Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha smartphone was recently quite recently on the 24th of September 2019. The phone comes with a 7.92-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 2088 x 2250 pixels. We have seen a ton of designs in the past year ranging from foldable phones to popup cameras. This ‘concept’ phone by Xioami was first released in China. While it is a pretty interesting and exciting smartphone, some feel that its design is not very practical. The Mi Mix Alpha is one of the first phones in the market to feature Samsung’s shiny new 108-megapixel SOCELL Bright HMX sensor. This should be a huge upgrade over the usual 48-megapixel Sony cameras. This 108-megapixel camera sensor was developed by Samsung in collaboration with Xiaomi. Let’s take a look at the Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha Review.
Design
The Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha has dimensions of 154.38 x 72.30 x 10.40mm. While it is the world’s first 108-megapixel camera, it’s aesthetics could have been designed better. It has been launched only in one colour – the classic black. It has a wrap-around all-screen design which makes it a bit impractical, to say the least. Basically, it doesn’t have any bezel at all. It is completely just screen. The screen, in fact, wraps around the edges and goes nearly to the back. While it may sound ultra-cool, it is not very practical. The other fingers holding the phone might inadvertently press something even if you don’t intend to do anything.
If a phone is all-screen, durability will become a major concern. If you are very clumsy, like me, chances are that you will drop the phone multiple times and in the oddest places. Since the screen wraps around the edges, the chances of breaking it is very high. Users having regular glass-backed phones feel it is delicate and gets scratches quickly. How would a wrapped around screen fare? Another thing you might have to keep in mind is that you will never be able to use a protective case! The idea of such a screen is awesome and if you are careful user, go for it! However, it might not be suitable for the majority of us.
Display
Xiaomi’s Mi Mix series has always tried to enhance the phone screens. The original model of the phone started off the outrageous bezel competition. With the Mi Mix 3, the notch-less design came into being. With waterfall displays being the new trend, how could Xiaomi sit quietly? The company has designed the Mi Mix Alpha with extremely curved edges, designed to look amazing while helping make use of the 108-megapixel sensor.
The surround screen wraps up to the back where it meets the camera at the rear side. To an onlooker, it gives an effect of having been made almost entirely of the screen. They wouldn’t be wrong to assume this either! The usual icons of battery level and network signal are displayed on the side. The volume control buttons are designed to be pressure sensitive and are on the side of the phone. With a 180% screen-to-body ratio, this is the only one of its kind.
Other Specs
Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha runs on MIUI Alpha based on Android. It features a whopping 512GB of inbuilt storage and 12GB of RAM. It is a dual-SIM smartphone where you can use only Nano-SIM cards on both the slots. The phone is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor featuring 1 core clocked at 2.96GHz, 3 cores clocked at 2.42GHz, and 4 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. Connectivity options here include GPS, Bluetooth v5.00, USB Type-C, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, 3G, and 4G.
If you are keen on the sensors and features on the phone, you might be glad to know that Xiaomi has got you well covered. Sensors include an ambient light sensor, barometer, accelero-meter, compass/ magnetometer, proximity sensor, temperature sensor, gyroscope, and fingerprint sensor. The phone allows users to use traditional ways of unlocking, such as PIN or Pattern. You could also set up face unlock.
With regards to its battery life, the phone relies on a 4,050mAh battery with 40W wired fast charging. This battery capacity should perhaps be enough if you don’t plan on having your wrapped-around screen on always.
Camera
The Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha, of course, features the stunning 108-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.69 aperture and 0.8-micron pixel size. The secondary one features a 12-megapixel camera with an f/2 aperture and 1.4-micron pixel size. The third one is a 20-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture and 1.0-micron pixel size. The camera setup has auto-focus and other features.
As you may know, Samsung developed the 108-megapixel camera sensor featuring here in partnership with Xiaomi. The pixels are combined into 2×2 squares for better light sensitivity in dark surroundings or low light. By doing this, it would be able to produce 27-megapixel images. Although the 1/1.33-inch sensor is quite large for the phone and provides the phone with a high light-gathering capability. You will not require a specific selfie camera either as all you need to do is to flip around your phone and use the viewfinder for the 108-megapixel shooter.
Maybe Xiaomi wanted to design something new for the launch of its first phone having a 108-megapixel camera sensor. Xiaomi says that the rear screen could be used as a viewfinder and take gorgeous selfies with the main 108-megapixel sensor. You wouldn’t have to trouble yourself either. All you need to do would be to turn your phone around, and there you go! All in all, the phone has a new design and has some great features to impress us.
Verdict – Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha Review
While Xiaomi’s wrapped-around screen didn’t win many hearts, the idea behind it is not bad. This “concept smartphone” will not be mass manufactured. Instead, the company will initiate a small-scale production soon. The product will be released sometime in December. While there are concerns around the durability of the screen and its battery life, it has a ton of useful features as well.
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