Mi MIX 2: Xiaomi shows its rivals how a bezel-less smartphone is done

Xiaomi surprised the world a year ago when it first unveiled its bezel-less concept smartphone, the Mi MIX. For 2017, more smartphone makers are following this trend as seen on the current Galaxy S8, Essential Phone, LG V30 and the vivo V7+.

To step up its game, Xiaomi has unveiled its latest successor that comes with its Full Screen 2.0 display.

For a more compact size, the Mi MIX 2 now features a 5.99″ display that comes with an 18:9 display aspect ratio. In terms of resolution, it pushes FullHD+ at 2160×1080 pixels. As a comparison, the original Mi MIX had a 6.4″ screen that does 2040×1080 resolution at a 17:9 aspect ratio.

While the previous MIX looks like a rectangular slab, the MIX 2 now gets a four-sided curved ceramic back along with an ultra slim 7000 series aluminium frame.

Moving towards the bottom of the screen, Xiaomi has reduced the chin by 12% and it is made possible with a smaller front camera module without sacrificing on image quality. The display still stretches to the very top edge of the phone and this time Xiaomi manages to put an earpiece speaker on top.

Instead of a vibrating piezoelectric ceramic speaker on the first model, the MIX2 uses a membrane speaker underneath the display that is channeled through a small speaker grill placed at the edge of the phone. The proximity sensor is also an ultrasonic unit that’s embedded underneath the screen.

Under the hood, you can expect the best specs available. It runs on a 2.45GHz Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM. Its onboard UFS 2.1 storage comes in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB options which aren’t expandable.

In the imaging department, the Mi MIX 2 uses a 12MP Sony IMX 386 sensor that is further assisted with 4-axis Optical Image Stabilisation. This is the same module as the Mi 6’s primary camera. For selfies, it gets a 5MP front camera with a host of beautification features. To unlock the device quickly, it still uses a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

As Xiaomi’s most premium flagship device, it also supports a total of 43 global bands for worldwide 4G connectivity along with 4×4 MIMO. The MIX 2 has dual-nano SIM slots and it also supports VoLTE for better voice conversations. There’s also 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi with 2×2 MIMO as well as Bluetooth 5.0.

Powering the Mi MIX 2 is a 3,400mAh battery, which is surprisingly smaller than the original MIX with 4,400mAh capacity. It charges via USB Type-C and it is listed to support 9V/2A fast charging. Like the Mi 6, the MIX 2 no longer has a headphone jack so audio is pushed out via a 3.5mm adapter or via the USB Type-C port. Overall, the Mi MIX 2 is lighter and thinner than its predecessor at 185 grams with a thickness of 7.7mm.

For those who are looking for something more premium, the Mi MIX 2 is also available in a full ceramic version. Available in black and white colours, the MIX 2 special edition has the same specs but it comes with a whopping 8GB of RAM along with 128GB of storage. In terms of dimensions, the Special Edition is heavier by 2 grams and it is slightly narrower and shorter by about a milimetre.

The Mi MIX 2 is officially priced as follows:

Mi MIX 2 6GB RAM + 64GB storage – 3,299CNY (about RM2,127)
Mi MIX 2 6GB RAM + 128GB storage – 3,599CNY (about RM2,320)
Mi MIX 2 6GB RAM + 256GB storage – 3,999CNY (about RM2,578)
Mi MIX 2 Special Edition 8GB RAM + 128GB storage – 4,699CNY (about RM3,029)

The Mi MIX 2 will be available in China first but we might probably get it soon via grey importers. It’s worth pointing out that the starting price for the Mi MIX2 is much lower than before as the MIX was originally priced from 3,499CNY (about RM2,256).

Do check out our MIX vs MIX 2 side by side comparison.