Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Review: Almost There

Xiaomi has launched the Mi Mix 2 smartphone in India, which has a bezel-less design. The Mi Mix 2 competes directly with the OnePlus 5T, which also has a bezel-less design. On the paper, the Xiaomi Mi Mix looks very tempting, but let's look how the device performs in the real world and how does it compete with the other similarly priced devices.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2: Build Quality

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has an excellent build quality; it feels sturdy and does not make any creaking sounds even when trying to flex it. However, the device is very slippery. Therefore, it tends to slip easily from the hand and other surfaces while using it, but that is the case with almost all the flagship smartphones nowadays, so we cannot really blame Xiaomi. Nonetheless, the Mi Mix 2 survived a few minor drops.

1 of 8

As for the looks of the device, it looks good but still lacks behind the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the LG V30+ due to lack of sharp design. We also hate the weird camera placement, which in the real world usage gives a lot of trouble. We hope that Xiaomi fixes these issues in the successor of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2: Display

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 comes with a 5.99-inch Full HD+ (2160 x 1080) IPS LCD display with a bezel-less design. The device looks futuristic with the bezel-less design, better than the Nokia 8, which is priced similarly, but to be honest, the Mi Mix 2 still doesn’t look as good as the Samsung Galaxy S8+ or the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Also, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 doesn’t feature an AMOLED display. Therefore, it looses when compared with the similarly priced OnePlus 5T. We think that the device should have been equipped with an AMOLED display, which would have made much more sense, as the display is the main focus of the device. Nonetheless, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2’s display has punchy colours, and excellent visibility under sunlight.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2: Camera

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 comes with a single 12MP primary camera with phase-detection autofocus, 4-axis OIS, dual-tone dual-LED flash. However, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 doesn’t come with any kind of background blur or portrait mode technology as it doesn’t have two cameras, or the intelligent AI as that on the Google Pixel 2. Therefore, it loses in that criteria when compared with the similarly priced OnePlus 5T and the Nokia 8.

1 of 21

The daylight images captured with the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 look sharp, and they contain a lot of details; the colour accuracy is superb too. In daylight, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 gives a tough competition to the OnePlus 5T and Nokia 8. However, the story changes in the low-light conditions. We found that the images captured with Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 in low-light conditions contain high-amount of noise, low details, artificial sharpening, and lastly, low brightness. It looses completely when compared with the OnePlus 5T in low-light conditions.

Coming to the front-facing camera performance, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 looses again, as not only the 5MP camera falls short of delivering detailed and bright images that the competitors like the OnePlus 5T and the Nokia 8 offer, but the weird placement of the camera makes it hard to capture images. We wonder, why Xiaomi didn’t equip such a costly device with a higher resolution camera, as even the devices priced at Rs. 15,000 to Rs, 20,000 are equipped with higher resolution cameras. Also worth mentioning is that the Mi Mix 2 doesn’t feature a display flash to aid in low-light conditions, which is kind of disappointing.

1 of 4

Unfortunately, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 completely looses in the camera department due to relatively poor primary camera performance in low-light and a weaker front-facing camera performance due to less-equipped hardware.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2: Software & Performance

The Xiaomi Mix 2 is equipped with an octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. The device has a very smooth and fluid performance. During our test, the device did not show any frame drops or lags even during heavy multitasking. Thanks to the Adreno 540 GPU, the Mi Mix 2 has an excellent gaming performance. We were also glad to see that the device did not heat up while paying graphics-heavy games and while performing heavy multitasking.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 ships with the Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS customised with MIUI 9. The MIUI 9 has tons of improvements over the older MIUI 8. The most important change is the inclusion of split-screen multitasking and quick replies in the notification pane. The absence of these two features was really frustrating in the MIUI 8. The Mi Video app that comes with the MIUI 9 is a great addition; it has a good design and packs useful features. Xiaomi has also enhanced the Mi Drop, calendar, and image editor. Also, many UI elements have been redesigned in the MIUI 9 to give it a better look, but still the MIUI 9 lacks behind in the design when compared to the UI from other smartphone manufacturers like HTC and Samsung.

1 of 25

Xiaomi needs to improve a lot in the design criteria. Especially, the icon style needs to be improved; the existing boxy icon design looks outdated. The exclusion of an application drawer is also very frustrating; Xiaomi should at least add an option to use the device with an application drawer so that the users shifting from other UIs feel comfortable to use the MIUI 9. Apart from these issues, we think that MIUI 9 is pretty much equipped with every essential feature.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2: Battery Life

We were expecting the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 to deliver a good battery backup as it has a large battery and a low power consuming LCD display, and the smartphone did not disappoint us. During our test, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 delivered an excellent battery backup. The device lasts about 28 to 36 hours with an average screen-on time of 4 to 5 hours. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 beats the Galaxy Note 8 and even the HTC U11 in terms of battery backup. Thanks to the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, the Mi Mix 2 charges super fast; it charges in about just 120 minutes.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2: Verdict

Considering the bezel-less display, Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, 3340mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0, and an OIS-equipped primary camera, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is a very tempting device. Sadly, those features fall short when compared to the newly launched OnePlus 5T, which has an AMOLED display, and dual-camera setup over the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. We think that OnePlus 5T provides with a better camera, better display, and a more practical design than the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 at the same price.