When the first generation of the Mi Mix was launched, we can say that the Xiaomi it started a trend that was widely followed by the entire industry: end-to-end screens.
It is a path of no return; the proof of this was the launch of the Mi MIX 2 (in September 2017) and now the Mi MIX 2S. Yes, just six months later, the Asian manufacturer decided to upgrade its flagship, as reported by the The Verge.
Visually, at least on the front, nothing has changed (and the inclusion of an “S” in the name indicates just that); the phone is still made of aluminum and ceramic – although Xiaomi is not planning to produce a “special edition” made only of ceramic, as it has already done. The screen is a 5.9-inch Full HD panel (2160 × 1080 pixels) without cutouts, with very small side and top frames. The “chin” continues, as that is where the 5 megapixel front camera is located.
Internally, we have a new processor (Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845), 6GB or 8GB of RAM (depending on the configuration) and three different storage capacities (64GB, 128GB or 256GB); the battery continues with 3,400mAh and the same duration (although the processor offers more performance).
The new features also include wireless recharging capability (Qi standard) – with wired charging (USB-C), it is compatible with Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3 technology – and a new dual camera system at the rear, consisting of a 12-megapixel wide-angle with ƒ / 1.8 aperture and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with ƒ / 2.4 aperture. Yes, basically the same as the iPhone X camera, even for supporting Portrait Mode.
Xiaomi, however, stated that the wide-angle camera is the “best camera ever used” in a smartphone because it has autofocus dual-pixel, optical stabilization of four axes and pixels larger than those found in the sensor used in the Mi MIX 2. In addition to the new camera system, the Chinese manufacturer developed an artificial intelligence component for the camera software in order to improve features such as Mode Portrait and beautification functions.
The system itself is MIUI 9.5 (with many features similar to iOS, including gestures), built on top of Android 8.0 “Oreo”.
The Mi MIX 2S can be purchased in a black version with a golden finish or white with a silver finish for prices that range (in direct conversion) from R $ 1,750 (64GB and 6GB of RAM) to R $ 2,100 (256GB and 8GB of RAM). It will be available in China starting next week and is expected to expand to other markets shortly thereafter – the United States and Brazil, however, are outside the company’s plans.
