Monster ceramic and 18k gold Mi Mix smartphone unveiled

Xiaomi has unveiled the Mi Mix, a device it bills as a “concept phone” by French designer Philipe Starck.
Starck’s credentials include designing Steve Jobs’ yacht, Venus, and refurbishing the Royal Monceau Raffles Paris luxury hotel.
The phone features a screen-to-body ratio of 91.3%, moving or removing the front camera, proximity sensor, and earpiece that usually adorn the top of a smartphone.
The Mi Mix uses cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology, allowing you to listen to calls without an earpiece.
The proximity sensor, used to switch off the display while the phone is pressed to your ear, is replaced with an ultrasonic distance sensor.
As for the front-facing camera, Xiaomi said it considered scrapping it entirely – as the device would not be targeted at the selfie-taking market.
Video calls are an important function of modern mobile devices, though, so it decided to keep the front camera – moving it to the bottom right corner of the phone.
Specifications of the Mi Mix are summarised below.
Specifications | Mi Mix |
---|---|
Maker | Xiaomi |
Operating system | Android 6 with MIUI 8 |
Display | 6.4″ (1,080 x 2,040) 17:9 aspect ratio |
Rear camera | 16MP |
Front camera | 5MP |
Storage, internal | 128GB/256GB |
RAM | 4GB/6GB |
Processor | 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 |
Battery | 4,400mAh |
Cellular data | LTE, HSPA+ |
Pricing
The Mi Mix and its leather case will be priced as follows in China:
- Mi Mix (4GB RAM + 128GB storage): CN¥3,499 (R7,129)
- Mi Mix with 18k trim (6GB RAM + 256GB storage): CN¥3,999 (R8,147)
- Mi Mix leather case: CN¥299 (R609)