Note: Don’t get the Mi Mix confused with Xiaomi’s other phablet, the Mi Max. We were very impressed with the Max, but it’s not in the same class as the Mix.
Xiaomi Mi Mix release date: When is the Mi Mix coming out?
The Mi Mix was announced in November 2016 and began shipping on 15 December. At Xiaomi’s first CES presentation in January it also announced a white model, with the Mi Mix previously available only in black. Also see: Best Chinese phones
How to buy Xiaomi Mi Mix in the UK: Best Mi Mix deals
There are three models of the Mi Mix: one with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which we’ll refer to here as the entry-level Mi Mix; one with 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which we’ll refer to here as the standard Mi Mix; and one with 6GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and 18K gold detailing around the camera and fingerprint scanner, which we’ll call the Mi Mix 18K. Xiaomi phones are not officially sold in the UK, so in order to get one you need to go through a Chinese importer. There are some risks associated with doing so, primarily in terms of access to customer support and your refund rights should something go wrong, but also the fact you may be charged import duty on the Mi Mix when it arrives in the UK. This is calculated at 20 percent of whatever value is written on the shipping paperwork, plus an admin fee of around £11. You can read more about buying Chinese tech in our grey-market tech buying advice. It’s worth noting that the Xiaomi Mi Mix has an RRP of RMB 3499 for the entry-level model and RMB 3999 for the standard model – a straight conversion of which would be around £422.37 and £482.69, though this is not what you will pay in the UK. This is because you will be paying market-value for the phone, and prices can fluctuate daily on grey-market sites. Before you buy be warned that the Mi Mix does not support the 800MHz 4G band used by all UK mobile operators but particularly O2, Giffgaff and Sky Mobile, as these networks do not support the 2100MHz or 2600MHz 4G bands that the Mi Mix can accommodate. This means on those networks the most you will ever receive is 3G connectivity. As an aside, the Mi Note 2 unveiled alongside the Mi Mix is the Xiaomi phone to offer a Global edition that does support 800MHz. The Mi Mix in its various guises is available from a number of outlets, including GearBest, Coolicool, Geekbuying and TomTop. There will be others, too, those these are the ones we have previously dealt with and feel comfortable in recommending. Below we’ve listed pricing and availability for each of these sites, correct on 3 February 2017.
Where to buy entry-level Mi Mix
• £594.49/$724.99 at TomTop • £613.45/$739.99 at Coolicool • £658.87/$799.99 at Geekbuying
Where to buy standard Mi Mix
• £655.99/$799.99 at TomTop
Where to buy Mi Mix 18K
• £654.90/$789.99 at Coolicool • £683.58/$829.99 at Geekbuying
Where to buy white Mi Mix
We haven’t found anywhere the Mi Mix is available in white just yet, although GearBest has published an arrival notice for both the entry-level and standard models in white. You can opt to get an email when the phone is available to pre-order, at which point pricing will be available. Click here to pre-register your interest in the white Mi Mix.
Xiaomi Mi Mix features and specifications
The most notable feature about the Xiaomi Mi Mix is its huge 6.4in edgeless display, built around a ceramic body designed by Philippe Starck. The only bezel you will find here is at the bottom, resulting in a screen-to-body ratio of 91.3 percent. This should mean it’s roughly the same size as any other 5.7- to 6in phablet. Also see: Best big phones You might be wondering where are the camera and sensors that usually sit at the top of a smartphone, and the answer is really clever. The Mi Mix uses an ultrasonic distance sensor that sits behind the display rather than a standard proximity sensor, while the smaller-than-usual camera sensor is found at the bottom right of the phone, and instead of an earpiece there is ‘cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology’ to transmit sound. We’ve listed the Mi Mix’s key specifications below: • 6.4in, 17:9 edgeless display (2040×1080, 362ppi) IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours, 91.3 percent screen-to-body ratio • Full ceramic body: Back, frame and buttons • Ceramic acoustics system • 2.35GHz Snapdragon 821 • Adreno 530 GPU • 4GB/6GB LPDDR4 RAM • 128GB/256GB UFS 2.0 storage • 16Mp rear camera, f/2.0, EIS (gyro), phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash • 5Mp front camera • Video recording: 2160p at 30fps, 1080p at 30fps, 720p at 120fps • Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band • Bluetooth 4.2 • GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS • NFC • USB Type-C 1.0 • 192kHz/24bit audio • NFC • 4400mAh lithium-ion battery, non-removable, with QC3 • 158.8×81.9×7.9mm • 209g • MIUI 8 (custom Android 6.0 Marshmallow) Read next: Best new phones Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
