Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 review

Android Pie and MIUI 10

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 runs on the latest MIUI 10 launcher on top of Android 9 Pie. MIUI 10 improves further the system looks, gestures, and performance, though introduces no major changes to the MIUI logic and any returning users would feel right at home. But while lightweight and intuitive, MIUI is no vanilla Android, so it will take a couple of hours for the purists to get the handle of it.

The most notable visual changes in MIUI 10 include refined system icons, Android Pie-styled volume sliders and brightness sliders, notification shade, and quick shortcuts.

MIUI 10 also brings a few functional additions - native support for navigation gestures, a brand new Recents menu - also with gesture support, Picture-In-Picture mode (for certain compatible apps), native autofill support, enhanced AI (but of course!), improved screen recording and better app management.

We've already seen those system navigation gestures - swipe for Home, swipe and pause for Recents, swipe from the edge for Back. You can also swipe and hold from the edge to go back to the previous app. Those work buttery-smooth on MIUI 10, sure, but most of us still prefer the onscreen keys. Still, if you like them, they are on the Mix 3.

Another new feature - the Picture in Picture mode - has to be enabled for each compatible app from the Additional Privacy Settings. Currently it works on Google Chrome, Movies, Maps, YouTube, Duo, and VLC.

New icons • Notification shade • Gesture settings • Gestures • Recents • Sound scrubber

There is no app drawer in MIUI, and there's never really been one except for a few custom themes that offer the shortcut. Of course, you can always install a third-party launcher if you really miss the app drawer.

You can unlock the screen via the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner - it's always-on, blazing-fast, and accurate. There is no Face Unlock option on the Mix 3.

Here are the default home screens on Mi Mix 3. There's a weather widget in the upper right corner across from a large clock widget. There is a Quick Card pane, the leftmost one. It contains different cards with relevant information - recent apps, step counter, notes, calendar events, the weather, and favorites, among others. You can configure what shows up here, or you can disable this altogether.

Lockscreen • Homescreen • Homescreen • Quick Card • Quick Card • Settings

The brand-new task switcher felt a bit awkward at first, but we've grown to like it. It shows all of your recent apps in two columns. Tap and hold on a card for the split-screen shortcut, of just swipe it left or right to close the app.

Recents

Themes are supported on the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, but the app appears only when the phone is set to a supported region, say India.

Themes

MIUI also offers a Security app. It can scan your phone for malware, manage your blacklist, manage or restrict your data usage, configure battery behavior, and free up some RAM. It can also manage the permissions of your installed apps and allows you to define the battery behavior of selected apps and applies restrictions only to the apps you choose.

MIUI also offers proprietary Gallery, Music, and Video player. In some regions the music and video app may include paid streaming options.

Security app • Security app • Gallery • Music • Video • File Manager

Slider options

The basic function of the slider is to bring out the dual front-facing cam so you can snap a selfie - the camera launches automatically. If you are not that keen on selfies, you can assign a different function to the slider - open a certain app, show the so-called Tools menu with various shortcuts to helpful apps, or just do nothing.

Slider settings • Tools menu • Open an app

There is also another thing you can do with the slider - if your phone is ringing, you can slide it up to answer and then close it down to hang up.

The phone plays sound effects as you open and close the phone. You can choose between five sound schemes or just mute it.

Slider sounds

Performance and benchmarks

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 is powered by a Snapdragon 845 chip. It is still top of the line but not for long - devices that will utilize the 7nm Snapdragon 855 chipset are just around the corner. Anyway, the Snapdragon 845 is a highly capable chipset and we're quite familiar with its performance. The unit we have here is Mi Mix 3 with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, though there is a model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, too.

First, as usual, we ran Geekbench. In its processor tests, the Mi Mix 3 scored in line with its S845 peers. The Kryo 385 core is among the top performers on the market right now, bested only Samsung's Mongoose M3 and Apple's Vortex.

GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone XS Max
  11432
• Honor Magic 2
  9887
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
  9712
• vivo NEX S
  9160
• Xiaomi Mi MIx 2S
  9158
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
  9065
• Samsung Galaxy Note9
  9026
• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  9003
• OnePlus 6T
  8977
• Sony Xperia XZ3
  8607
• LG V40 ThinQ
  8568
• Xiaomi Mi 8
  8494
• Google Pixel 3
  8146
• Oppo Find X
  8018
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  6234

GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone XS Max
  4777
• Samsung Galaxy Note9
  3642
• Honor Magic 2
  3316
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
  3291
• Sony Xperia XZ3
  2486
• Xiaomi Mi MIx 2S
  2468
• vivo NEX S
  2466
• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  2438
• Xiaomi Mi 8
  2431
• OnePlus 6T
  2431
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
  2429
• LG V40 ThinQ
  2408
• Google Pixel 3
  2377
• Oppo Find X
  2322
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  1924

The Adreno 630 GPU, just like the processor, is also among the best mobile GPUs right now, handling everything effortlessly. The Mix 3 has an edge over the 1440p phones with its 1080p screen.

GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone XS Max
  60
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
  35
• Xiaomi Mi MIx 2S
  35
• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  35
• vivo NEX S
  35
• Google Pixel 3
  35
• Sony Xperia XZ3
  35
• OnePlus 6T
  35
• Oppo Find X
  35
• LG V40 ThinQ
  34
• Xiaomi Mi 8
  33
• Honor Magic 2
  30
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
  29
• Samsung Galaxy Note9
  28
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  25
• Xiaomi Mi Mix
  18

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone XS Max
  47
• Xiaomi Mi MIx 2S
  34
• vivo NEX S
  34
• Xiaomi Mi 8
  33
• Google Pixel 3
  33
• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  31
• OnePlus 6T
  31
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
  30
• Oppo Find X
  28
• Honor Magic 2
  26
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  24
• Sony Xperia XZ3
  19
• Xiaomi Mi Mix
  17
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
  17
• LG V40 ThinQ
  16
• Samsung Galaxy Note9
  15

Antutu is among the more popular tests as a single tell-all number, and in our run the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 scored the same as the OnePlus 6T and they share the first spot among the whole Android gang.

AnTuTu 7

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone XS Max
  353210
• OnePlus 6T
  293994
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
  292353
• vivo NEX Dual Display
  292042
• Oppo Find X
  291218
• vivo NEX S
  287081
• Sony Xperia XZ3
  284555
• Honor Magic 2
  274466
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
  273913
• Xiaomi Mi MIx 2S
  270814
• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  265314
• LG V40 ThinQ
  254304
• Samsung Galaxy Note9
  248823
• Google Pixel 3
  233699
• Xiaomi Mi 8
  217298

As it often happens with Xiaomi phones, we have only praises for the Mi Mix 3's superb sustained performance. MIUI is well optimized and doesn't bog down Android since it is lean and smooth. Running a benchmark repeatedly doesn't slow the phone at all.

The Mix 3 has the fastest chip available today and even though it's soon to be dethroned from its class-leading spot, the Snapdragon 845 is still a future-proof hardware worthy of having. The Mix 3 runs smooth and lag-free, the interface is snappy, and there is no throttling and overheating.