Doogee Mix review: Dress to impress

Performance

If we haven't made it clear already, the Doogee Mix actually packs a surprisingly amount of hardware value in its sub-$200 compact body. Before we get to the actual synthetics, we believe a quick clarification is in order. It has to do with the MediaTek chipset inside the Mix. Doogee is marketing it as a Helio P25, which has been the source of some confusion among tech experts, reviewers, as well as tinkerers, willing to take the phone apart to check for themselves.

This became necessary after a few such people noticed that some hardware information apps, running on the Mix report the chipset as simply MT6757, which would officially make it a Helio P20. Opening units has since revealed that some chips have "MT6757V" written on them, others have "MT6757T", but the bulk are labeled as "MT6757CH". Ours pertains to the last group, but what is important to note here is that these are essentially the same 16nm chips, with 8 ARM Cortex-A53 CPU cores and a dual-core Mali-T880MP2 GPU. The main difference is in the CPU clock speed. Officially, only the P25 supports dual (13MP + 13MP) cameras, as well.

Our unit has four cores at a max of 2.93GHz and the other four at up to 1.39GHz. Sure, it's not the upper 2.6GHz limit the Helio P25 is advertised to be theoretically capable of, but in its current configuration, we found the chip to be potent enough, stable and running reasonably cool under load. Frankly, that's more important in our book than any formal branding.

Our basic 64GB unit actually has 4GB of RAM to back up the Helio chip, which is plenty and equally impressive for a sub-$200 device. Now about that price, we keep tossing it around, but like most Chinese manufacturers, especially those with limited international presence, like Doogee, there are some extra costs typically involved with sourcing and importing a unit.

That being said, we took a couple of pages from our recent guide when choosing viable contenders for the Doogee Mix, while limiting ourselves to the sub-€200 range. We also made sure to include the Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra from Sony's current lineup, since both rely on the same MediaTek Helio chipset. The former even has a 720p display, making benchmark comparisons with the Doogee even more valid.

Starting up with GeekBench and some pure CPU loads, we are glad to report the MT6757CH managed to hit its performance target, despite the lack of polish in the software department. Multi-core numbers, in particular, came out really strong, outpacing both Sony handsets.

GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Doogee Mix
  4049
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  3807
• Sony Xperia XA1
  3611
• Moto G5
  2580
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  1819
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  1781

GeekBench 4 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  4456
• Doogee Mix
  3821
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  3610
• Sony Xperia XA1
  3554
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  3011
• Meizu M5
  2428
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  2099
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  1822
• Lenovo K6 Power
  1698
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  1670

GeekBench 3 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  5166
• Doogee Mix
  4735
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  4617
• Sony Xperia XA1
  4539
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  4515
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  4140
• Huawei Honor 5c
  3933
• Huawei P9 Lite
  3799
• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  3321
• Lenovo Moto G4
  3182
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  3085
• Huawei P8lite
  2813
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  2774
• Huawei P8lite (Snapdragon 615)
  2717
• Meizu M5
  2713
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  2012
• Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
  1437
• Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
  1247

The Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra gain back some ground in single-threaded scenarios, but the difference isn't really all that significant. On a broader scale, it is evident the MT6757CH is no slouch. It even manages to consistently outperform the Snapdragon 625 and the Exynos 7870 - two mid-range solutions we have repeatedly praised for their efficiency-to-performance ratio. Sure, the 16nm MT6757CH isn't quite as frugal in the battery department, but with proper OS optimization, we are sure it can come close.

On to more compound benchmarks then and AnTuTu 6. The Doogee Mix stands its ground well. 4GB of RAM is still plenty in Android terms, so no bottlenecks there. We can only assume Doogee had to opt for a slower storage solution to keep costs down, which could cost it some points from the AnTuTu score.

AnTuTu 6

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  85162
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  64983
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  61616
• Sony Xperia XA1
  60707
• Doogee Mix
  59151
• Huawei P9 Lite
  52768
• Huawei Honor 5c
  51220
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  49094
• Sony Xperia XA
  47170
• Lenovo Moto G4
  46949
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  45190
• Lenovo K6 Power
  44115
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  44089
• Moto G5
  43755
• Meizu M5
  40831
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  36110
• Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
  27487
• Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
  24884

Basemark OS is even kinder to the Doogee Mix. Frankly, out of the similarly priced pool of contenders, only the Helio X20-powered Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 manages to significantly trump the Mix in pure performance metrics.

Basemark OS II

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  1464
• Doogee Mix
  1440
• Sony Xperia XA1
  1367
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  1320
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  1290
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  999
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  951
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  946
• Meizu M5
  846
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  801
• Huawei P8lite (Snapdragon 615)
  799
• Huawei P8lite
  600
• Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
  576
• Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
  399

Basemark OS 2.0

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  1728
• Sony Xperia XA1
  1351
• Doogee Mix
  1324
• Huawei P9 Lite
  1242
• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  1233
• Huawei Honor 5c
  1221
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  1163
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  1050
• Sony Xperia XA
  1013
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  1007
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  832
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  799
• Moto G5
  795
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  707
• Huawei P8lite
  691
• Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
  532
• Lenovo Moto G4
  341
• Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
  326
• Lenovo K6 Power
  281

The Mali-T880MP2 GPU demands some respect of its own. While not a chart-topper by design, when viewed in the appropriate budget context, the dual-core solution really punches above its pay grade.

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  15
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  15
• Doogee Mix
  11
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  9.9
• Sony Xperia XA1
  9.6
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  9.6
• Huawei Honor 5c
  7.8
• Huawei P9 Lite
  7.8
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  7.2
• Sony Xperia XA
  7.2
• Lenovo K6 Power
  7.1
• Moto G5
  7.1
• Lenovo Moto G4
  6.5
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  6.4
• Huawei P8lite (Snapdragon 615)
  6
• Meizu M5
  5.2
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  4.9
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  2.8
• Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
  1.8

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  10
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  9.5
• Doogee Mix
  6.8
• Sony Xperia XA1
  6.2
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  6.2
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  6.2
• Sony Xperia XA
  4.8
• Moto G5
  4.6
• Huawei P9 Lite
  4.6
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  4.5
• Huawei Honor 5c
  4.5
• Lenovo K6 Power
  4.4
• Lenovo Moto G4
  4.2
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  4.1
• Meizu M5
  3.4
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  3.2

720p resolution is a noteworthy plus here. Of course, there is the obvious drawback to image sharpness and detail that comes with an HD panel. On the flip side, the GPU has a lot less pixels on its plate to worry about. If you are into mobile gaming, 720p is a pretty fair trade for higher frame rates.

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Doogee Mix
  21
• Sony Xperia XA1
  19
• Sony Xperia XA
  15
• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  15
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  15
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  14
• Huawei P8lite (Snapdragon 615)
  12
• Meizu M5
  10
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  10
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  9.7
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  9.5
• Huawei Honor 5c
  8.3
• Huawei P9 Lite
  8.3
• Lenovo K6 Power
  7.1
• Moto G5
  7.1
• Lenovo Moto G4
  6.8
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  6.6
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  5.7
• Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
  3.8

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Doogee Mix
  16
• Sony Xperia XA1
  15
• Sony Xperia XA
  11
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  10
• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  9.7
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  9.4
• Meizu M5
  7.9
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  7.2
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  6.7
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  6.2
• Huawei P9 Lite
  4.9
• Huawei Honor 5c
  4.8
• Moto G5
  4.6
• Lenovo Moto G4
  4.5
• Lenovo K6 Power
  4.4
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  4.4

The Doogee Mix offers a solid gaming experience. Casual titles play without a hitch and look pretty impressive thanks to the almost bezeless design. Even most popular 3D games weren't enough to choke the phone.

GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  5.4
• Doogee Mix
  4.1
• Sony Xperia XA1
  3.7
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  3.7
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  3.4
• Huawei P9 Lite
  2.8
• Huawei Honor 5c
  2.7
• Lenovo Moto G4
  2.6
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  2.6
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  2.5
• Sony Xperia XA
  2.5
• Moto G5
  2.5
• Lenovo K6 Power
  2.4
• Meizu M5
  1.8

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Doogee Mix
  8.5
• Sony Xperia XA1
  7.9
• Sony Xperia XA
  5.4
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  5.4
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  5.1
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  4
• Meizu M5
  3.7
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  3.4
• Huawei Honor 5c
  3
• Huawei P9 Lite
  3
• Lenovo Moto G4
  2.8
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  2.8
• Moto G5
  2.5
• Lenovo K6 Power
  2.4

Basemark X tells the exact same story.

Basemark X

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Helio X20)
  13666
• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  12096
• Doogee Mix
  10750
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  10446
• Sony Xperia XA1
  9714
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  9598
• Huawei Honor 5c
  7735
• Huawei P9 Lite
  7681
• Xiaomi Redmi 4
  7608
• Lenovo K6 Power
  7475
• Moto G5
  7475
• Lenovo Moto G4
  6932
• Sony Xperia XA
  6420
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  6380
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  5383
• Huawei P8lite (Snapdragon 615)
  5062
• Meizu M5
  4767
• Huawei P8lite
  3648
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  3335
• Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
  2180
• Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
  1424

All things considered, It's really hard to poke holes in Doogee's choice of hardware for the Mix. Copy-cat or not, it is more than a one-trick pony. Even with a glaring lack of polish in DoogeeOS, the Mix still managed to live up to its impressive value specs sheet. Well, for the most part, that is.

Take audio quality, for instance. Despite our best efforts, the handset consistently delivered extremely disappointing output in out testing procedure. It could, very well be a defective unit. We are also not ruling out the distinct possibility of a bug within the equalizer, preventing us from turning it off to get a flat reading.

Regardless, our review unit clearly failed short in the audio department. And "fell short" is just us being polite here.