Xiaomi’s Mi series, more specifically the Mi Mix series, has always been pushing the envelope in terms of the phone’s display and design. From the Mi Mix‘s bezel-less display to the sliding Mi Mix 3, Xiaomi has been able to keep us on the edge of our sit while launching smartphones. And the same series, today, gets into a whole new level with the launch of Mi Mix Alpha.
The Mi Mix Alpha has a wraparound display in which the screen wraps entirely to the point where it meets its rear camera. Thus, it almost looks like a slab of glass, with status icons like 5G network signals and battery indicator. Also, the phone doesn’t need any selfie camera — just turn your phone to the other side and use the rear display as a viewfinder.
Talking about the camera, the Mi Mix Alpha carries Samsung’s new 108-megapixel camera co-developed with Xiaomi. Like other Samsung sensors, which combines pixel into 2×2 squares for better low-light photography, this one will also use the same; producing 27-megapixel images. The real-world usage or practical use of the sensor is yet to be known but a 1/1.33-inch sensor is pretty large and should give the Mi Mix Alpha a slight edge over other smartphones in terms of light gathering capability. There’s also a 20MP ultra-wide camera with macro and a 12MP telephoto lens accompanying the main camera.
As for the boring part, the phone will have a 5G support with Snapdragon 855+ SoC, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, 40W wired charging, and a decent 4,050mAh battery; decent because the phone will consume much more power due to its screen size, but Xiaomi doesn’t think you’ll be using the whole screen most of the time.
Xiaomi says the Mi Mix Alpha is a ‘concept phone’ and will only hit the market in small quantity. But then again, the first-ever Mi Mix was also once a concept phone and was sold in limited quantity, with the Mi Mix 2 available for masses later on. The phone will go on sale on December 19 for CNY19,999 or approximately $2,800.
The company also launched the 5G version of Mi 9 — the Mi 9 Pro 5G at the event.
