What’s so special about Xiaomi’s new US$2,800 Mi Mix Alpha phone?
Chinese tech trailblazers Xiaomi have launched an unconventional and wildly expensive new mobile phone called the Mi Mix Alpha. The selling point is the screen covers more than 180 per cent of the phone’s body. What does that even mean?
Well, it’s a bit of a cheat as nothing can cover 180 per cent of anything; what it means is the screen stretches around the back and sides of the phone. Up front is a bezel-less display, and that display wraps right around the back, only stopping at a band that houses the rear-facing, 108-megapixel camera – also a first in a mobile phone.
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Xiaomi states up front that its inspiration for the Mi Mix Alpha stemmed from the fact that full-screen displays have become “standard configuration” among smartphones, which is Xiaomi-talk for “boring”. The company says its mission was “to make a truly disruptive product without considering the costs and return” – the sort of talk that makes us prick up our ears.
The body of the phone is comprised of titanium alloy, ceramics and sapphire – a combination of tip-top nerd-grade materials that put this device firmly in the luxury bracket. The phone is, of course, 5G ready, and under the hood sports a Snapdragon 855 chip, plus 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage – which you’ll need to handle those 108 megapixel images.
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Given the screen’s huge expanse, we had some concerns about battery life: the 4,050mAH battery is larger than most on the market, but it’ll have exponentially more demand placed upon it. Happily, however, the phone features 40W wired fast charging, so at least you’ll be able to top it up quickly.
What’s that? Oh, you’re ready to part with your money already? Well we’re sorry, but you’re just going to have to wait: the Mi Mix Alpha doesn’t come out until December, and only then in limited quantities. Hope you saved up, because it will retail for RMB 19,999 (US$2,807).
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The Chinese company wanted to create a smartphone ‘without considering the costs and return’ – which resulted in a $2,800 handset with bezel-less display and longer battery life