Xiaomi Mi Mix unboxing and first impressions

Announced just last month by Xiaomi , the Mi Mix is a concept phone that boasts of a very large 6.4-inch display with almost no bezels on all 3 sides. The specs are also really good on paper. We’ve managed to acquire a unit to review so before proceeding, check out our quick unboxing below:

Right out of the box, the Mi Mix looks gorgeous. Yes, it is large at 6.4 inches but it’s actually smaller compared to the Xiaomi Mi Max which has a similar 6.44-inch display. This is basically due to the very thin bezels on the sides and at the top. The Mi Mix’s 91.3% screen-to-body ratio is the highest we’ve seen (the Xiaomi Mi Max only has 74.8% so you can clearly see the difference).

The 6.44-inch Mi Max beside the 6.4-inch Mi Mix

The screen has an unusal 17:9 aspect ratio so the resolution is also a little off at 2040×1080 pixels (just a little over full HD). Still, the display looks really good, crisp and bright.

The Mi Mix weighs about 209 grams which is heavy but that’s understandable considering its size. The full glass front panel is mimicked by the ceramic back panel. It’s a bit slippery on the hands and the width is borderline unmanageable with one hand (good thing Xiaomi managed to include a leather case in the box).

On the right side is the power button and volume controls, the left side is the SIM card slot. There’s a 3.5mm audio port up top and the USB Type-C charging port is at the bottom along with the speaker grill. The front-facing camera is position at the bottom end of the panel which is the only place they can have it.

At the back is the ceramic panel that feels like glass infused in metal. The rear camera is in the middle with the fingerprint scanner just below it. There’s a thin laser etching right across the middle that says “Mix designed by Mi” (the design was in partnership with French designer Philippe Starck).

The Mi Mix runs on the latest Snapdragon 821 chip with a max speed of 2.35GHz (same chip as the Google Pixel, Pixel XL and Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe) with options for 4GB or 6GB of RAM. Base storage is already at 128GB but also has a 256GB variant.

Since it doesn’t have room on the front for components such as the earpiece and proximity sensors, the MIX instead uses a ceramic acoustic system, ultrasonic proximity sensor and compact front camera located at the bottom right corner. It’s actually a bit weird making calls using the Mi Mix because of the vibrations that creeps thru your face. Perhaps, you’ll get used to it in time.

More on this in our full review next week.

Xiaomi Mi Mix specs:
6.4-inch IPS LCD display @ 2040×1080 pixels, 362ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 2.35GHz quad-core CPU
Adreno 530
4GB/6GB LPDDR4 RAM
128GB/256GB UFS 2.0 internal storage
4G+ LTE
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2
NFC
HD 192KHz/24-bit audio
GPS with SAP, GLONASS, BDS
16MP PDAF rear camera
5MP front camera n
Fingerprint sensor
Li-Ion 4,400mAh battery
Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
MIUI 8.0 (Android 6.0 Marshmallow)
158.8 x 81.9 x 7.9 mm (dimensions)
209 grams (weight)

The Xiaomi Mi Mix is now available in select online stores with a starting price of Php39,990 (see listing here).

Watch out for our full review of the Mi Mix next week.