Ever since 2016, Xiaomi’s best flagships have been from the Mi Mix series. This year too, the tradition continues as Xiaomi has launched its brand new Concept flagship, the Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha 5G. This is the Alpha member of the company’s flagship lineup, bringing in next-generation features not seen on any smartphone before. This is why the Mi Mix Alpha brings several ‘World’s First’ features to the smartphone industry.

Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha 5G Design

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha is the world’s first smartphone with a curved display that wraps around almost the entire device. Except for the tiny vertical strip that houses the camera at the back, the display surrounds the entire smartphone, including the sides and the back. Mind you, this is a single display panel that wraps around the entire body bringing the screen to body ratio to a staggering 180.6%! This is made possible also because of the extremely narrow 2.15mm bezels on the top and the bottom.

Clearly, the phone ushers a new era of all screen 4D surround display.

But bringing this concept to reality wasn’t easy. Hence, Xiaomi has used a number of smart solutions to enable such a full-screen wraparound design.

The phone is supported by a very strong and lightweight Titanium frame. The vertical strip that houses the camera is made of a black precision ceramic material. Also, the triple cameras at the back are protected by the sapphire glass to avoid scratches of any kind. The vertical strip at the back also houses most of the phone’s antennas and connectivity modules for Wi-Fi and 5G.

Apart from these premium materials, the Mi Mix Alpha comes with smart solutions to tackle various design challenges associated with this smartphone design.

For example, since the company couldn’t add any buttons on the side, it has used pressure-sensitive sides. This means the side displays can mimic a physical button with the help of powerful haptics (linear motor). It’s similar to what we saw on the Mate 30 Pro with its waterfall display implementation. There’s also a display acoustic technology for sound output and an ultrasonic proximity sensor.

Also, since the displays cover the sides as well, if you are worried about accidental touches, Xiaomi has implemented a solution for that as well.

Xiaomi reveals that accidental touches are avoided using multiple sensors and AI algorithms that predict screen usage behavior. This means the phone essentially deactivates the inactive touch areas to avoid mistouches.

UP NEXT: MIUI 11 Officially Launched! Features new design and production tools galore!

Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha Specs & Hardware

Xiaomi didn’t reveal detailed specifications of the Mi Mix Alpha at the event today.

However, the company has confirmed that it will be powered by the Snapdragon 855+ processor with 5G dual SIM support. There will be at least one version with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.0 storage. The battery isn’t very large at 4050mAh but supports 40W fast charging just like the Mi 9 Pro 5G.

Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha Camera

Xiaomi Mi Mix 5G is the world’s first smartphone to feature a 100MP+ resolution camera sensor. This is made possible by using the Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX 108MP camera sensor at the back of the device. The sensor was developed in close collaboration with Xiaomi, hence it’s no surprise that we are seeing it first on the Mi Mix Alpha 5G.

The 108MP primary sensor on the Mi Mix Alpha is ultra-large with a 1/1.33″ sensor. This setup is capable of outputting 12032 x 9024-pixel resolution images which will be extremely detailed. Even at 8X crop, the images retain a very high amount of detail, not usually seen from a smartphone camera.

There are two more camera sensors completing Mi Mix Alpha’s triple camera setup: A 12MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom and a 20MP ultra-wide-angle camera lens with 117° FOV. This setup also supports 1.5cm macro photography. Other features of the setup include a four-axis OIS, Laser focus, and a flicker sensor.

The first set of camera samples from the 108MP camera sensor looks extremely detailed and rich. But of course, we’ll have to wait for a decent review to see its real-life image quality.

The Mi Mix Alpha doesn’t have a selfie camera, mainly because it doesn’t need one. You can simply flip the phone to use the rear camera setup for your selfies. Honestly, it doesn’t get better than this.

Editor’s Pick: 5 Things You Should Know About Xiaomi Mi Mix 5G’s 108MP Camera Sensor

Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha Software

In order to take full advantage of the Mi Mix Alpha’s 360° surround display, Xiaomi has made some smart additions to the phone’s software. Apart from switching to selfie mode when you switch to the rear display on your phone (just like Nubia Z20), there are multiple software tricks that make the rear screen useful.

For example, irrespective of what’s on the front display, real-time AI scenario detection will allow you to carry out tasks such as booking a cab, checking out your flight and train schedule and information, as well as controlling your smart home devices right from the display at the back.

Also, you can set up the phone to light up the phone for different notifications. Even while charging the phone, the entire screen can light up, making for a beautiful experience.

Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha Pricing & Availability

It’s not surprising that the Mi Mix Alpha will be produced on a very small scale on a trial basis at first. The company has priced it at a staggering 19,999 Yuan (~$2814), which is even more than Samsung’s new foldable smartphone.

The Mi Mix Alpha prototype will be showcased at various Mi stores throughout China. Once the trial production turns out to be successful, the company will attempt to mass-produce it by the end of this year.

Honestly, the Mi Mix Alpha upholds the Mix lineup’s reputation of bringing next-generation designs to the market. But unlike the original Mix which was essentially a concept phone that you could buy (started at 3,499 yuan ~$493), the Mi Mix Alpha is out of the reach of most buyers today.

Still, are you impressed with Xiaomi’s new concept smartphone? Or do you think this design isn’t practical?

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The post Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha 5G Concept launched with a mind-blowing 360° Surround Display & 108MP Ceramic Camera Strip appeared first on Gizmochina.

A couple of weeks back, the headline ‘Xiaomi outs the new Redmi Note 7 smartphone’ would have been technically correct. But now, it’s not. Redmi is a separate brand and so is Xiaomi’s Mi.

Welcome, 2019!

Redmi’s first smartphone this year, the Redmi Note 7 turned out to be great — not like the Redmi Note 6 Pro and the Redmi 6 which were lackluster. I mean, these two phones were not bad, they were not Xiaomi good either.

See what I did there? Xiaomi has become equivalent to value and affordability. But that’s not necessarily a good thing for the recently listed company.

The decision to split Redmi from the Xiaomi family was not just for the budget focused brand. Xiaomi’s flagship brand, ‘Mi’ should eventually benefit more from this decision. So, despite the spotlight being around Redmi going independent, I think we should see the real picture here, which is ‘Mi’ getting its own niche market.

Redmi’s the Real Hero!

Xiaomi has always been popular for its budget smartphones. Heck, if you are out to buy a budget phone, chances are, you have shortlisted a bunch of Redmi phones. Indeed it was Redmi phones that drove the company’s growth to a considerable extent all these years. So it wasn’t surprising to see analysts mentioning Redmi smartphone models that helped the Beijing-based company become the fourth largest smartphone maker in the world. But the same reports often failed to mention its flagship models.

A report from Kantar World Panel reveals that Xiaomi Mi 8 was the most popular smartphone in China in Q3 2018. So, it’s clear that the company is making efforts to fix this problem. Getting its flagship smartphones to sell well is most likely a priority for the company right now. After all, high-end smartphones command better margins, unlike budget phones. And it’s not just about margins. High-end users are likely to spend more on services, boosting overall revenue.

But with Redmi and Xiaomi walking the same road, it was always going to be difficult.

Finding Your Niche

Consider Honor and Huawei. Both of them have low-end phones as well as high-end phones. Honor’s new Honor View 20 with its punch hole camera shined at CES 2019 for its high-end features. Huawei’s low-end model, like the Huawei Enjoy 9 isn’t half bad for its price. But when you think of the two brands, how do you perceive them?

It’s very likely that when you think of Huawei, you think of the premium Mate 20 series and the P20 series. In short, when you are out to buy a flagship phone in 2019, a few of Huawei’s models are automatically shortlisted. Similarly, for affordable flagships or for affordable mid-rangers, Honor’s likely in your potential list. This perception hasn’t risen just out of a phone-by-phone comparison, it is a result of both brands being very clear about where they stand.

OnePlus is a good example of a successful niche brand. Realme and POCO are some additional examples which show how focusing on a particular market segment is the way to go.

Weak Flagship Game

Xiaomi knows its flagship game isn’t strong. Yes, the Mi Mix 3 is inspiring, but how many of you are seriously considering purchasing the device? In an important market like India, Xiaomi doesn’t even have a true flagship lineup. The best selling flagship model from the company is the POCO F1. But see how it’s not associated with the Xiaomi brand? Not to mention, the POCO F1 is an affordable flagship and not a premium one. 

Oh yes, if you really look around, you’ll find that the Mi Mix 2S is available in India. But it’s not doing so well. And they haven’t even launched its successor yet. 

The existing Xiaomi Mi 8 / Mi 8 Pro lineup have capable options. Heck, with the new updates, their cameras have become better as well. But they are overshadowed by the company’s brand perception.

But with Redmi and its budget offerings being sliced out of the Xiaomi brand, they have a chance. Mi series may finally advance as a solid premium brand!

Maybe, at the end of the year, I’ll be looking at a Xiaomi flagship (possibly the Mi 9 or the Mi Mix 4) as the best smartphone of the year.

With Xiaomi making its move to strengthen its premium segment, I am pretty confident that we would see a flagship that takes on the upcoming Mates and Galaxies in the market.

What say you?

The post Xiaomi’s Flagship Game isn’t strong, but the new ‘Redmi’ could change that appeared first on Gizmochina.