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When Xiaomi released Mi Mix on the market last year everyone really shouted at the miracle: then it was an absolutely futuristic smartphone, which in a few months would have completely marked the market. After Xiaomi, in fact, many other manufacturers have chosen the path of borderless, such as LG, Samsung and, even Apple, which is preparing to launch iPhone X. With Mi Mix 2 Xiaomi decides to take a few steps back in pioneering terms, but the result it's an almost perfect terminal. Is this the anti iPhone X?
Aesthetically perfect!
From an aesthetic point of view there is it is just a consideration to make: Mi Mix 2 is one of the most beautiful terminals currently available within the entire panorama. The ceramic back makes the smartphone a work of art, while the front almost entirely occupied by the screen packs a device that leaves you speechless. Regardless of the much-talked-about wow effect, and the comparisons with the first Mi Mix, this new device is absolutely not afraid of comparisons with any device of other competitors. It does not look bad in front of a Note 8, nor (at least judging from the first hands on and official images) does it fear comparisons with the iPhone X. Holding this Mi Mix 2 in your hand returns an absolutely positive feeling, of a solid smartphone (despite the fragility of the ceramic), well assembled and with absolutely premium finishes.
On the right side there is space for on / off button and volume rocker , while on the lower part, alongside the system speaker, a USB-C input, complete with support for QuickCharge 3.0. The 3.5mm jack is absent, although in the package you will find a USB-Jack headphone adapter, which also returns this possibility to the terminal. The frame surrounding the rear ceramic is made of aluminum, giving the device a few more chances to survive a possible fall. It is useless to emphasize the presence of the frames (really very small!): Overall, while respecting the tastes of each one, it is important to reiterate that the Mi Mix 2 presents itself as one of the most beautiful devices available today on the entire scene.
Technical characteristics
Ad perfect aesthetics, as underlined a little above, however, correspond to some technical compromises. While it is true that the front camera positioned at the bottom requires the user to turn the terminal for perfect selfies, it is equally true that this element does not bother too much. What actually could give some problems (to tell the truth in daily use it did not cause us problems) is the positioning of the brightness sensor. This is located on the lower part of the terminal, often occupied by the hands of the users. This could inadvertently cover the sensor, thereby automatically reducing the brightness of the display, even in very light environments. Also, it may not turn off the screen properly during a conversation. If on paper it is necessary to report these points, in everyday use we have not had the opportunity to see actual problems.
As for the other technical characteristics, the card of this Mi Mix 2 offers everything that is expected from a top of the range. Snapdragon 835 processor (Octa-core (4 × 2.45 GHz Kryo & 4 × 1.9 GHz Kryo), with IPS LCD technology, 5.99 inch screen with FullHS Plus resolution, therefore 1080 x 2160 pixels, in 18: 9 ratio, with 403 ppi, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Again, to power the terminal an Adreno 540 GPU, 6 GB of RAM (which become 8 in the top version) with memory cuts of 64, 128 or 256 GB.
Mi Mix 2 will also take a step back from the first model in terms of design, but one hundred ahead of usability. For example, the ear capsule, now present on the top edge, makes conversations more than pleasant, with the voice of the your interlocutor ringing and clear. The volume in the capsule is excellent, as well as the speakerphone. The audio side is also excellent, which uses a speaker on the bottom, together with the ear capsule (which acts as a speaker), to achieve a sort of effect stereo. On the whole, the audio of this Mi Mix 2 is excellent, both for conversations, for games or for multimedia use.
It goes without saying that with these features Mi Mix 2 is absolutely lightning in everyday use. Those who still talk about lag in the Android world will certainly not have tried the terminal subject of this review. The UI is absolutely fluid, with a MIUI that always turns out to be a feast for the eyes, with many customizations, but which offers responsiveness, speed and reliability. Xiaomi not only with Mi Mix 2 has the hardware to deal with iPhone X, but also has a well-finished software from all points of view.
Small gem, absolutely not to be underestimated, which places this Mi Mix 2 above many other top of the range are the temperatures: the terminal does not heat up, even when it is particularly stressed , even when running games that require a lot of computing power.
About ROM
It has been said that MIUI is a Xiaomi proprietary graphic interface, elegant, reliable and fast. Obviously this is a system optimized for the Chinese market, but thanks to one of the largest communities in the Android world, it is also absolutely valid for our market. There is to be done, but be careful: at the moment Mi Mix 2 arrives home with a Chinese firmware version (containing the English language). This means that taking it out of the package, you will end up with a hardly usable terminal, without even Google applications installed. No fear.
Installing the GApps, without invasive interventions is very easy: just open the Xiaomi App Store and search for Google Installer. In this way the terminal will continue to be only in English, but you will have access to the Play Store, being able to download all the Google applications. To enjoy push notifications to the fullest, you will have to block apps from multitasking, eliminating any battery optimization. In short, Mi Mix 2 is not a ready-to-use terminal, but you will have to lose a few hours in the initial configuration. Having overcome this small obstacle, you will enjoy an absolutely competitive terminal also on our market.
Note that Mi Mix 2 enjoys all possible and imaginable bands, therefore fully functional also in our country and with all our operators, complete with 4G support. From this point of view, Xiaomi has understood that it has to sell perfectly functioning terminals in any part of the globe. It is still necessary to import them from Chinese e-commerce sites, but on a technical level it is a smartphone that is also ready for use in Italy.
Moreover, it is already available from Xiaomi.eu, the ROM containing the Italian language, based on MIUI 9, which makes the terminal even more usable in our country. It is a beta, but during our tests we found only one single flaw: Google Voice, while working perfectly, does not return voice feedback in many cases. This means, for example, that if you ask for info on the time or the result of a match, the visual result will appear on the screen, but Google will not provide any voice response.
Photographic department
Mi Mix 2 offers only one camera on the back, and therefore lower than many other top of the range. Nothing could be more wrong. It's true, Mix 2 is not at the level of a Note 8, of the iPhone 8 Plus, but it takes really great photos, even with only one sensor. After testing the latest Honor and Huawei with dual cameras, Portrait mode is missing, but overall great photos come out. The colors are absolutely natural, many details that can be captured. Even the Dual Tone Flash does an excellent job, not particularly invasive, it does not dazzle the subject in the foreground, but it allows you to capture images with certainly sufficient detail. For those who love numbers, the Mi Mix 2 multimedia card reads like this:
Shot in the dark
In spite of the 5 MP, selfies are really good, also thanks to the software optimizations and corrections with beauty modes. The positioning of the camera, certainly strange and completely inverted compared to all the other smartphones on the market, does not offer any problems: just turn the terminal to find an absolutely optimized UI.
Selfie Time!
The videos, unfortunately, do not satisfy: the quality is excellent, as well as excellent are the colors and details captured. Unfortunately, in the frame changes the image is not absolutely fluid, with some perceptible micro shots. If you keep the smartphone still, however, the image is sharp and crystal clear. Unfortunately, insufficient audio recorded during all videos, which has a subdued quality.
Autonomy
Excellent, without reservations. We initially tested it with the stable version of the Chinese ROM. Thanks to the numerous optimizations that block the push of many apps (you can manually choose which apps to keep always active and with push notifications), the battery lasts over a day of use. Not 12 hours, but a whole day. In short, even with absolutely intense use you will not be able to run short before the evening.
By installing the ROM in beta in Italian, with all Google services active, the fear was to lose much of the autonomy. This was not the case, and the differences from the Chinese version are not even noticeable. The excellent autonomy brought by the 3400 mAh battery present in the terminal remains unchanged. To be commended, also in consideration of the fact that the display is 5.99 inches.
Before summing up a photographic comparison with iPhone 8 Plus, terminal with 5.5-inch screen, whose measures exceed, however, those of Mi Mix 2.
Conclusions
The version with 64 GB and 6 GB of RAM costs less than 470 euros. At this price you will have in your hand one of the most beautiful and performing terminals available on the market, which certainly will not pale in front of a Note 8 and, in the future, in front of an iPhone X. Attention, however, taking it out of the box is not just ready to use and will require some small setups, such as installing the Google apps and configuring to correctly receive push notifications. The more experienced, then, will be asked to install the Italian ROM, transforming the terminal into a must buy.
On GearBst it costs about 470 euros, you can buy directly from here. The pre-installed ROM is NOT customized in any way by the seller.
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