Progress in smartphone design has stalled. If you use Apple as an indicator of the industry, then the three generations of the iPhone had the same housing design. Samsung has not changed the design since the Galaxy S5, and more precisely since 2014. The first Google smartphone also showed nothing significant.
However, not everyone in the industry is happy with the status quo. An alternative approach to the design of smartphones was risked in China, where Xiaomi introduced a model with a stunning design that surpassed its competitors in the ratio of screen area to front panel.
The concept phone is on sale at an incredibly low price. Xiaomi Mi Mix, depending on the configuration, costs $ 510-590. The model embodies the Chinese manufacturer's vision of the future of communication devices. Is such a solution a really good idea?
Model of the future
The main design options of modern phones are rooted in the original iPhone, released in 2007. Almost 10 years have passed, but this device is still used as a reference for a modern smartphone. The screen is located in the center with symmetrical frames at the top and bottom. Most components of the front panel are located on top: a speaker, a light sensor and proximity sensors (a front camera was added later). The lower part is used for buttons or not used at all.
The display is the only useful part on the front of the phone. Therefore, all that is not a pixel is empty space. Frames are required for components, both inside and outside the smartphone. But if you find another place for them, then you can enlarge the screen.
This is exactly what the Chinese company tried to do. The conceptual frameless smartphone Xiaomi Mi Mix, according to the reviews of the owners, rethinks how to design mobile phones. All of its components were shuffled in the name of maximizing the display surface and removing empty space. The front camera and brightness sensor moved to the bottom of the case, and the proximity sensor and speaker were replaced by high-tech internal solutions.
Speaker
If you compose the pedigree of the design of Mi Mix, then Sharp smartphones will definitely be there. In 2014, Sharp Aquos Crystal appeared, followed by Sharp Aquos Xx and Aquos Xx2. The Japanese company faced similar problems, but solved them differently. Sharp used a conical conduction speaker. But later he abandoned this idea. Then he enlarged the upper frame and used a regular speaker. And in the latest version of Aquos, the manufacturer seems to have completely abandoned its advanced design.
The speaker is the main excuse for the top frame, and it completely disappeared in the Xiaomi Mi Mix. The sound source is inside the device. Instead of placing the speaker on the other side of the display, the company came up with a cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology. What it is? Piezoelectric ceramic is a component that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. A cantilever is a rod attached to a piezoelectric as a resonant amplifier that enhances vibration. All this mechanical energy is transferred to the internal metal frame of the phone, which vibrates to create sound.
Using an internal chassis means that the sound is not as localized as in the dynamics. Therefore, it is enough to attach the ear to the upper quarter of the screen in front or behind. At a normal volume level, sound is heard only close up. Outsiders will be able to hear the conversation in a quiet room, but not in a noisy room. At maximum volume, such a speaker becomes too loud. At the same time, vibration begins to be felt, approximately equal in strength to the tactile feedback.
In practice, it works perfectly and is the perfect solution for a modern smartphone. The sound is not dull, like inside the phone, and its quality corresponds to high-end models. The only note is that the device vibrates violently at maximum volume. People make fewer voice calls, so dedicating the top of the phone specifically for this purpose makes less and less sense. Xiaomi's solution eliminates this dead space almost without damage.
At the bottom of the smartphone is a traditional speakerphone.
Proximity sensor
The standard infrared sensor for detecting faces during a phone call has also been removed. Thus, when the screen is pressed to the ear, the buttons are not pressed. In Mi Mix, instead of an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor is used, located behind the display. It works great and does not take up valuable space.
Front-camera
This design element has become the next unconventional solution. The camera is in the lower right corner. This is reminiscent of the solution used in the Dell XPS 13. In the usual orientation, the viewing angles are terrible in both cases. But unlike a laptop, a smartphone can simply be turned over. Each time the camera is activated, the user interface automatically flips.
Screen
Since the Mi Mix width of the upper and lower frames decreased, compared to smartphones of a similar size, the diagonal of the display has increased. The screen has an aspect ratio of 17: 9 with a resolution of 2040 by 1080 pixels. But, according to the manufacturer, if you subtract the navigation buttons, it will become 16: 9.
Another unique feature of the Xiaomi Mi Mix display, according to user reviews, is rounded corners. Expanding the screen to the edges of the phone forced to sacrifice a few non-essential pixels. But it looks amazing and on the eyes. Most of the time corners are occupied by status and navigation lines, and even when they are not there, only a few pixels are lost.
Since many elements on the front panel were discarded, the screen took up almost all of the space. Xiaomi decided to stay on a very large 6.4-inch display. This size in combination with 1080p resolution does not allow to achieve the incredible pixel density of most Android phones. At Mi Mix, this figure is 362 dpi. It's bigger than the iPhone 7, and it looks great.
Reviews of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 128GB indicate inconvenience due to such a huge size. Undoubtedly, thanks to the minimal framing, this is just the size of the Nexus 6, but even that one inflated pockets. According to many, this is the size limit of handheld devices. While appeal is probably not the goal of a concept smartphone. A more familiar case size (for example, 5.5 ”) would be more enjoyable.
Auto Brightness Sensor
The ambient light level sensor has also shifted to the bottom of the phone. Users did not encounter any of its shortcomings. Although sometimes a hand passes over the sensor, the brightness changes quite slowly. Therefore, a temporary shadow does not affect it.
The sides of the display are as narrow as in other phones. The Xiaomi Mi Mix screen, according to user reviews, selectively responds to touch. Even if you squeeze the smartphone in the palm of your hand, the touch screen only responds to your fingertips. However, the upper part of the device, oddly enough, is devoid of such selectivity. Therefore, you should be careful when holding the phone in landscape orientation.
Ceramic case
Some fear that reducing the frame will somehow lead to more fragility of the device. Like almost every smartphone, its front panel is edge to edge glass. If it falls, then it is likely to break. However, this has nothing to do with the layout of the LCD. According to reviews, Xiaomi Mi Mix makes it more fragile than other phones, not a screen, but a completely ceramic case. The back, sides, corners and buttons are made of solid ceramic material. According to Xiaomi, this material is denser than glass. Therefore, it is less prone to scratches.
Of course, a full glass telephone is not a standard - metal would be much more durable. Most modern electronics are not designed to fall, but switching to metal (due to more sophisticated radio equipment) is worth it. Another major glass-backed handset maker, Samsung, at least uses a metal chassis. But Mi Mix even has ceramic sides and corners. Will the smartphone crash after the first fall, like a plate?
From the point of view of tactile sensations, it is difficult to notice the difference between ceramics and glass - these are hard, smooth, glossy, cold surfaces. Both white and black Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 / 128GB, according to reviews, is easily covered in prints. A hard metal back cover would appeal to many users more.
Security
The screen left no room for a fingerprint scanner. Therefore, it is located at the back. This design has become familiar to LG and Google phones over the past couple of years, but the Mi Mix is much more uncomfortable. The disadvantage of rear placement is that you always need to pick up a smartphone to unlock it. This is normal if you pull it out of your pocket, but when it is on the table, you have to pick it up.
Google and LG devices work around this inconvenience by supporting the Smart Lock feature. Instead of being blocked all the time, this takes into account a number of factors. For example, you can specify that the phone remains available in certain places, for example, at home or in the office, or when paired with a specific Bluetooth device. This greatly facilitates the work sitting at the table.
However, a significant modification of the Android platform by Xiaomi led to the fact that Smart Lock on the Mi Mix does not work. Because of this, the use of a rear fingerprint reader becomes painful for those who spend most of their time working at a desk. When a message arrives, you cannot immediately view it - you need to take the phone and unlock it.
User interface
Android 7.0 has made it possible to use the large display more efficiently thanks to features such as split screen and customizable user interface scale. For the 6.4-inch Mi Mix, it seems natural to switch to a more convenient version of the OS. However, the smartphone only comes with the 6th version. Therefore, a magnificent huge screen is devoid of many potential applications.
The user interface is provided by the MIUI 8 add-in. This is a rather unique program that is superimposed on top of many versions and devices of Android OS. MIUI 8 supports models starting from the Xiaomi Mi 2 of 2012. Since the interface is designed to work with older versions of the OS, it is limited by the functionality of Android 5.0. As you would expect, many of the things that should be here are not here. For example, there is no direct access feature that populates the Share dialog with contacts in addition to applications. The above mentioned Smart Lock does not work, which seriously reduces the benefits of a fingerprint scanner. There is no multi-user support either.
Reviews of the frameless smartphone Xiaomi Mi Mix negatively assess the lack of a function for scaling the user interface. For a 6.4-inch phone, the desktop scale is huge. You cannot see all your applications on the big screen - instead, their icons simply increase. It seems like the interface is for low vision users.
Xiaomi also intervened in the way messages are displayed on the lock screen, making it much less useful. Only new messages are displayed. Although the notification bar was usually copied. If the phone is switched off, then messages are displayed only once, and on subsequent views, the display will be blank.
As usual, MIUI borrowed a horizontal list of recent apps from iOS and a home screen without an app drawer.
The model is preinstalled with Chinese software. Even after switching to another language, many pre-installed applications will remain in Chinese. There are also a lot of broken software, for example, Mi Music and Mi Video. However, MIUI in version 8 improved slightly. The notification bar has become similar to regular Android. Now, after it is pulled out, several switches are visible, and further pulling down increases the number of quick settings.
Xiaomi also found it necessary to post a weather report and a search box here. Added some features of Marshmallow - support for the Android 6.0 permission system, which works along with the search for settings.
Mi Mix is the first Xiaomi phone with on-screen navigation buttons. Previously, the Home hardware key was surrounded by two unmarked buttons that you had to get used to using. On-screen buttons are indicated, and they can be interchanged. Oddly enough, the company continues to insist that the icon for calling recently used applications look like a Menu button. Of course, you can give it such functionality, but not a single application, including Xiaomi, has full-screen menus.
Compared to new and exciting hardware, MIUI 8 leaves a bad impression. The add-in is not just aesthetically strange, it is devoid of many useful functions. Users, choosing Android, expect to receive them, and ignoring this, to put it mildly, is unforgivable.
Main camera
Formally, the Mi Mix comes with a 16-megapixel camera, but it is no good. In low light, the photographs are very dark, and in the best conditions the image is dirty. No laser AF. Therefore, focusing is rather slow. Compared to the Google Pixel and Galaxy S7, the Xiaomi Mi Mix reviews the camera as an inappropriate phone of this class. Even a failed OnePlus 3 smartphone with a cheap image sensor shoots better.
Performance
The smartphone is equipped with a 2.35 GHz Snapdragon 821 chip with 4 or 6 GB of RAM. The processor is not very different from the 820th model, which is used by all major manufacturers. Therefore, the characteristics of Xiaomi Mi Mix correspond to the market average. Snapdragon 821 is used in Google Pixel. But in its model, the manufacturer slightly increased its frequency. The speed of the memory and the graphics processor correspond to the standard indicators of the flagship models of 2016. The Geekbench 3 test gives 5803 points for the processor, 60 fps in T-Rex and 48 fps in Manhattan for GPU, and Androidbench 5 - 226.17 MB / s sequential read and 50.19 MB / s sequential write for memory .
Larger phones usually get high capacity batteries. 4400 mAh perform very well in the Xiaomi Mi Mix 256 GB battery life test. According to user reviews, on one charge, the smartphone operates 923 minutes (15 hours 23 minutes).
Fantastic view
The contraction of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 256GB is positively reviewed by owners: everyone wants to have a large display in a compact case. It's hard to argue with a design in which every change (speaker, proximity sensor and front camera) works no worse than traditional phones. Maximizing the screen is associated with many problems, but Xiaomi solved them all. The result is a smartphone with a more convenient design.
It is shocking that all this was done by the company, which is often and sometimes rightly called an imitator. The press even came up with a synonym for it - "Chinese Apple." However, Xiaomi has released an original and absolutely amazing device.
However, no hardware threatens the smartphone. The MIUI development cycle is determined by cheap, inexpensive models. This probably makes sense for China's domestic market, but leads to the fact that high-performance devices are reduced to the lowest overall level. MIUI is a unified interface that should work on older versions of Android. The camera is good for super-cheap models of the company, but not for the high-end smartphone market.
But in general, competitors have something to learn from this device. Against the background of the iPhone 7, Galaxy S7, Google Pixel and others, Xiaomi Mi Mix is the best smartphone on the market. Therefore, the phone really looks like the future of mobile devices (at least in terms of its hardware). In addition, according to reviews, the prices of Xiaomi Mi Mix smartphones are very attractive. In the basic configuration (4GB of RAM and 128 GB of ROM) the phone costs $ 510, and the premium version with gold stamping, 6 gigabytes of RAM and 256 internal memory will cost $ 590.