 and Google Pixel. However, you might not be happy with the ceramic body used on the phone which is usually a fingerprint magnet and very slippery. The good side of the story is that Xiaomi ships the phone with a free leather case, probably because they were aware of the woes surrounding this material.
As far as the specs are concerned, you are most probably aware of the details. You come across the fastest Qualcomm processor – the Snapdragon 821 – alongside 4GB or 6GB RAM. The screen size is huge at 6.4 inches, but the resolution quality is not the best you can find in the market, but it matches that of Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus. Some parts of the screen are curved into the sides, thus, you might be surprised at the actual physical size of this phone – it is just 0.6mm taller than the iPhone 7 Plus.
One thing that usually troubles users of large screen phones is opening the notification shade by swiping down from the top of the screen. Well, Xiaomi Mi MIX takes care of this with its impressive software where swiping anywhere on the screen will open the notification shade. This is just one among other unique software tweaks the phone brings to the fold when compared to stock Android or iOS and even the customized Touch Wiz, just to name a few.
The Xiaomi Mi MIX has a huge 4400mAh battery that supports fast charging. To makes things even better, the MIUI skin has a feature that completely kills all background processes when the phone is not in use. Even though this will save your data and battery power, you may end up missing on important messages since the feature disables push notifications.
Many OEMs have started cutting down on the number of megapixels used in lenses. Well, this has worked perfectly well for Samsung. Apple is also doing great with the same idea, something Xiaomi has yet to find a place for on its phones. The Mi MIX comes with a 16MP sensor on the back with f/2.0 aperture, but this doesn’t make it better than the iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or Google Pixel XL. Like its competitors, this snapper can also capture 4K videos, but with no OIS.
The front part of the phone has a 5MP sensor that is located on the bottom bezel. As for the earpiece, Xiaomi found a smart way of integrating it into the screen but using a different trick. The Xiaomi Mi MIX uses an innovative technology to vibrate sound to the ear when one is making a call. Cool huh!
The Mi MIX is a perfect phone for those who enjoy being noticed. It gets even better if you consume a lot of media, be it photos or even videos – the bezel-less screen has all that it takes to deliver the best viewing experience. Given that it is relatively cheap, the Mi MIX might be something worth taking a look at. However, make sure you check the supported LTE bands before buying the phone, especially if you live outside Asia.