Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 Review, Price & Specifications

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 Review

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 smartphone was launched in September 2017. The phone comes with a 5.99-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 2160 pixels at a PPI of 403 pixels per inch. Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 price in India starts from Rs. 32,999.

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is powered by octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and it comes with 6GB of RAM. The phone packs 128GB of internal storage that cannot be expanded. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 packs a 12-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel front shooter for selfies.

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 runs Android and is powered by a 3400mAh non removable battery. It measures 151.80 x 75.50 x 7.70 (height x width x thickness) and weigh 185.00 grams.

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is a dual SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that accepts Nano-SIM and Nano-SIM. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, 3G and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the phone include Compass Magnetometer, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Gyroscope and Barometer.

When it comes to smartphones, there are now many quality options available at different prices. In the United States and Europe, most people who want the best of the best often gravitate towards brands like Samsung, LG, HTC and Google. But things are a bit different in Asia, where the likes of Xiaomi, Huawei and Oppo dominate the field. These are brands with which you may be familiar, but in recent years, all have increased their global presence, making their products an attractive option. The xiaomi mi mix 2 looks promising.

Last year, Xiaomi managed to catch the world by surprise with its almost bezel-less wonder, the Mi MIX. In 2017, many manufacturers adopted the appearance almost without bezel and also came to more affordable phones. With his successor, the Mi MIX 2, Xiaomi decided to adjust the design, which makes it more comfortable to hold it and also made some improvements in its main features. Now that the competition has been updated regarding design, Xiaomi does not have a design advantage, and one has to wonder if the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 can stay in a bustling market.

Xiaomi mi mix 2 specs

Product codes: Xiaomi Mi MIX 2

Display IPS screen aspect ratio: 18: 9 of 5.99 inches

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
403 PPI, contrast ratio of 1500: 1
DCI-P3 color gamut, high color saturation

Graphics: Adreno 540 GPU

RAM: 6GB RAM

Storage: 128GB

Wi-Fi: 802.11a / b / g / n / ac connectivity, Wi-Fi 2.4 / 5G

Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou

Camera:
12MP rear camera at ƒ / 2.0 with 1.25μm, four-axis OIS, PDAF autofocus
5MP front camera
4K video at 30 fps, 1080 video at 30 fps, 720p at 30 fps

USB ports: type C

Accelerometer sensors
Barometer
Gyroscope
Ultrasonic proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Electronic compass
hall sensor

Battery: 3.400mAh

OS: Launch of Android OS 7.1.1

xiaomi mi mix 2 release date: September 2017

Size and weight: 151.8mm x 75.5mm x 7.7mm
185g

Xiaomi mi mix 2 price

The price starts at $465 for the 4GB RAM model. It starts at $569 for the 6GB RAM model.

Mi MIX 2 Features

Design and Display

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is a beautiful slab of a smartphone that uses ceramic and metal for its exterior. The metal is used in the bezel and the ceramic layer is present in its back. It may seem quite reserved, but when it hits the light correctly, it reveals the depth of the ceramic material and is a sight to behold. The front of the phone is dominated by a 5.99-inch IPS 1080p screen. The upper left and right sides of the screen are almost non-beveled, with the sensors and the front camera housed in the lower chin. If you look closely, you will see a small slot on the top of the phone above the screen, which provides an opening for the handset.

At the bottom of the device, there is a type C USB port flanked by two grills; one is a speaker and the other a microphone. The right bezel offers volume control and a power button. On the back, there is the 12MP camera accented in gold, a dual LED flash and a fingerprint reader. When you read this description, it sounds like any other smartphone and, to some extent, you’re right. But there is something about it when you have it in your hands; it offers a different experience.

Software and performance

Even though it was a bit of work getting applications and services from Google in the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2, since then, it has been running smoothly. As expected, the phone works with most tasks with ease thanks to the powerful Snapdragon 835 processor that is paired with 6 GB of RAM. When it comes to the OS, it runs the MIUI 9 of Xiaomi, in addition to Android 7.1.1. While the company has a beta version of Android Oreo, you should still announce when it will arrive in its official form.

This may surprise some, but the MIUI interface does not have an application drawer, so it will require users to organize their icons on the home screen. Although this is not something that you see a lot of manufacturers like Samsung and LG, it is quite common for the phones created for the Asian market. Fortunately, if you are not comfortable with this, you can always install a third-party initiator that will give you the option of having an application drawer.

Along with the interface, the configuration menu is also a bit different. While it understandably has all the above, the organization of some of the configurations is not where you would expect it to be. For example, changing the screen timeout is not found in the screen settings, but in the screen lock section. They are the small things, but when you are familiar with a form that is universal, it takes a while to get used to MIUI.

While MIUI does not try to throw the kitchen sink at you, it does give you enough customization options to make it look like you have a little breathing space.

There is also the question of little peculiarities here and there. For example, Android messages cannot send or receive MMS. Despite exploring numerous forums, there still seems to be no solution to this and it will require that users adhere to the stock market messaging application or find one such as Textra that works. While it is not a major problem, it is a bit strange and other small problems have been reported in the forums of Xiaomi but have not yet been resolved, which is a nuisance. But, in general, as a whole, the operating system is responsive and works well. If there is a point of caution about the software, it would be the frequency of the updates. At the time of writing, the phone still runs Android 7.1.1 and has security updates since December. Fortunately, Xiaomi will provide the appropriate updates and support for the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 over the next few years, but so far, things have not got off to a good start.

Camera

As new smartphones hit the market every year, what inevitably does or breaks the experience is how well you can capture photos and videos. While many device manufacturers have tried to implement a second goal to improve quality, Google has shown that it is not about how many lenses you have, but how well your software is optimized to handle the real world. Many consider the Pixel line, and more specifically, the Pixel 2 devices, as the epitome when it comes to the execution of a single lens camera.

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 uses a single lens approach and, for the most part, things work well. As mentioned in the hands, Mi MIX 2 has problems when it comes to focus, sometimes, lose the brand. It’s not a big problem and it can happen once or twice in a dozen shots. But it is something that you should keep in mind since you could end up with some blurry photos at the end if you are not paying attention to what you are focusing on. As far as the quality of the night is concerned, it’s fine and you will not alienate anyone with its quality.

Perhaps one of the most interesting surprises of the phone is how well you can take photos when using Snapchat. Android phones are extremely inconsistent when it comes to image quality when using third-party applications. Snapchat uses its software to take pictures and sometimes these look terrible. Being able to shoot amazing photos with Snapchat is not going to be a priority for many, but it is a good advantage for those who use the application.

If you are someone who likes to adjust the settings of the camera, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 covers you with a manual mode that allows you to manipulate exposure, ISO, white balance and more. Also, you have the option to switch between HDR, choose different image filters and choose between different modes such as Tilt-Shift. If you want to adjust the contrast, saturation and sharpness, you will have to dive into the camera settings menu, which can be a bit annoying. The camera is not as flexible when it comes to video options, offering users the option to record 4K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 30fps, 720p @ 120fps and 480p @ 120fps. Interestingly, Xiaomi does not detail what frames per second are firing these modes within the software.

When it comes to video quality, the focus problem that comes up from time to time when taking pictures is a bit more evident when shooting videos. The camera tends to have to look for the subject and sometimes fails. It is when there is a movement that these defects are more remarkable. The phone has optical image stabilization (OIS), but the quality is, at best, average. You will not be surprised by its ability to smooth videos when there are jolts in motion; it just is not up to the level of high-end phones. If there is one thing that will completely neutralize the camera experience, it is the audio quality, which is the worst of any phone that I have recently tested. The poor audio quality affects not only the video taken with the standard camera application but also any other application such as Instagram and Snapchat. If you are someone who trusts your smartphone to record videos, you will have to stay away from the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2. However, after a little research, it seems that this problem is related to a software problem that could mean that there might be a solution for this in the future.

Battery duration

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 has a 3,400 mAh battery that is more than enough to get through the day. During a normal day of use, web browsing with Chrome was common, along with streaming music via Bluetooth, YouTube for a couple of hours, messages, light calls, Slack, emails and more. If the day started at 8 a.m., there would be a lot of battery life at 10 p.m., approximately 30 percent. If you are someone who uses more intensive applications like Snapchat, you can still spend the day, but you will be looking around 10% or less, in the same duration. If you need a surcharge during the day, you’ll be happy to know that the phone is compatible with the Qualcomm Quick Charge and this should be enough for you to recharge it in a matter of seconds. If something can be gained by using a lower resolution screen, it is that the battery life will always be much better compared to its higher resolution counterparts. While some may love the QHD resolution, 1080p is perfectly fine if it means having the benefit of the prolonged use of my smartphone.

Wrapping Up

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is one of those phones that you will probably never see with another soul if you live outside of Asia. If you are someone who likes to have something unique, this is probably the phone for you. The device starts at $ 465 and can go a little higher if you choose to opt for more RAM and internal storage space. But considering that Samsung and LG are charging around $ 700 or more for their flagships, this is not a bad price for what you get.

The design is beautiful and the phone is designed to attract attention. The ceramic exterior is on another level and it looks great in the right light. The screen does not have the highest resolution, but it looks good, produces accurate colors and can be seen from all angles. The camera can take some good photos but the audio when capturing videos leaves much to be desired and is probably the biggest flaw of the phone. Also, with a phone like this, you will always wonder if there will be adequate support in the future. After all, without proper updates of the operating system, the life of a phone is drastically reduced.

Although a year ago it could have been argued that the mi mix 1 was something special due to its design and some of its more experimental technologies, this year, things are very different. There are many options available and even some in the same price category as OnePlus 5T. If you are looking for something that probably nobody has outside of Asia, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is a good option, but if you want something that offers greater longevity, you probably prefer a family brand.