The concept of a bezel-less phone isn't new. OEMs have been down that road before. Japanese major Sharp has been building them for as long as one can remember. Sharp's Aquos Crystal was nothing short of an engineering marvel of its time. Sadly, its borderless display was the one and only highlight of the Aquos Crystal. The phone was found lacking in almost all the other departments. But, it was not for lack of trying. In 2016, OEMs tried going down that road once again, with a different approach, however. Companies like Xiaomi built bezel defying phones -- Mi Note 2 and Mi Mix -- without compromising with specs. The Mi Mix, is without a doubt, the most interesting one of the lot. Interestingly, the 6.4-inch edge-to-edge screen of the Mi Mix has (also) been custom built by Sharp.
The introduction to the Mi Mix -- at Xiaomi's high-profile press briefing in Beijing last year -- began just like any another prototype demonstration. The concept was pretty simple...Xiaomi had been working, for over 2 years, to build a phone without any bezels. The Mi Mix was the best case scenario that it could conceptualise at this point of time by bringing about certain modifications to current-generation technologies. The company did not, however, let it be just another laboratory experiment. It brought it to life, because in the words of the then global VP Hugo Barra himself, "Xiaomi wouldn't build something that our fans can't have." Also, it would be "silly to show off a concept phone that isn't real."
The Mi Mix, a closely guarded secret inside Xiaomi for over two years, had reached a level where the company was in a position to build a few units and also ship them to consumers. Since the phone is made via a "very innovative manufacturing assembly process and custom-built components" the company won't ship it in large quantities. Hugo did not say a number, but very limited quantities of the phone have been made available, that besides the fact that the Mi Mix is strictly a China-only affair.
All screen & no bezel equals nerd nirvana
The Mix looks like a limited edition product. From every nook and corner. There are absolutely no two ways about it. Designed and jointly developed by renowned designer Philippe Starck, the Mix boasts of a full ceramic body and a screen-to-body ratio of 91.3 per cent: an almost perfect edge-to-edge to be precise, according to Xiaomi. The phone does not have a forehead, just the bottom. It has a very simplistic (minimalistic) yet a very smart and sophisticated design. A design that will be hard to overlook. A design that will stay with you for a long, long time.
It is exceptionally well-built as well. Because Xiaomi has employed the same material (and craftsmanship) throughout -- rear and sides -- it looks like the Mix has been carved out of a single block of glass ceramic. Even the power button and volume rocker have the same touch and feel. So much so that not an in inch of Xiaomi's Mi Mix feels out of place. There are a couple of obvious downsides though. (a) the Mix is as glossy as they get and (b) it is also very prone to fingerprints and scratches. Xiaomi, however, ships a very premium leather case with the Mix that saves you a lot of trouble. You will have to let go of all that shine on the back, but believe me, you're better off this way because the Mix also doesn't look like it could take a beating. It's better safe than sorry. Also, once you power up that screen, no one's going to actually care about the ceramic back anyways. The phone is mostly flat as a pancake and the display is curved around the corners at the top and the sides. The impression of the screen gradually wrapping around the corners is, for the lack of a better word, a sight to behold. Note that Xiaomi hasn't completely gotten rid of the bezels, as there's still some 2 mm of excess baggage that comes along, but, the Mi Mix is the closest you'll get to it for now. And just so you know, it doesn't disappoint.
The Mi Mix from Xiaomi is clearly on the edge of tomorrow. It is commendable how a company, known largely for its value for money offerings, could think so out of the box and build a phone like it: a limited edition concept that's not just a lab experiment, but, out there for people to buy
"The biggest challenge was to get rid of the proximity sensor and the physical receiver earpiece where you listen to your phone calls. This wasn't easy to do," according to Xiaomi.
The phone essentially uses an ultrasonic proximity sensor and a piezoelectric ceramic driver for the earpiece that work through the display. The technology behind the whole thing -- called Inner Beauty -- is the workmanship of Elliptic Labs, a privately held company with headquarters in Oslo, Norway and offices in San Francisco, California; and Shanghai, China.
Inner Beauty allows the speaker to be completely invisible by using patented algorithms not only to remove the proximity sensor, but also to hide the speaker behind the phone's glass screen, according to Elliptic Labs.
Besides eliminating the hardware sensor, the technology also eliminates common issues with proximity sensors, such as their unreliability in certain weather conditions or in response to various skin colors as well as dark hair, Elliptic Labs claims.
Because the proximity sensor and the earpiece lie inside the glass, you can use either side of the Mix to make/receive phone calls, and the screen will automatically turn off on both occasions. You might just want to tone down that volume if you're looking for some privacy.Since the Mi Mix does not have a forehead, the next obvious question would be, "how the heck do I click a selfie with it?" The selfie camera (a 5-megapixel) is tucked away at the bottom. When you're taking a selfie, you look down or simply flip the phone around. The ultrasonic proximity sensor understands that you flipped the phone, and changes the orientation of the front camera accordingly. And it does this, very fast.
The Mi Mix is no slouch either
Xiaomi's Mi Mix isn't just about the style, it is about the substance as well. The phone is powered by a 2.35GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, clubbed with Adreno 530 GPU and 4GB of RAM. It comes with 128GB of internal memory which is non-expandable. There's also a beefed up version available that ships with 6 gigs of RAM and 256GB of memory. The dual-SIM phone supports 4G LTE, NFC and USB OTG.
Even though the Mix -- I reviewed -- came with so many unwanted apps and Xiaomi-trademark user interface, the phone ran as smooth as butter 9 out of 10 times. It had absolutely no trouble whatsoever in dealing with tasks, both basic and hard-grinding. Graphical games were handled well, with no lag at all, even at maxed out settings. And it was able to do all of this running cool as a cucumber. A rare feat because Xiaomi has crammed the higher clocked performance oriented Snapdragon 821 inside, and for that to run as cool as it did, well, well done Xiaomi.
On the software side, the Mix comes with Android Marshmallow-based MIUI 8 and should be upgradable to Android Nougat in the days to come. As expected, you get a user interface with lots of fancy colour schemes and animations, and no app drawer. Latest software iteration does not necessarily translate to drastic changes in Xiaomi's interface. There's generally very little difference between a KitKat-based MIUI and a Marshmallow-based MIUI which could be a deal-breaker for stock Android fanatics, even more so because Xiaomi's MIUI kills off key Android 6 interface elements, like Now on Tap.
The bottom-firing mono speaker on-board the Mi Mix gets very loud, and is in fact, one of the highlights of the phone. The Mi Mix, with its large screen size and crisp audio, could well be an excellent Android tablet alternative. Those futuristic looks, I dare say, are just the icing on the cake.
Phone calls made with the Mix are of excellent quality and we did not encounter any odd call drop issues with our review unit.
The Mi Mix is backed by a 4,400mAh battery which is non-removable. Extreme usage saw us getting close to a full day, without any hiccups, while moderate to low usage got us close to one and a half days with ease. Most users, with more generalised usage will easily be able to squeeze out at least one and half days out of the phone. The Mix also supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 and ships with a certified fast charger in the box.
But, it's not perfect
-- The Mi Mix is a big phone. But, so was the Mi Max. While the Mi Max was a giant that was surprisingly light on its feet, the Mi Mix is what it is: a Goliath among the Davids. It's big and it's bulky. You'll have to get used to its sheer size and volume, and don't even think about using it with one hand. The Mi Mix could also be a little slippery should you decide to use it sans the cover.
-- The power button and the volume rocker on the right take some time getting used to, because of, well, the size. Also, the placement of the rear fingerprint scanner is a little awkward. It would have been better, because of the phone's size, if Xiaomi had put it on the front, like it did in the Mi 5. That fingerprint scanner will be extremely hard to reach for many users. I, for instance, turned it off altogether after I found that it is more of an annoyance because it's out of reach when you are holding the phone comfortably. It is quite responsive though, but there's some room for improvement.
-- The Mi Mix has some kind of scratch-resistant protective coating on-board but Xiaomi wouldn't tell me exactly what kind. "For protective glass, we use multiple suppliers and can't comment on which exact one, but its quality is up to what you'd expect from the premium competition," is what a Xiaomi spokesperson told me. You might want to keep a tempered glass at hand though if you're planning to buy this phone. Just to be on the safe side.
-- The 6.4-inch screen of the Mi Mix may be an engineering marvel, but, it does leave you asking for more on paper, and actual usage in some scenarios. It boasts of a 1080x2040 pixel resolution and an unusual aspect ratio of 17:9. Let's get one thing straight: the unusual aspect ratio is nothing to worry about as the Mi Mix has absolutely no app layout issues whatsoever. But, that 1080p resolution is a little on the anemic side with respect to peak brightness. The Mi Mix handles -- and reproduces -- colours well but it's not as bright as the company's other flagship phones. The Mi Mix's barely adequate brightness levels feel lacking especially when you're out and about.
-- The Mi Mix's 16-megapixel rear camera -- assisted with phase detection autofocus, f/2.0 aperture and dual-LED (dual-tone) flash -- is the most disappointing aspect of the phone. In fact, it's the weakest link on an otherwise fairly thought-out device. Although photos clicked in good light come out nice, metering issues -- overexposure -- and excessive image sharpening often result in blown out highlights. Also, dynamic range is something that leaves a lot to be desired on the Mi Mix. Low light photos, on most counts, are blurry and have excessive noise. The camera app is pretty quick to snap open though. The lens is quick to focus and shutter speed is also fairly good. But if you use HDR mode, be prepared to deal with slow shutter speed. Speaking of which, the Mi Mix has a pretty capable HDR mode, but you'll have to be patient with it. The front camera shoots average at best selfies, with some noise, even in good lighting.
Is it worth all the hype though?
The Mi Mix from Xiaomi is clearly on the edge of tomorrow. It is commendable how a company, known largely for its value for money offerings, could think so out of the box and build a phone like it: a limited edition concept that's not just a lab experiment, but, out there for people to buy. Clearly, there's more to Xiaomi than one would have imagined.
At the same time, there's more to the Mi Mix than one would have imagined. The Mi Mix, although it banks heavily on design, doesn't compromise on specs. It is, at the end of the day, a top-tier phone that also delivers in actual user case scenarios. Surely it's not perfect - it could have done with a better camera for instance - but then there are very few shortcomings in the Mi Mix to really write it off as a mere novelty item. It's a collector's edition, no doubt, but it is no less a crowd pleaser as well. Hopefully, Xiaomi gets the camera right in the next edition. Also, a smaller Mi Mix - with a 5-5.5 inch screen - wouldn't be too bad either.
The Mi Mix, for your reference, starts at RMB 3,499 (roughly Rs 34,500) for the base 4GB RAM and 128GB memory option while the top-tier 6GB RAM and 256GB storage option is available for RMB 3,999 (approx Rs 39,500) in China.
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