Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s hands-on review

Introduction

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s is finally official and it's hard not to feel at least a little bit relieved that this particular hype train is finally at station. The Mi Mix 2s has been frequenting the rumor mill for months now, flaunting, what we know know was an overly-ambitions nearly bezel-free front panel and innovative selfie camera placement.

It is hard to say whether the striking appearance was fueled by wishful thinking alone, but in case you skipped Xiaomi's earlier memo, none of that is happening. At least not for the Mix 2s. What we get instead are major chipset and camera upgrades, within a slightly more compact body.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s at a glance

• Body: Four-side curved ceramic body and metal frame, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, 150.9 x 74.9 x 8.1 mm, 191 grams
• Display: 5.99-inch IPS LCD, 1080x2160px (18:9), 403 ppi, 2.5D glass
• OS: Android Oreo with MIUI 9.5 on top
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 385 Silver, octa-core CPU, Adreno 630 GPU, 6/8GB RAM
• Storage: 64GB, 128GB or 256GB internal
• Rear Camera: Dual 12 megapixels, f/1.8, Sony IMX363, plus 12 megapixels, f/2.4, Samsung S5K3M3, 2x optical zoom telephoto Dual Pixel, 4-axis OIS, two-tone LED, 4K video
• Front Camera: 5 megapixels, f2.0, 1080p video
• Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, Dual SIM, Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, A-GPS/GLONASS, BDS, NFC, USB 2.0 Type-C port
• Battery: 3,400mAh non-removable, Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging support, Qi wireless charging support
• Misc: Fingerprint sensor

Just like its predecessor, the Mix 2s is a stunning device. A true testament to Xiaomi's ongoing efforts to push the envelope in modern smartphone design.

The Mix 2s is the perfect embodiment of what an "S" release normally is - an incremental update. A refresh and chance to improve a worthwhile product, already successful and popular enough to merit the extra effort. The new Snapdragon 845 chipset promises a notable performance boost over its 835 predecessor, without harming battery life. Plus, it helps Xiaomi stay relevant to the current flagship crowd.

The same can be said about the new dual 12MP camera setup. Historically, the Mi Mix line hasn't really delivered exceptional camera experiences. This time around, however, with an IMX363 sensor under the hood and a second telephoto camera, the Mi Mix 2s is Xiaomi's most potent cameraphone to date.

We were lucky enough to get our hands on a couple of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s units already and can't wait to share our initial impressions. So, join us on the following pages.