I have never been so excited over a smartphone launch since the era of Steve Jobs. Today, I think Lei Jun, CEO and co-founder of Xiaomi in China, can take the role of making the world excited again with the launch of bezel-less concept phone Mi MIX today.
Xiaomi introduces 3 products. They are –
- The flagship phone, Xiaomi Mi Note 2
- The concept phone, Xiaomi Mi MIX
- The first VR headset with an inertial motion controller, Xiaomi Mi VR
Lets take a look at each one.
Mi Note 2
If you are looking for a phone with extremely good specs and look, check out the Mi Note 2 that has an amazing 22.56 MPX rear camera and as it is already the 2nd generation Mi Note, you know that it will only get better. With its dual curve edges, I can only think of Samsung phones. With its balanced aluminium body, I can think of the recent Apple iPhone 7. What do you think?
Here are the features: –
- Two-sided dual 3D curved glass
- 5.7-inch full-HD OLED display, 110% NTSC colour gamut, 100,000:1 contrast ratio
- Up to 6GB LPDDR4 RAM; up to 128GB UFS 2.0 storage
- 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
- High-capacity 4070mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0
- 22.56MP rear camera, 4K video recording with electronic image stabilization
- Mi Note 2 Global supports 37 bands for global roaming, including 22 LTE bands
- High-precision GPS with sensor-assisted positioning
- Full NFC functionality: Read, write, card emulation, P2P
Click Here to Check Out Mi Note 2
Mi MIX
This might be the game changer and the future of handphones. It is no wonder Xiaomi wants to announce Mi MIX as the concept phone. Designed by the world-renowned designer Philippe Starck, there is no phone, at the moment, that can match it (in terms of specs, look and availability). Of course, many people might disagree as they have seen the SHARP AQUOS Crystal and recently, the concept of SHARP, the SHARP Corner R with rounded display.
However, you have to agree with me that the AQUOS Crystal has been around for 2 years and no news in the International market, and the Corner R, although is nice, is still a concept that you cannot buy yet.
Mi MIX, although announced as a concept phone, is available to the market. In fact, you can get it in China from the 4th November. As it is bezel-less with 91.3% of the space for the display screen, the challenge is to make full use of the space available. They have reduced the 5 MPX front facing camera to 50% of its size and uses piezoelectric ceramic technology to replace the traditional earpiece and sensors. Here is a video of engineers talking about the breakthrough with Mi MIX (in Chinese).
And here are the features of the phone: –
- 6.4-inch display with edgeless design, ultra-high 91.3% screen-to-body ratio
- Full ceramic body: Back cover, frame, and buttons
- Custom 17:9 display, 16:9 viewing area even with soft keys
- Up to 6GB LPDDR4 RAM; up to 256GB UFS 2.0 storage
- 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
- High-capacity 4400mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0
- 16MP PDAF rear camera, 5MP front camera
- High-precision GPS with sensor-assisted positioning
- Full NFC functionality: Read, write, card emulation, P2P
Having said that, there are many uncertainties in the phone. They are using technologies that have never been tested by the mass market. And is bezel-less screen a better way to operate the phone? My personal experience with AQUOS Crystal is not a pleasant one. The screen was unintentionally activated when I grab the phone by the size. Will Mi MIX suffer the same fate?
Mi MIX (and Mi Note 2) doesn’t have waterproof feature, or wireless charging feature which I hope can be incorporated in future edition. However, I am hyper interested to take a good look at this phone. Looking forward to seeing it soon in real life.
Click Here to Check Out Mi MIX
Availability of the Mi Note 2 and Mi MIX
Mi Note 2 will be available in two colors — Piano Black and Glacier Silver — from RMB 2799 starting 1 November. Mi MIX will be available from RMB 3499 starting 4 November in China. No mention of International market although Xiaomi has already made International version of the Mi Note 2 (Not sure about Mi MIX).
Mi VR
This is Mi VR, Xiaomi’s first VR headset. The Mi VR will retail for RMB 199. It features a dedicated motion sensor and system-level optimizations for 16ms ultra-low latency, which significantly minimizes motion sickness in virtual reality. Mi VR also ships with a 9-axis inertial motion controller with touch controls, which supports a full range of motion, as mentioned in the Press Release.
Click Here to Check Out Mi VR
Press Release
Xiaomi launches Mi Note 2 and concept phone Mi MIX
New smartphones showcase Xiaomi’s design flair and innovative display technologies — flexible OLED and edgeless design
BEIJING, 25 October 2016 — Leading technology company Xiaomi announced its new flagship Mi Note 2 and the revolutionary concept phone Mi MIX today, showcasing its design capabilities in two gorgeous smartphones that also feature cutting-edge display technologies. Xiaomi also announced its first virtual reality headset with an inertial motion controller — Mi VR.
Mi Note 2 is the company’s latest flagship with two-sided dual curves, a beautiful successor to its widely-lauded Mi Note. Xiaomi has been pushing the boundaries of innovation over and over again by featuring breakthrough technologies in its series of smartphones. Mi Note, announced in 2015, was one of the first smartphones in the industry to make use of 3D glass on the back. Mi Note 2 takes that to the next level with the use of 3D glass on both the front and back.
At the same time, Xiaomi unveiled Mi MIX, a breathtaking work of art that surpasses existing innovations in the smartphone industry, jointly developed with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck. Mi MIX is a concept phone with a never-seen-before edgeless design, resulting in a stunning custom 17:9 display with a 91.3% screen-to-body ratio, the highest on any smartphone in the world.
Lei Jun, CEO and co-founder of Xiaomi, said: “Xiaomi is in a position to explore the frontiers of innovation and deliver even more amazing features to our users. We are truly excited at the limitless possibilities that technology presents to us. Mi Note 2 takes our flagship lineup to the next level, and Mi MIX is a glimpse at what the phone of the future looks like.”
Mi Note 2 will be available in two colors — Piano Black and Glacier Silver — from RMB 2799 starting 1 November. Mi MIX will be available from RMB 3499 starting 4 November in China.
During the event today, Lei Jun also announced Mi VR for RMB 199. Mi VR features a dedicated motion sensor and system-level optimizations for 16ms ultra-low latency, which significantly minimizes motion sickness in virtual reality. Mi VR also ships with a 9-axis inertial motion controller with touch controls, which supports a full range of motion.
Mi Note 2: Curved to impress
In addition to inheriting Mi Note’s original 3D curved glass back, Mi Note 2 uses an innovative flexible OLED display that also allows it to have a 3D curved glass panel on the front. An aluminum frame connects the front and back curved glass seamlessly for a beautiful aesthetic and a wider field of vision.
With a screen-to-body ratio of 77.2%, videos and images look stunning on the immersive 5.7-inch full-HD display of Mi Note, which has a 110% NTSC colour gamut and a high contrast ratio of 100,000:1.
The main camera on Mi Note 2 uses the 22.56-megapixel Sony IMX318 sensor for high-resolution images with stunning clarity with an f/2.0 aperture and a 77-degree wide angle lens. It also supports 4K video recording with electronic image stabilization for the highest quality movies.
Mi Note 2 is powered by the latest 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, offering up to 10% higher speed over the already blazing-fast Snapdragon 820. Mi Note 2 also comes with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, as well as a dedicated audio processor for HD audio quality.
With GPS high precision sensor-assisted positioning (SAP), location services are more accurate and reliable on Mi Note 2. Even when going through a tunnel without a good GPS signal, SAP continues to provide navigation and helps to keep users on track. Despite its ultra thin profile, Mi Note 2 is equipped with a massive 4070mAh battery, with support for Quick Charge 3.0. Mi Note 2 also supports NFC with full read/write functionality for functions such as mobile payment and recharging transport cards.
Specially made for the jetsetting lifestyle, Xiaomi also announced a global version of Mi Note 2 with 37 global network bands, including 22 LTE bands. This means that users will never have to worry about getting a 4G connection wherever they go, including the United States.
Key specs of Mi Note 2:
- Two-sided dual 3D curved glass
- 5.7-inch full-HD OLED display, 110% NTSC colour gamut, 100,000:1 contrast ratio
- Up to 6GB LPDDR4 RAM; up to 128GB UFS 2.0 storage
- 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
- High-capacity 4070mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0
- 22.56MP rear camera, 4K video recording with electronic image stabilization
- Mi Note 2 Global supports 37 bands for global roaming, including 22 LTE bands
- High-precision GPS with sensor-assisted positioning
- Full NFC functionality: Read, write, card emulation, P2P
Mi Note 2 will be available in China starting November 1 from Mi.com and Mi Home stores, starting at RMB 2799 for the 4GB+64GB version. The 6GB+128GB version and 6GB+128GB Global version will retail at RMB 3299 and RMB 3499 respectively.
Mi MIX: Concept phone with revolutionary edgeless design
Xiaomi has explored the frontiers of innovation to create an edgeless design on Mi MIX, putting a new spin on the typical smartphone form factor to create a beautiful work of art with incredible craftsmanship.
With a 6.4-inch screen, Mi MIX has an ultra-high 91.3% screen-to-body ratio made possible because of new innovations that do away with the physical earpiece speaker and proximity sensor on Mi MIX. With the use of piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology, in which a ceramic drive unit converts electrical signals into mechanical energy, Mi MIX is able to let users listen to calls even without an earpiece speaker. An ultrasonic proximity sensor is built into Mi MIX and sits behind the display, replacing the traditional front-facing infrared proximity sensor.
Other innovations that make the 91.3% screen-to-body ratio possible include a front camera module that is 50% smaller than typical front camera sensors, located at the bottom right corner of the phone. Mi MIX also features a display with rounded edges at the corners of the screen and a custom 17:9 aspect ratio that maximizes screen space for a better content viewing experience.
With a full ceramic body — including the back and sides, as well as the buttons — Mi MIX features a minimalist design that has been jointly developed with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck.
Equipped with a Snapdragon 821 processor (up to 2.35GHz), Mi MIX is as powerful as it is beautiful. It also has a 4400mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0.
Mi MIX comes in two configurations: a 4GB + 128GB standard version which retails for RMB 3499 and a special limited edition RMB 3999 version — Mi MIX 18K — featuring 6GB of RAM, 256GB of UFS2.0 storage, as well as 18-karat gold rims around the rear camera and fingerprint sensor.
Key specs of Mi MIX:
- 6.4-inch display with edgeless design, ultra-high 91.3% screen-to-body ratio
- Full ceramic body: Back cover, frame, and buttons
- Custom 17:9 display, 16:9 viewing area even with soft keys
- Up to 6GB LPDDR4 RAM; up to 256GB UFS 2.0 storage
- 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
- High-capacity 4400mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0
- 16MP PDAF rear camera, 5MP front camera
- High-precision GPS with sensor-assisted positioning
- Full NFC functionality: Read, write, card emulation, P2P
About Xiaomi
Xiaomi was founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneur Lei Jun based on the vision “innovation for everyone”. We believe that high-quality products built with cutting-edge technology should be made accessible to everyone. We create remarkable hardware, software, and Internet services for and with the help of our Mi fans. We incorporate their feedback into our product range, which currently includes Mi and Redmi smartphones, Mi TVs and set-top boxes, Mi routers, and Mi Ecosystem products including smart home products, wearables and other accessories. With more than 70 million handsets sold in 2015, Xiaomi is expanding its footprint across the world to
become a global brand.
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