Today in China Xiaomi has confirmed the Mi Mix 3 with a unique sliding-screen mechanism that puts a world of functionality just a push away. We outline the Mi Mix 3 features, specification, price and how you can buy it in the UK.
The Mi Mix 3 has been officially confirmed by Xiaomi today during a launch event in Beijing, China. A gorgeous Phillipe Starck-designed powerhouse, it has a truly bezel-less design with a 93.4% screen-to-body ratio and a unique magnetic sliding screen that conceals a 24Mp + 2Mp selfie camera.
Announced on 25 October 2018, the ceramic-bodied Mi Mix 3 will go on sale in China in Onyx Black, Jade Green and Sapphire Blue in three configurations:
There is also a Palace Museum edition, which comes with 10GB RAM and 256GB storage. This version costs ¥4999, which translates to £557.21 or $719.58.
The 5G Mi Mix 3 is estimated to launch in Q1 2019.
We’re still waiting for the Xiaomi UK launch ( rumoured to be imminent), but in the meantime you can import Mi Mix 3 through the likes of GearBest. We’ll update this section as soon as a product listing has been published on the site.
Also see: Best Xiaomi phones
In its predecessor we saw a greatly reduced chin, and in Mi Mix 3 Xiaomi has taken things even further: it’s scraped another 4.46mm off the bezels, allowing it to fit an even larger screen at 6.39in.
As anticipated this is a Full-HD+ OLED panel with a resolution of 2340×1080 pixels, adopting a tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio. This means that while the screen is larger, the device itself is narrower, and more comfortable to hold in one hand.
The usual Xiaomi tech is here, with Sunlight display, Reading mode and an always-on display. The company says the Mi Mix 3 continuously adjusts the colour temperature, and occupies 103.8% of the NTSC colour gamut. It also boasts a 60,000:1 contrast ratio and 600 nits brightness.
The sliding-screen mechanism is controlled by neodymium magnets with a life expectancy of 300,000 cycles. It drives a new way of interacting with Mi Mix 3: you just slide to start. Sliding down the screen in this way allows you to answer a call, access the 24Mp + 2Mp selfie cameras, and access shortcuts to any app via the new shortcuts drawer.
The Mi Mix 3 can make one of five preset sounds as you slide down the screen: Hi-tech, Warrior, Mechanics, Intellect and Lighter.
As in Mi Mix 2S this new-generation model features a 12Mp + 12Mp dual-lens camera at the rear, which achieves a DxO Mark score of 103 points where the 2S managed only 97. This is the same camera as used previously, but with some software tweaks and an improved algorithm that should — and, at least according to DxO Mark, does — result in better photos. This score is higher than that of the Mi 8 too, which achieved 99 points.
The setup comprises one Sony IMX363 wide-angle lens with f/1.8 aperture, 1.4um large pixels and Dual Pixel Autofocus, and one Samsung S5K3M3+ telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture and 1.0um pixels. The combo boasts optical zoom and four-axis OIS, and is capable of 960fps slow-motion video.
It’s an AI camera, which means it can intelligently select the correct preset scene for your photo, without you having to give it too much thought. It can also use the second lens for Portrait mode in which it achieves bokeh-effect background blurring.
It’s all new at the front, however, with the Mi Mix 3 replacing Mi Mix 2S’ single 5Mp selfie camera with a dual-lens model that has one 24Mp Sony IMX576 lens and can take advantage of super-sized 1.8um pixels at night for improved low-light photography, and a second 2Mp DOF camera that can enable Portrait mode. There’s also a high-CRI selfie light at the front, and you can take advantage of the AI features here, too.
Here are some example photos shot on Mi Mix 3:
The Mi Mix 3 has the Snapdragon 845 inside, plus 6GB, 8GB or 10GB of RAM, with this maximum configuration available only in the Palace Museum edition. There’s also 128GB or 256GB internal storage.
While recent Xiaomi phones have not included the feature, the Mi Mix 3 retains the wireless charging functionality of the 2S — and it’s now 30% faster at 10W. Better yet, a wireless charger is included in the box, which is not something we’ve seen before.
Connectivity is very strong, with global bands, dual-frequency GPS, 4×4 MIMO and multifunction NFC.
Also new is a dedicated button for bringing up the Xio AI voice assistant, though this works only in Chinese.
Read next: Best new phones coming in 2018 and beyond.
