Review of Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 - a powerful ceramic smartphone with an edge-to-edge screen

Design

Mi MIX 2S deserves respect at least for the fact that Xiaomi went its own way with this smartphone. It does have minimal bezels on all three sides, but the best part is that there are no ugly bangs. The presence of the latter is the most controversial point in any modern device. And that’s why Xiaomi Mi8 looks, let’s say, like an amateur. For an iPhone X fan, apparently.

Xiaomi Mi8

Our hero looks gorgeous both on the table and in the hand. Using Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S is a pleasure. You literally don’t want to let go of it.

The unusual design is also reflected in the fact that the smartphone is somewhat angular. You can either like it or not. Samsung fans will probably start spitting, and people with at least some sense of taste will definitely like the smartphone. The white version looks especially cool.

At the back we have a ceramic lid neatly rounded at the edges. It is very smooth and pleasant to the touch. The downside of all this beauty is the slippery case, which, by the way, is perfectly protected by the included case. It is thin, pleasant to the touch (Soft Touch), and fits onto the body of the device like a glove. As a result, the thickness of the smartphone does not increase much, and it doesn’t look like a collective farm - you can use it with pleasure.

Having a wide chin doesn’t bother me personally - this part is usually covered with your thumb while you’re using your phone. So zero problems.

I also don’t understand the grumbling of some comrades regarding the location of the front camera. There is nothing wrong with turning your phone over every time to take pictures of yourself or your loved one. In addition, I’m sure that a good half of the readers of this review do not often create themselves. Right, guys?

And now an unpleasant moment that personally embarrassed me literally right away. Compared to the previous generation, the thickness of the new device has increased: from 7.7 to 8.1 mm. It would seem that the difference is minimal. What is the problem? But believe me, the difference is noticeable. I felt this immediately when I picked up the 2S for the first time and was convinced of this when I compared both generations a little later. On the other hand, a thinner body is, of course, good, but the new product still has advantages, so we’ll live with it. Not scary.

When the screen is turned off, it’s almost invisible

Appearance and ergonomics

The creators of the device took care of the appearance of their development. The back cover of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 cannot but please the eye, although its practicality leaves much to be desired, because no one is immune from falls and bumps. With the case, the interesting design of the back panel will be hidden, but the phone will be intact.

mi.com

Manufacturers position Mi Mix 2 as a frameless model, but it still has frames, albeit small ones. The body itself is designed so that it is comfortable to hold in your hands. The speakers of the Mi Mix 2 smartphone are located almost on the edge at the top. There are no usual buttons under the screen, so the phone is supposed to be controlled through the screen.

The fingerprint sensor is installed on the back panel, next to the camera unit. Looks pretty good in tandem. The rear camera module of Mi Mix 2 extends beyond the level of the body, so if you place the phone on a flat surface, it will not lie flat to the surface. Two nano-SIM cards are installed in the slot, which is located on the side. The device is equipped with a hot-swappable button function.

mi.com

Keys for unlocking and sound control are located on the right side of the phone. On the top edge of Mi Mix 2 there is an auxiliary microphone. There is no headphone jack provided. The USB connector is located at the bottom, along with the speaker.

Display

Have you tried Mi MIX 2? Exactly the same screen is installed in the S version - with an IPS matrix of excellent quality and color reproduction. If you suddenly don’t like AMOLED and sky-high contrast, then the Mi MIX 2S screen will seem ideal to you. It’s not for nothing that there is support for the professional DCI-P3 color profile.

Most of us have TVs and monitors at home of mediocre quality at best (for example, I have a 42-inch TV from LG from 2007). And at the same time, our smartphones are equipped with professional-grade screens. The circumstances were interesting.

Even the black color on the mi-mix screen does not suffer from a silvery or bluish tint. It is deep and rich, not like in Amoleds, of course, but close.

Various kinds of patterns or ornaments look especially cool on the display. There is no air gap, minimal frames, so the screen seems to be printed directly on the front glass. For the fourth “gorilla”, if that’s the case.

Price and Availability

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 was released in some countries; it also has no problems with availability in Russia. It supports 4G frequency bands around the world, so you can safely buy it from foreign online stores.

Price from 30,000 rub. and higher makes this smartphone a competitor to the OnePlus 5T model, which belongs to the category of flagship devices at a reduced cost. The base model of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 received a memory configuration of 6/64 GB. The maximum flash memory is 256 GB.

An even more premium model with 8 GB of RAM and a ceramic body is sold in China.

Characteristics of Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S

It’s logical to compare the specs of Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S with the still relatively fresh MIX 2. Let’s do this right now in the sign under the cut.

In short, here are the main differences between Mi MIX 2S and its predecessor: a new processor, two rear cameras, plus improved quality from the main sensor, and also added wireless charging. This is if at a gallop across Europe, but otherwise, there are some nuances.

⇡#Camera

At the presentation, there was another notable embarrassment in addition to the discrepancy between the image and the rendered reality. Xiaomi, on a slide talking about the photo and video capabilities of the new product, mentioned that it uses the same camera as the Mi6, which many journalists hastily wrote about in their articles. But this, however, is not the case - Mi MIX 2 has a single, not a double, module installed. And even though the sensor is the same as on the wide-angle camera Mi6 (Sony IMX386, 12 megapixels, pixel size – 1.25 microns), but even the optics are less aperture - ƒ/2.0 versus ƒ/1.8 on a less expensive device.

But at least four-axis optical stabilization and phase detection autofocus remained in place. The camera application has not changed in any way externally (this is normal, but in general there is something to improve in it), but it works faster than on all previous Xiaomi smartphones that we have tested. The device also focuses very quickly, both during the day and in the dark. But there are some problems with accuracy - in difficult situations, when you need, for example, to aim at a thin branch or an inscription on glass, the smartphone can smear for a long time and sadly. But nothing critical can be said about the camera’s performance.

Also, however, nothing particularly laudatory can be said. The features are standard - HDR, panorama, a set of filters, a mode with manual settings, a rather mediocre mode for simulating tilt-shift optics.

The shooting quality is normal, but not outstanding, which is what you expect from a flagship. Here, Mi MIX 2 is inferior to all competitors from A-brands, and, for example, Huawei P10/Mate 9 or Nokia 8. Due to optical stabilization, the smartphone allows you to take fairly clear pictures in low-light conditions, but they cannot be called sharp and low-noise - It lacks both aperture and high-quality post-processing. It’s difficult to make serious complaints about daytime photos: the sharpness is normal, the color rendition is natural, but the dynamic range in comparison with smartphones with dual modules built according to the “RGB sensor + monochrome sensor” scheme is much lower. For obvious reasons, there is no portrait mode, and there is no software background blur either.

Gallery of pictures

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 can shoot 4K video at up to 60 frames per second with continuous focusing.

The front camera is completely disappointing. It replicates the module used in Mi MIX 2, both in its unfortunate location (lower left corner of the front panel) and in its low-resolution sensor (5 megapixels). The camera lacks autofocus and flash and is equipped with an ultra-wide-angle lens. Optical distortion is excessive, but a lot of things fit into the frame, which is convenient for group self-portraits. To take a selfie, you should use the volume key (its lower part, traditionally, is also responsible for releasing the shutter). When you try to point at a virtual key on the screen, you inevitably block part of the lens’s field of view with your hand. The front camera is of little use for shooting in the dark, and even in daylight the detail leaves much to be desired.

Performance

SDM845 is currently the most powerful processor for Android devices. And thanks to the Adreno 630 graphics, it is two heads above competitors such as the Kirin 970 (Huawei P20 Pro) and Exynos 9810 (Samsung Galaxy S9+).

For example, in Tanchiki the frame rate was stuck at 60 FPS. In 15 minutes of play, not a single drop occurred, even up to 59 frames - which is not an indicator of fierce and unbridled power.

The heavy 3D shooter PUBG Mobile feels great on maximum graphics settings (no ultra yet). There are no brakes, friezes or other hints of poor performance. From the word in general.

But in synthetic tests I expected more from the MIX 2S.

In AnTuTu, the device scored only 219 thousand points, while even the S9+ broke the mark of 246 thousand points, and OnePlus 6, according to some tests, reaches up to 270,000 virtual parrots. What follows is more unpleasant, unfortunately. Two subsequent runs in the same bench pushed the performance of our young man right up to 171 thousand. At the same time, the smartphone warmed up to 49 degrees. In general, throttling is present, although I did not notice any signs of it in games. It's strange somehow.

However, does synthetics somehow affect the experience of real use? Of course not. Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S is a top-end device, the performance of which will last at least 3 years in advance.

Peculiarities

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S teaser did not reveal exact information about the device to users until the last day. Therefore, there were a huge number of rumors around him. The release date of Mi Mix 2S was March 27, 2020, on this day all the secrets were revealed. At the presentation, the company's executive director confidently stated that the new model is capable of competing with the world-famous iPhone X, especially since the design is similar and the functionality of the Chinese smartphone is breaking records.

The release of the new Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S was one of the most anticipated events at the beginning of the year. The developers kept almost all their promises and introduced several additional features:

• Wide display 5.99 inches;
• Thin side frames;
• Stable operation of the fingerprint scanner;
• Dual camera based on IMX363 sensor with automatic focus;
• Equipment with artificial intelligence;
• High technical characteristics;
• New facial recognition system Face Unlock;
• Powerful battery with contactless charging capability.

It’s worth saying more about the last function. Xiaomi has finally added wireless battery charging to its flagship. The option allows you to charge the battery to one hundred percent in two and a half hours. But the kit does not come with an independent charger. On the market the price for it is on average 16 dollars.

Cameras

This is the most significant difference between the new S-generation and MIX 2. And the changes concern primarily the main camera - now there are two of them.

Immediately about what I liked. And I liked a lot.

What impressed me the most was the HDR performance.

On MIX 2S you can shoot against the sun, architecture against the sky, and other complex scenes - the algorithms will always stretch the picture to the desired level. Both the sky and the very object that risked remaining in the photo only as a dark outline will be clearly visible.

No HDR

With HDR

No HDR

With HDR

Any modern smartphone has an AI mode, and our hero did not escape the fate of becoming “smart-smart.” In terms of the camera, of course. AI algorithms sometimes make the picture interesting, but they still spoil it more often, raising the contrast, brightening the middle, but darkening the rest of the frame.

Without AI

With AI mode

The background blur of the MIX 2S is generally quite good. The edges of objects are separated from the background neatly, the algorithms do not act out of hand. However, small mistakes still happen. On the other hand, who doesn't have them? Except that Google Pixel 2 has a minimum of them, thanks to which it managed to break away from all its competitors, including the iPhone X.

There was only one thing that bothered me about portrait mode. By default, the face is tinted to a porcelain state and these decorations cannot be turned off.

There is a 2x optical zoom and, admittedly, it works here. However, comparing with the same Huawei P20 Pro is pointless. Even 3x magnification is enough to put the MIX 2S to shame. And I’m still silent about the 5x hybrid zoom. By the way, in this regard, Huawei has no competitors at all. Oppo Find X is about to hit the market with a 5x optical zoom, then we’ll talk.

1x

2x

1x

2x

By the way, about competitors. I decided to continue comparing the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S camera with Huawei P20 Pro and beyond. After all, he is still our leader in mobile photography.

2x zoom Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S

3x zoom Huawei P20 Pro

2x zoom Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S

3x zoom Huawei P20 Pro

In terms of detail, the P20 Pro is, of course, impossible to compete with. The stupidly different number of pixels does the trick: 12 for Xiaomi and 40 for Huawei. No algorithms can compensate for such a huge difference.

However, the mi-mi flagship takes over the leadership due to its gorgeous HDR, since Huawei does not have it at all. And if we compare 12 megapixels from Xiaomi and 10 megapixels from Huawei (standard resolution in all modes other than the main one), then there is practically no difference.

It seemed to me that the noise reduction algorithms in Mi MIX 2S work even better. With the P20 Pro, the details turn out to be somewhat loose.

Night photography brings any camera to light. And here the 2S will definitely spoil the positive impression of the camera. At least that's what I thought. And fortunately, I was wrong. The Mi-mix can compete with the Huawei P20 Pro, the king of night photography. See for yourself.

Important clarification. I compared shooting in automatic mode. If you turn on Night mode on Huawei and put the device on a tripod, then it’s useless to compete with it. Unless you take a DSLR and the same tripod, and then do some magic in Photoshop.

I also got the impression that our hero was quietly squinting under the iPhone X. I mean the temperature of the flowers. After all, everyone knows that all iOS devices are noticeably yellow in photographs. So the 2S suspiciously often goes into warm shades in the photo.

What do you think? Is it just me or did you notice something too?

By the way, from here we take the archive with all the original photos. And this is a small archive with desktop wallpaper.

Camera and flash memory

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 boasts two cameras at once - a 12 MP main camera and a 5 MP front camera. The module itself was inherited from the previous model, but it added optical stabilization and zoom. The pictures come out good regardless of the time of day or the quality of the lighting, so there's no need to worry about excessive grain.

However, the SONY IMX 386 sensor, although good, is not the newest, and the Mi Mix 2 modules are far from the cameras of top models, and if the camera is an important element for the user, then you can look at the flagships of other manufacturers. In all other cases, the standard module from Sony is more than enough for you.

Is the camera the weak point of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2?

More likely yes than not, because essentially we have a top-end and quite interesting device, which has an outdated camera module and you can’t argue with that, because we’re all used to it - if it’s a flagship, then everything about it should be cool.

See: many HDR photos and videos from the camera

And although Xiaomi claims that the camera here has been significantly improved, with an optical stabilizer and phase detection autofocus, the question remains open until more detailed tests appear. However, not everything is so bad and you can see a comparison with the Galaxy Note 8 in the video below.

Video - camera testing

The front camera, unlike thousands of mobile phones on the market, is located under the screen, which is attractive in terms of design, but in some cases impractical, since the lens can be accidentally covered with your hand and you will get a black screen instead of a selfie.

Examples of photos from the camera

All pictures are saved to the built-in memory, which, depending on the modification, can be from 64 to 256 GB. The manufacturer did not provide for the possibility of expanding this volume, but this space is enough not only for photographs, but also for an entire multimedia library that can be easily carried in your pocket.

Front-camera

There is exactly the same sensor as in its predecessor - OV5675. The matrix is ​​covered by a lens with an f/2.0 aperture. This sandwich pleases with quite pleasant photos that can easily be used for publications on social networks.

No HDR

HDR mode

Portrait mode

There is background blur, and the technology handles bokeh quite well. Moreover, there is only one front module.

Video recording

Just as I was happy about the adequate sound recording in Redmi Note 5, Mi MIX 2S reminded me of an old and long-boring problem with most Xiaomi smartphones. The main complaint is the gurgling noise cancellation. If it’s loud outside, then all the surrounding sounds turn into the grumbling of some faulty R2D2. In general, see for yourself, or rather, listen to the example below.

In addition, I didn’t really like the overly exaggerated color rendition. I would have preferred more natural video recording than the MIX 2S has. Still, if I need to tweak something, I can do it in video editors. And you don’t have to decide for me what’s best for me.

However, the detail in the picture is very good. Not the level of the iPhone X and Google Pixel 2, of course, but something.

Stabilization only works at Full HD resolution. The fashionable frame rate of 60 frames per second is not here, we are content with the usual 30.

By the way, there is an alternative “Video Clip” mode. Yes, the resolution will only be 1080p, yes, the length of the video is limited to 10 seconds, but at least the sound is recorded adequately. Keep in mind.

The smartphone can also record Slow Motion videos with a frequency of only 240 FPS and at a resolution of 1080p. It looks great on the device screen, but not so much on the computer.

Frameless without a unibrow: this is not an iPhone

The main feature of the Xiaomi Mi Mix line is its proprietary design: a thin frame around the display, the bottom one is slightly larger than the rest;
a minimum of inscriptions and catchy elements. A single-color “brick” that stands out clearly among a whole generation of frameless Samsung and iPhone clones.

As smartphone developers assure, it belongs to the hand of French designer Philippe Starck - their version of our Lebedev, whose work has a whole page on Wikipedia.

But we know that this is exactly what the first frameless Sharp for the Chinese market looked like. However, they are not available to us. In addition, Mix stands out even against the background of the “Japanese”.

The one-piece ceramic body is incredibly cool. Ceramic conducts RF signals very well, so Mix 2s does not require external leads.

The perfect harmony of the surface is decorated with a single inscription in gold. We have it in black, but it can also be on a white smartphone. Xiaomi does not offer any other options.

The dual camera, which has become traditional for Xiaomi in 2020, looks normal only on the Mix 2s. On others, it’s as if a Mercedes badge was stuck on the Cossack.

Ceramic is an excellent material for a smartphone: it is always warm and cozy. Doesn't slip like glass. Doesn't scratch like metal. Is it beating? Yes, but you'll have to try hard.

If you don't drop it face down. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, but it also breaks - by the way, it is better than ceramics.

Sound

The first thing that upsets us is the lack of a 3.5 mm audio output.

I have headphones at home, in the AUX car, and another headset in my backpack. At the same time, the kit includes only one adapter from USB C to the 3.5 mm plug I need. So what do you want me to do?

Use wireless “ears”, endure it, or order a couple more adapters from Gearbest - everyone chooses the path they like, because there are no options.

Instead of a headphone jack, I would like to get at least moisture protection, but that’s not here either. In general, Xiaomi still has some things, but they disappointed.

In any case, with the adapter in the headphones the sound is excellent. The main thing is to connect something of decent quality. Bluetooth is also possible, because the aptX and aptX HD codecs are present.

Two speakers are responsible for the external sound: the main one at the bottom and the front speaker at the top. The latter, of course, mutters something under his breath, but still creates some kind of stereo.

The quality of the speakers is mediocre, it’s better not to turn them up to the maximum, because everything turns into mush. In terms of volume, the device did not disappoint - it is above average.

Contents of delivery

The device arrived in a compact black box. I can’t say whether it looks “expensive and rich” or not. See for yourself:

The delivery set is as follows:

• power unit;
• USB Type C cable;
• SIM card tray clip;
• adapter from USB Type C to 3.5 mm jack;
• thin plastic case.

The latter looks very good, feels pleasant to the touch and is generally a must-have, given the soiled nature of the smartphone case. In the case, the smartphone receives protection and a better grip, but loses a touch of charm and visual appeal.

Shell

There are exactly zero complaints about MIUI 9. The system is very functional, stylish, everything is customizable to your liking and does not glitch. And for a long time now the official version with Russian language and Google Play on board has been on sale. There is no need to sew, break or roll anything.

A special bonus specifically for the Mi MIX 2S is that you can easily install Google firmware with the latest Android P on it. You just need to unlock the bootloader and this is an official option, not a makeshift one. As a result, you can, firstly, be one of the first to try a new robot. Secondly, enjoy the stylish, minimalistic Android interface in the form that Google itself bequeathed. Unless, of course, you're tired of MIUI.

Best screen. Leave AMOLED for iPhone

The smartphone is decorated with a 5.99-inch IPS panel manufactured by Sharp. The display supports color rendering standards first introduced in Apple smartphones.

If you see Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s for the first time, you might think that it has an OLED screen. Like the iPhone, only with more dots and no damn unibrow. I absolutely don’t understand why AMOLED appeared in Mi8.

The developers managed to solve the main problems of IPS matrices - black color accuracy. The effect is achieved both due to the quality of the LEDs and high pixel density, and due to the system presets.

This solution has one drawback: the camera is on the bottom right. As a person who is far from taking selfies, I even like this solution. But many are unhappy.

However, there is one more drawback, if you can call it that - the slot of the main speaker is a little out of the general style. This and the grille (copied from the iPhone) of the second speaker led to a lack of moisture protection.

But it seems that this is the only drawback of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s. All other trends fit nearby.

Autonomy

Inside we have a 3,400 mAh battery. By the standards of a flagship, the capacity is average, so the situation with autonomy is exactly the same.

With normal use and screen operation for 3-4 hours, the device can last one day, not even a day.

Once my smartphone hit the ceiling in 1.5 days, but the screen was on for only 2.5 hours. In general, it all depends on the nuances of use.

There is support for Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging. Using the included power supply, the device was charged 44% in the first half hour. The rest of the results are below:

• 1 hour - 86%
• 1 hour 30 minutes - 98%
• 1 hour 40 minutes - 100%

Another nice bonus. The back cover is ceramic, so the manufacturer quietly placed a substrate for Qi wireless charging there. Moreover, it claims to support fast charging.

How to live in Android without buttons?

The speed of the smartphone directly affects the operation of the operating system. Finally, we can say about the operating system that Android has finally caught up with iOS. Just as fast, convenient and thoughtful. Even better.

Instead of a “clean” system, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s has MIUI 9.5 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. Sounds great - works even better.

This mobile OS provides everything so that the user never installs system applications from other companies: from call recording to a system equalizer. There are so many settings that I will have to talk about them in a new, large material.

Mix2s supports iPhone X gestures, with which you can control the gadget without buttons. If it turns out to be unusual, there are on-screen navigation keys and an assistant dot.

It's a pity that the fingerprint scanner can't recognize gestures. But it works like a charm even with wet hands.

Alas, so far MIUI 9.5 on Mix 2s only boasts basic functions. In China, it has artificial intelligence as a voice assistant. In Russia, you will have to use the regular Google Assistant or Alice, but the latter will have to be installed separately.

It will be more interesting next: the artificial intelligence of the smartphone will learn to automatically detect and select parameters for automatic selection of shooting parameters, dynamic focus and “bokeh” will appear on the front camera - like in the Galaxy S9+.