Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 2S – The Start of a Legacy

When Xiaomi first released its Mi Mix series, everyone could tell this was something to keep an eye on. And it didn’t disappoint, with the following Mi Mix 2 setting a high standard of quality for all Xiaomi products to live up to. If the Asian OEM wanted to one up themselves after that, it was going to take everything they had.

Of course then, it comes as no surprise that there was a lot of buzz going around during the Mi Mix 2S’ development. Now that it’s on the shelves, let’s take it apart and see if it lives up to its predecessors and hype.

Main Features of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S

• Android 8.0 Oreo operating system

• 4G LTE wireless network connection

• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

• 5.99 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors

• 1080 x 2160 pixel screen resolution (~403 ppi density)

• Octa-core processor (4×2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 385 Silver)

• 6GB / 8GB RAM

• 64GB / 128GB / 256GB internal storage

• No access to external storage

• Dual – 12MP + 12MP back / rear camera with LED flash

• 5MP front camera

• 3400 mAH, non-removable battery

External Features Overview

Bezel-less screens have been a standard of the Mi Mix series since its inception, so it’s only natural that this one maintain that tradition. In this iteration, the screen makes up 82% of the device’s front half, spanning a total of 5.99 inches. With the premium design, even the back half is embellished with a metal finish. This is exactly the level of quality that we’ve come to expect from this series.

The back also features a dual camera setup, with 12MP on each sensor. One is dedicated to image capturing, while the other, larger lense handles depth and detailing the image. This is no junky phone camera to say the least.

That’s not all the back has to offer though. It also comes equipped with a fingerprint scanner for an extra touch of security. Even the antenna bands are quite nicely arranged. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the back is just as impressively designed as the main screen.

While we’re on the subject, the enormous main screen is also accompanied by a camera. While only a 5MP sensor with minimal support and features, at least it can take videos in 1080p. Still, it might have been nice to see a few more gizmos attached, like an LED flash or facial recognition capabilities, just to feel a bit less like a glorified selfie feature.

Internal Features Overview

On a more technical level, we have the Android 8.0 Oreo controlling the main body of software systems. Everything else is handled by the combined efforts of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and the Adreno 630 GPU. Nothing but the best for this baby.

You’re also given the choice between internal RAM and memory configurations, ranging from 6GB / 64GB to 6GB / 128GB to 8GB / 256GB. Make sure to think hard about this selection, because this device does not support any type of external memory hardware. Whichever choice you make should still result in an excellent experience however, so it’s not the end of the world if you change your mind down the road.

Finishing the package, we have a dual SIM system, and the 3400 mAH, non-removable battery. You should be able to stay active on that for quite a while, but when the lights go dim, this device comes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 to brighten them up again in minutes.

Making a Purchase

While the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S is currently for sale, there has been no information on when it will become internationally available. There is also no indication of what the price will be when that happens, as there are many factors to be considered when shipping internationally. It is planned to be released in other countries though, so hopefully the details won’t take too long to be sorted out.

Other Products to Consider

If you can’t afford to wait for the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S to become available in your area, its predecessor, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, is still more than serviceable. In fact, it can still compete with a lot of today’s phones, so don’t be in too much of a hurry to switch.

On the other hand, if you don’t already have a Xiaomi phone, another great option is the Leagoo S8. It carries dual cameras on both the front and the back, so it might actually be a step ahead if picture taking is your thing, and a screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Conclusion and Further Details

For those of you who know how to interpret it, here’s a full list of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S’ technical specifications.

Network:

• 2G:

  • GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2

  • CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA

• 3G:

  • HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1800 / 1900 / 2100

  • CDMA2000 1xEV-DO

• 4G:

  • YLTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 17(700), 30(2300), 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500)

• SIM:

  • Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

• Status:

  • Launched March, 2018

  • Currently Available. Released April, 2018

Body:

• Dimensions:

  • 150.9 x 74.9 x 8.1 mm

  • Weight: 191 g

• Keyboard:

  • Touchscreen

• Colors:

  • Black

  • White

• Cover:

  • Metal

Display:

• Type:

  • IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors

  • 18:9 aspect ratio

• Size:

  • 5.99”, 1080 x 2169 pixels (~403 ppl density)

Memory and OS:

• OS:

  • Android 8.0 Nougat

• Processors:

  • Octa-core (4×2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 385 Silver)

  • Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845

  • Adreno 630 GPU

• Internal:

  • 64GB / 128GB / 256GB

• Card Slot:

  • None

• RAM:

  • 6GB / 8GB

Audio:

• Alert types:

  • Vibration

  • MP3

  • WAV ringtones

• Loudspeaker:

  • Yes

• Audio port:

  • No

Connectivity:

• 2G:

  • N/A

• 3G:

  • N/A

• 4G:

  • Yes

• Wi-Fi:

  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

  • Dual-band

  • Wi-Fi Direct

  • Hotspot

• Bluetooth:

  • Version 5.0, A2DP, LE

• GPS:

  • A-GPS

  • GLONASS

  • BDS

• NFC:

  • Yes

• USB

  • 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector

Camera:

• Primary:

  • Dual: 12MP (f/1.8, 1/2.55”, 1.4 µm) + 12MP (f/2.4, 1/2.9”, 1.0 µm)

  • 2x optical zoom

  • Dual pixel phase detection autofocus

  • 4-axis OIS

  • Dual-LED dual-tone flash

  • Features geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, and panorama

• Video:

  • 2160p@30fps

  • 1080p@30fps

  • 720p@30fps

• Secondary:

  • 5MP Camera

Battery:

• Capacity:

  • Non-removable Li-Ion 3400 mAH

• Stand-by:

  • N/A

• Talk time:

  • N/A

Other features:

• Sensors:

  • Fingerprint (rear-mounted)

  • Accelerometer

  • Gyro

  • Proximity

  • Compass

• Messaging:

  • SMS(threaded view)

  • MMS

  • Email

  • Push Email

  • IM

• Browser

  • HTML5

• Java:

  • N/A

• Miscellaneous:

  • Fast battery charging 9V/2A (Quick Charge 3.0)

  • Qi wireless charging

  • XviD/MP4/H.265 player

  • MP3/WAV/eAAC+/Flac player

  • Photo/video editor

  • Document viewer

And that’s everything there is to know about the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S at the moment. It’s a bright new entry in an already exemplary series; one that we’re looking forward to great things from in the future. Until then, it’s been a pleasure and I hope you’ve been well informed.