'Apple of China' Xiaomi unveils Mi Mix 2 a day before iPhone 8 launch

Company is also releasing a special edition that will be the first ever phone to use a full unibody ceramic design

Xiaomi, often dubbed as 'Apple of China', last year took the minimalist design to another level with the launch of nearly bezel-less Mi Mix. Although the phone was known as a “concept phone” while indulging in the tiny Bezel trend that has dominated smartphone designs recently, it wasn’t the most practical phone to actually use.



We all knew Xiaomi won't stop at that. This year they have gone a step ahead and launched a sequel to the minimalist device. Mi Mix 2, launched just a day before Apple event where Cupertino tech giant is expected to unveil the 10th anniversary iPhone, on first glance doesn’t give the niche feel to it like the Mi Mix and looks like a smartphone that’s here to stay.

The screen gets smaller

Starting with the screen which stands at 5.99 inches, compared to the 6.44-inch panel used in its predecessor.  The size difference will also feel smaller due to the 18:9 aspect ratio compared to 17:9 in the Mi Mix.



In terms of the bezel edge, the phone is more rounded — a big deviation from the sharp lines in the Mi Mix.



Xiaomi is also releasing a special edition Mi Mix 2 that it claims will be the first ever phone to use a full unibody ceramic design.

Unlike the original device, the Mi Mix 2 have an actual speaker rather than the piezoelectric ceramic driver on the rear. In order to achieve the near bezel-less design, the front camera has been placed on the bottom panel putting you in the awkward position of holding your phone upside down while taking selfies.



The rear camera, meanwhile, uses the same 12-megapixel sensor with a 4-axis OIS as company's other high-end device Mi 6, but pairs it with a single f/2.0 lens. There is, however, no dual-camera action here.

Otherwise, the Mi Mix 2 has what you'd from a high-end smartphone.

Specifications

5.99-inch 2160x1080 LCD 

151.8mm x 75.5mm x 7.7mm, 185g

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor

6GB of RAM (8GB on ceramic special edition)

64/128/256GB storage options (special edition is only 128GB)

3400mAh battery

USB-C

No headphone jack

Bluetooth 5.0

MIUI 9, based on Android Nougat

43 LTE bands

It is expected that the Mi Mix 2 would be available in China before entering the global market.



In terms of price, the device costs 3299 yuan which is roughly about $500 for the model with 64GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. The 128GB version costs 3599 yuan ($550), meanwhile the 256GB model will be 3999 yuan ($610).

The unibody ceramic special edition with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is priced at 4699 yuan ($720).

 

This article originally appeared on The Verge.