In our previous review we have already talked to you about a Xiaomi smartphone, exactly the Redmi Note 5 , a device that presented high-level features under € 200. Today let’s go a little further: let’s discover the Mi Mix 2s , a device with multiple qualities, suitable for every type of user and, as per company policy, also with a really advantageous price.

Packaging

The product is presented in a well-finished box: upon opening, a small cardboard greets you and thanks you for the purchase, as if to create a detachment from the other products that instead presented a fairly reduced and normal packaging. The whole layout inside is well designed to make the product stand out as high-end, and inside there is also a very elegant and minimal hard plastic cover.

Design

The product has a slightly different design than usual: the upper black border disappears completely in favor of a very large lower one, which will present the front camera inside it: to use it, the device will often advise you to turn it upside down, as otherwise the hand may overlap. Later we find the usual – and now standard – 2 cameras, in addition to the fingerprint reader. On the side instead we have three buttons: two for the volume and one for the lock / unlock interactions.

Specifications

• Operating System:  Android 8.0 MIUI v9 Oreo
• Size:  150.8 x 74.9 x 8.1mm
• Weight:  189 grams
• Sim:  Dual Sim Quad Band (850/900/1800/1900)
• Chipset:  Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm SDM8454
• CPU:  4x 2.8 GHz Kyro 385 + 4x 1.8 GHz Kyro 385
• GPU:  Adreno 630
• RAM:  6GB
• Memory:  128 GB not expandable
• Display:  5.99 inches 1080 x 2160 pixels (403 ppi) IPS LCD
• Rear Camera:  12 Mp (1 / 2.55 ″ F 1.8) + 12 Mp (1 / 2.9 ″ F 2.4)
• Front Camera:  5 Mp (F 2)
• Video recording:  4K 30 fps
• Connectivity:  802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 5.0 with A2DP / LE
• Battery:  Lithium 3400 Mah

Performance

The phone behaves very well from a technical point of view, a little less from that of use: the position of the sensors capable of obscuring the screen are not well managed (perhaps due to the strange shape of the display) and therefore not always yours. head will be revealed during a call, incurring unpleasant inconvenience. As for the applications, the product moves quickly between the various apps and opens them with extreme agility, denoting zero difficulty even with the most demanding games.

The screen size is not very comfortable, although phones of this size are now the standard. The applicable gestures – of clear imitation from the iPhone X – are not uncomfortable but occasionally have small lags capable of affecting the general experience.

Camera

The two rear cameras manage to capture every single shot in the multitude of colors and lights they present. The Pro mode manages to set the various photos in an excellent way, and the double lens allows you to play with focus and effects, in order to have a professional effect on your photos. As already mentioned, from the front, however, the camera remains a bit problematic, as it is positioned below. For its optimal use you just need a little getting used to.

Display

Although we are faced with an IPS LCD, the effect and the rendering of colors and lights are of a high level, making you seriously doubt whether or not what you have in front of you is an OLED. Of course, the battery consumption due to the screen and the blacks will immediately make you return to your feet on the ground, but for an LCD it is difficult to put in crisis, so heartfelt applause to Xiaomi who managed to find panels of this manufacture.

Software

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s presents its MIUI proprietary ROM, which to version 10 manages to immediately bring Android 9 Pie, offering an updated operating system, fast and full of interesting features. On the contrary, the gestures that can be set, in case you want to remove the commands at the bottom of the screen, are not excellent: they have problems in terms of speed and will make you regret the classic physical keys.

Autonomy

With hours of play, use and emails sent, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s has a long life , due to the 3400 mAh battery. Better management of the applications would certainly have benefited the device, but all in all the duration of a day and a half is guaranteed.

Price

When it comes to Xiaomi, the most beautiful category to tell is always this: with the specifications you find above, the phone is now on sale for € 399 on Amazon. The initial price was close to € 600, but for what other brands offer, they could also take away € 1000, so I would say that the advantage this Mi Mix 2s presents above all in terms of price, especially if you are looking for a phone capable of keeping up with the times and run everything.