Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

Looking good and performing with blazing fast speed – Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is looking forward to upset the dominance of top-end phones in the flagship market. Priced at Rs. 29,999, it is a fascinating handset for users trying to find beauty in their handsets.

Mi Mix 2 comes with a challenging statement against top-end rulers of flagship market. Attaining the delicate balance of appearance and premium performance, Mi Mix 2 is a flagship that will attract any premium user to get their palms on.

Mi Mix 2 goes for a premium ceramic and aluminium body, dropping the stainless steel of the original Mi Mix. It is narrower and lighter than the original Mi Mix by almost 24g. There are some pros and cons for the premium design though. It looks like a jewel, but it can easily pick up fingerprint smudges and is quite fragile. The aluminium sides, however, give it a good sturdiness and help with the grip. The curves on the side make it a comfortable hold. Plus, it has Corning Gorilla Glass 4 which keeps scratches away. One drawback is that it has dropped the headphone jack. Another odd feature is that, since it is mostly bezel-free with a sleek chin, the designers have placed the front camera at the bottom of the screen, putting it in an unusual position and a problematic feature to deal with.

Mi Mix 2 has a 5.99-inch full HD+ display with 1080x2160p resolution with 18:9 aspect ratio. While the IPS display may disappoint users expecting QHD, the Mi Mix 2 delivers well with its HD+ display. It is punchy, and similar to LG and the brightness has a perfect balance of colours. It is less saturated than AMOLED screens of S8. There is also a dedicated reading mode which minimises blue light emission to prevent eye strain. The colours are vivid and quite accurate and offer an immersive experience for the user. However, Galaxy S8 keeps its title as one of best displays in the market.

Mi Mix 2 arrives with the Snapdragon 835 chipset, the same chipset included in the flagship rival OnePlus 5, and it is partnered with a sizable 6GB RAM. It can run multiple apps at the same time without a problem, and even the apps load quickly. Gaming on this phone is an absolute delight with heavy games like Asphalt 8 working without flaws and any noticeable heating up. The benchmark scores put it similar to other phones using Snapdragon 835 chipsets, proving that the phone uses the processor to its utmost capacity.

Mi Mix 2 has a 12MP rear camera which comes with features such as HDR, face detection and 4-axis optical image stabilisation (OIS). In adequate light, the picture quality is quite impressive. The photos have a lot of punchy colours added to it, and there is a dynamic range present in the photos. Artificial lights, however, do not provide the natural colours that you get from naturally lighted photos, but they are still noiseless. The OIS helps the camera and does not let it jerk. Low-light photography however suffers and does not capture as many details as the daylight photos capture. The photos appear grainy and capture a bit of visual noise. Mi Mix 2 has a 5MP front camera, which can produce decent pictures. The problem with the camera is its location – at the bottom of the screen giving you a terrible time when you are video calling. The angle is quite narrow, and so you cannot get wide-angle pictures. In low-light conditions, the photos suffer from noise and lack of details.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 comes with a 3400mAh battery which can last the phone for 1 and a half days easily if you subject it to moderate to heavy use. An HD video loop test saw it last for under 13 hours after continuous playback which is quite top-end in the smartphone market. It also comes with the support for Quick Charge 3.0, and can thus charge from 10% to 90% is just about 90 minutes.

On the whole, Mi Mix 2 gets the ticks in all the right areas – an eye-catching design, an excellent display, powerful performance and great battery. The placement of the front camera is a strange one, but since it was made for modifying the design, it can be forgiven. However, Mi Mix 2 does go low in the camera department and clicks images that are only capable of sharing on social media. If a camera is your primary need, then Honor 8 Pro is a worthy consideration for better cameras. Otherwise, Mi Mix 2 is a beautiful grab in the premium market.