Mi Mix 2s: What is the Xiaomi Mid-range Smartphone Worth?

The Mi Mix 2S, the latest addition to Xiaomi’s mid-range category, is above all one of the first models of the Chinese brand to be officially marketed in France. We have tested it for two weeks and are now presenting our findings to you.

We like

• Rear sensor rather powerful
• autonomy
• processor performance
• design

We don’t like

• Weight
• low-light photos not always convincing
• no facial recognition

Verdict:

Xiaomi enters the French market with a smartphone that holds its own in terms of power and design, but which ultimately brings nothing innovative in the face of competition. Although sold at a very fair price considering its performance, it will be reproached for its price in its 128 GB version. In short, this first attempt to enter the French market and unblock the competition has produced a rather mixed result. We’re looking forward to the rest from now on.

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Launched in 2010 in China, it took eight years to see thebrand Xiaomi officially land in France. Eight years during which the manufacturer has been able to innovate, refine its multiple product ranges, and join forces with the designer Philippe Starck to design an emblematic smartphone model: the Mi Mix. Although the Mi Mix 2 and its variation, the Mi Mix 2, have been on the import market for a long time it has been impossible until now to buy it in France from its manufacturer, and therefore to benefit from the appropriate after-sales service. Xiaomi took the opportunity of its recent launch in France to officially introduce its latest addition to the range, the Mi Mix 2S. The device should be quickly accessible via traditional e-merchants (Amazon, Fnac, Cdiscount…), but also from operators (Bouygues, SFR, Orange…), as well as on the official website of Xiaomi France. And it’s a big first, it’s also on sale in a physical shop opened by Xiaomi in Paris. In short, it’s impossible to miss this high-end smartphone, which Xiaomi presents as a competitor of the iPhone X… Half the price of. So what’s this Android phone worth? Is it likely to win against models such as the OnePlus 6, the Galaxy S9 from Samsung or as Xiaomi would like, theiPhone X from Apple?

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Yes, because it is rather classy and discreet

Xiaomi confirms the trend that smartphone manufacturers are making more and more effort to make theirsmarphones stylish. Although the Mi Mix 2S was not designed by Philippe Starck, the Mi Mix 2S still loses some of its appeal. Everything is quite successful in this phone: its rounded curves, its double photo sensor set with a metallic or gold rim (depending on the color of the shell: white or black) and especially its very large screen that occupies 81.9% of the total size of thedevice … There is not much to reproach it. Another good point on a purely design level: the Front photo sensor is located at the very bottom of the camera, allowing the upper part of the screen to cover almost the entire camera… And is free from the notch so trendy, but also much decried.

So yes, we still prefer the rounded front screen of an S8 or S9 Galaxy. But in the end, Xiaomi managed to turn her smartphone into a sober and classy device, which didn’t have any trouble seducing the people we presented it to at first contact. On the other hand, fans of small, lightweight smartphones will pass by: the device is still 5.99 inches in size. It is a little smaller than a One Plus 6 (6,28″), but it is heavier. The Mi Mix 2S weighs 192 grams, 17 grams more than a OnePlus 6, or 29 grams more than a Galaxy S9.

With its large screen, it’s the perfect companion for surfing the Web, watching videos on public transit or travelling abroad, thanks to its 18:9 aspect ratio and 1080 x 2160 pixel display capacity. Especially since, as we will see below, its autonomy is quite good.

Yes, because it’s a power monster

The device is equipped with a Snapdragon 845, the same processor found on the OnePlus 6 or Sony Xperia XZ2. What is this processor worth compared to the competition or Qualcomm’s older models? We tested its performance using the tools we traditionally use on Android smartphones and the results are clear: thee Snapdragon 845 is one of the most powerful CPUs of theera, if not the most powerful. It’s true that he’s falling behind the iPhone X under Geekbench 4 in Multicore mode, but he’s spraying it under 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme. On a daily basis, we gain in fluidity, and not only in video games Whether on the Web, launching applications or simply switching from one software to another, the smartphone is fast, very fast. Especially since it is equipped with 6 GB of RAM, which ensures a very good level of multitasking, and that you can load a dozen Android applications without any slowdown.

As for autonomy, without being totally crazy, it’s pretty good. We subjected the device and its 3400 mAh battery to two types of tests. The first is to stream videos over Wi-Fi on the Netflix platform. Under these conditions, the aircraft holds 13h36. A nice score, which makes it possible to watch almost completely a classic season of a 40-minute series per episode. In comparison, the OnePlus 5T released at the end of last year (we have not yet been able to perform the same test on the OnePlus 6) lasted 14:25 hours. Until then, the record is still held by Archos’ Diamond Omega and OnePlus 5.

The second autonomy test consisted in using the smartphone in a much more classic way: a lot of surfing, about 1h30 of telephony, 1 hour of GPS guidance, listening to audio on Deezer and 1 hour of watching videos on YouTube… In short, everything you usually do on a smartphone when you’re not playing. There, the smartphone is capable of lasting about 36 hours, which puts the smartphone in the upper middle range against the competition.

Yes for its photo capabilities, but not for video

As usual, we subjected the camera to different scenarios in order to test its dual photo sensor at the rear, and the one based at the front and intended for selfies.

The two rear sensors each have a resolution of 12 MP (the main sensor has an aperture of f/1.8 and the telephoto sensor has an aperture of f/2.4). In full light, the camera delivers irreproachable, highly detailed and colourful shots. It does even better than OnePlus 6, which offers equally accurate but sometimes too dull photos, as shown in the example below:

On the other hand, the shots taken in low light are not always extraordinary, especially when compared to those taken with a Galaxy S9, which remains one of the tenors of the genre. Don’t worry, things aren’t as dramatic as they seem and the Mi Mix 2S is really not bad, but objects or people caught in the half-light stay in the half-light, where the S9 tries to lighten them up, usually successfully.

In addition to an HDR mode, Xiaomi has also included in the device its newartificial intelligence technology. Thanks to it, the camera is able to recognize the elements that the user is taking pictures of and make the most of them. Even if the difference between turning this mode on and off is not always obvious, the colorimetric level of the shots is adjusted, so as not to saturate with color an element that doesn’t need it (a flowerbed, for example).

Finally, the front sensor at the very bottom of the device will force you to do a new little gymnastics: it is indeed necessary to raise the device to frame your face. The Bokeh effect works quite well, even though the sensor may be criticized for fading the colors of a solid background.

The Mi Mix 2S integrates an AI module that allows you to recognize scenes and objects.

As far as the video is concerned, we were a little disappointed. Admittedly, the video stabilizer does its job pretty well, even when you’re shaky. On the other hand, there are a few “jerks” when the smartphone moves a little too fast for the stabilizer’s taste. During our tests, we took all our precautions not to rush the camera, but as soon as the tracking is too pronounced, the stabilizer can not follow and causes small jerks in the video, jerks visible in the excerpt below:

Video shot using the Mi Mix 2S.

Yes, because the MIUI overcoat is of good quality

The operating system is Android 8.0. No update to Android 8.1 is currently available on the Mi Mix 2S, unlike the Redmi Note 5, which is also available in France and is coming out with Android 8.1. As an overlay, there is the MIUI system, which mixes both Android and iOS (yes, it is possible). In spite of an undeniable adaptation time when you’ve only ever known Android, it’s easy to find one’s bearings. In particular, we benefit from an alternative to the navigation bar, similar to what is found on the iPhone. The shortcuts, notes and calendar menu on the far left of the home screen is fully customizable and well thought out. In short, MIUI (who hadn’t convinced us until two or three years ago) has reached the age of maturity, and it shows.

No, because it is a bit expensive and still lacks facial recognition

Two editions of the Mi Mix 2S are marketed. Let’s start with the basic version, which comes with 64 GB of storage space for €499.90. The Il device is therefore 20 euros cheaper than its direct competitor, the OnePlus 6 in its 64 GB version. On the other hand, if you are interested in the 128GB version, you have to pay €599.90, compared to only €569 for the 128GB version of OnePlus 6.

To put it plainly, the 128GB version of the Mi Mix 2S is clearly not the cheapest. Especially if we continue the comparison with the OnePlus 6, we can only be astonished by the absence of a facial recognition sensor on the Mi Mix 2S… A tool that is indeed present on the OnePlus 6.