Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Review: less show and more substance
It is difficult to know how to improve something that has been a guideline for different smartphones. With the advent of the first Mi Mix, the Chinese company has amazed a whole generation of technological fans by putting an end to a flat era in which smartphones had to offer only at the hardware level. With the second generation Xiaomi has been able to perfect its concept phone but is the Mi Mix 2S the undisputed king in the top-of-the-range category and that today we have the pleasure to review for all of you.
Doing old things in a new way: this is innovation "
(Joseph Alois Schumpeter)
Already from the packaging we have the feeling of having a premium object in our handsIn fact, in front of us there is a sort of black colored box with the MIX inscription placed in the middle of the lid, under which we find a card with Chinese writing related to the thanks for choosing Mi Mix 2S. Raising it we find in all its glory the smartphone, on the left, housed in a "cradle" in plastic while on the right we find the USB Type-C charging and data transfer cable and charger with Chinese plug (for which you will need to have an adapter for euopee plugs) with 5 / 9 / 12V output - 3 / 2 / 1.5 A. Under the smartphone, enclosed in a cardboard box, we find the warranty sheet, the user manual in Chinese, a convenient protective cover made of rigid plastic which will also help to eliminate the difference in height between the photographic module and the body, and finally theType-C adapter for 3,5 mm jack and the pin for removing the SIM cart.
And we do not talk about innovation in terms of design, as the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s almost all of the elegant appearance of the previous generation resumed, confirming in my opinion one of the most beautiful smartphones in the tech scene. On the other hand, we do not repent particular differences, and in a certain sense we do not feel the need for it as a protagonist we find a display from 5,99 inches that at the top of the very thin frame houses the capsule and the proximity sensor, while in the lower one decidedly more marked we find the selfie camera relegated in the right corner, a Monochromatic white notification LED placed centrally and finally the brightness sensor which unfortunately is lazy in the gearbox.
Absent the IR transmitter and the 3,5 mm jack, which however is replaced by a Type-C adapter supplied in pack that will allow us to take advantage of our wired earphones. As you may have guessed, we have a USB Type-C input for charging with OTG function and support for fast charging, which is central to the lower profile of the 2S Mi Mix where we also find the main microphone and the system speaker that will work in symbiosis with the headset capsule providing a stereo sound. Power button, volume rocker and SIM card carrier (two nano-size SIM cards without memory expansion) are traditionally placed on the sides of the smartphone while on the upper side there is only the second microphone.
Il perimeter in matt aluminum combined with a back cover completely made of ceramic transmits the love that Xiaomi puts into the realization of their devices, making the Mi Mix 2S a show for the eyes and the touch, even if the black color is really a magnet for the footprints. It almost becomes a pity to cover it with the supplied cover, but this becomes almost an obligation also due to the extreme slipperiness of the terminal (150,86 x 74,9 x 8,1 mm and weight of 189 grams). To complete the back design distinguished by the horizontal writing in gold we find the fingerprint sensor also covered with ceramic material and that results fast and reliable on every occasion, and that offers ad hoc functions such as photo shooting or access protection for certain apps. But the real news is the adoption of a double vertical photographic module, many criticized as an aspect, but in reality it does not make up for anything with the general elegance of the device.
And the news continues under the body of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, which now also offers the Qi wireless charging function up to 7.5 W according to the Quick Charge 3.0 Quick Charge standard, but pay attention to how you place it on the base because if you do not center it correctly he does not recharge. But the strong point is given by the hardware as the processor that animates the smartphone is the powerful Qualcomm Snapadragon 845 octacore with Kryo 385 structure, 10nm production process and frequency of clock to 2,8 GHz that in combined with the GPU Adreno 630 to 710 MHz, to 8 GB of RAM LPPDRR4x and 256 GB of internal storage of type UFS 2.1, It literally makes the 2S Mi Mix fly. Needless to say, in daily operations you will not have any problems but also in situations of high stress the technological little "monster" can assert himself with his head held high.
XIAOMI MI MIX 2S BENCHMARK
And so we could enjoy games, videos and much more on the beautiful display by 5,99 inch IPS type with Full HD resolution + (2160 x 1080, 403 PPI, 1500: 1 contrast ratio) in 18 format: 9 which offers bright colors, natural and very deep black even at strong angles. Good visibility under the sunlight and excellent multimedia experience offered by the panel that suffers only for the poor oleophobic treatment of the fourth generation Corning Gorilla Glass. Among the functions offered, there is the possibility of adjusting the color temperature by varying the pitch on a DCI-P3 scale, the possibility of activating the reading mode but also supporting HDR content. Although the panel is the same adopted by the previous generation Xiaomi on the Mi Mix 2S has managed to solve the problem related to the display with polarized glasses.
But before going on to the last big news of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S I want to spend a few words on the software because the Global Stable ROM is not yet available (at the time of writing) and therefore we have chosen to test the smartphone with the release provided by xiaomi.eu based on MIUI 9.6 and security patches updated in March 2018. It should therefore be reported that the software is only intended to improve, in fact at the moment the Unlock Face has not yet been implemented, instead present in the ROM China, but at least we have all perfectly functioning Google services and default Italian. However we have all the features offered by MIUI and a snappy and lag-free interface and if we want to use all the diagonal of the display also we find the gesture.
Also at the level of connectivity nothing seems to be missing, apart from the FM radio, but for the rest we find theNFC, a great GPS (Galileo / GLONASS / Beidou / AGPS) really quick, Bluetooth 5.0 (AAC / aptX / aptX-HD audio decoding support) e WiFi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac dual band (2.4 / 5 GHz) 2 × 2 MIMO with MU-MIMO support with signal coupling even in places with difficult coverage. But to this is added the possibility of exploiting the 4G connection on both slots simultaneously and thanks to the support of well 43 global bands, including the notorious 20 band, the reception is guaranteed with all the operators as well as the audio in call decidedly at the top levels as the one provided by the speaker, which elaborates all the sound frequencies in a decisive and powerful way while the ear capsule deals with emphasizing the medium and high.
And here's the news that has made so much talk, or the dual camera with stabilized dual pixel focusing system, but above all the adoption of artificial intelligence technology that really promises great things. I stress again that the ROM system is still in the first releases and therefore everything can only improve. At any rate the adoption of artificial intelligence integrated into the software makes it possible to automatically recognize the photographic scene to better set the shooting parameters (up to 206 scene types with 25 subject types such as food, animals, buildings etc ..), even in low light conditions, although in this case the final result is not the best but definitely noticeable compared to other top of the range as One Plus 5T.
PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPARISON BETWEEN XIAOMI MI MIX 2 AND MI MIX 2S
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- Sample Mi Mix 2
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- Sample Mi Mix 2S
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- Sample Mi Mix 2
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- Sample Mi Mix 2S
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- Sample Mi Mix 2
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- Sample Mi Mix 2S
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- Sample Mi Mix 2
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- Sample Mi Mix 2S
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- Sample Mi Mix 2
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- Sample Mi Mix 2S
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- Sample Mi Mix 2
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- Sample Mi Mix 2S
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- Sample Mi Mix 2
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- Sample Mi Mix 2S
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- Sample Mi Mix 2
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- Sample Mi Mix 2S
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- Sample Mi Mix 2
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- Sample Mi Mix 2S
In good light conditions, however, the photos are really good, as is thea portrait effect that perfectly captures the framed subject. And videos that can be shot with resolution up to 4K is 30 fps and that can be equipped with the h.265 codec, in order to perform PC editing in a professional way. Unfortunately the recorded audio is of poor quality jarring with how much the 2S Mi Mix manages to give away. A surprise is also there slow motion offered by the photographic industry: 240 fps in Full HD, it seems that time has stopped. In particular, we are talking about a double module consisting of a 12 megapixel wide-angle lens, sensor Sony IMX 363 equipped with optical image stabilization to 4 axis and aperture f/ 1.8, and in support of this we have a telephoto lens from 12 megapixel, sensor Samsung S5K3M3 + and opening f/ 2.4. As you could see in the videos stabilization really does wonders and focusing is super fast and effective. On the front camera, 5 megapixel optic, sensor OmniVision OV5675, there is not much to say except that it guarantees a very good bokeh effect, but at a qualitative level Xiaomi has not invested much, and partly is justified by the fact that the position of this selfie camera is definitely unhappy, as it will force you every time to turn the smartphone upside down to take a selfie worthy of note.
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- Normal panorama mode
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- AI cloudy landscape mode
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- No HDR
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- HDR
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- 3 active beauty mode portrait
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- Portrait mode belezza deactivates
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- Macro
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- Selfie low light
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- Classic selfie
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- Slefie portrait mode
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- Natural bokeh
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- Rear camera portrait mode
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- Macro
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- 0 Zoom
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- Optical 2X zoom
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- Side effect (with handicap)
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- AI Buildings mode
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- Normal shot
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- 0 Zoom
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- Optical 2X zoom
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- Rear camera portrait mode
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- Point and shoot
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- AI low light animal mode
As I have already anticipated xiaomi.eu is not yet definitive and therefore the Unlock Face is absent in the China Stabile ROM. Before proceeding with the flash I have performed anyway tests on this function by virtue of the position of the selfie camera, and without having to turn the smartphone upside down the unlocking has happened quickly even in low light areas; so good hopes awaiting the release of the Global Stable. Finally the battery from 3400 mAh allows you to get up to the evening without any particular problems even if I would have expected something more, given the good hardware, but this is also an aspect intended to improve with future software releases. Anyway, nothing serious since Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S in about 1 hour and a half will be fully charged.
Conclusions
Considering that the new Mi Mix 2S is proposed on the market with a price of about half compared to rivals, however, offering the best hardware in circulation embedded in a precious body totally made of ceramic, I would say that this is enough to say that the top of the range of the Chinese company once again proves to be the king of smartphones. And I do not exaggerate in saying that the technological jewel is really beautiful, exaggeratedly convincing in every area that has been analyzed. Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S currently only suffers from software support, though the Global Stable ROM is coming soon and who knows that the company does not reserve us the surprise of already integrating Android P. Apart from this Mi 2S Mix can only improve, in performances, in photographic performance, in price, in short, it is useless to say that the purchase of this smartphone is certainly an investment not to be missed and that you can make at the store HonorBuy, which will ship to your home directly from Italy providing assistance and Italian warranty.
Beautiful review.
For now, I have a small question.
Considering the exceptional qualitative leap in photographic quality, the processor upgrade and the addition of wireless charging… is this 50% more expensive today than the predecessor? (~ 300 € vs ~ 450 €)?
Hi Roberto considering that the price is destined to drop while the terminal can only improve, the spending gap is worth it all. Of course I do not recommend it to those who already own the Mi Mix 2 but for those who want a top of the range made in Xiaomi, well this is the one for them. And then let's see it like this, Mi Mix 2S as Mi Mix 2 and Mi Mix is a work of art, there are those who spend billions on Picasso paintings !!!
For version 6/64 the difference is about 170 (399 the Mix 2 from Amazon VS 569 from Honorbuy). However, the question of money is always subjective… everyone gives it their own value.
The photographic upgrade is there and it is quite full-bodied and honestly on the Mix 2 it felt the need. Not that he took bad pictures but with the 2S we are officially talking about top of the range results!