Standing apart

CHINESE phone manufacturers used to stand out by designing smartphones that broke the rules of conventional design.
But most of them today are indistinguishable from each other. Then comes something like the Mi Mix 2S.
The first Mi Mix was one of the first smartphones to pioneer the concept of a bezel-less screen, and it had a gorgeous 17:9 6.4in display.
What was astonishing was it did this without using a notch and taking away any screen space from the user.
The Mi Mix 2S continues this tradition, making it still one of the most distinguishable smartphones in the market.
Even before turning on the phone, the Mi Mix 2S makes a good impression in the hand, with its ceramic back design. It feels different from glass or aluminium, glossy yet not slippery, and neither warm nor cold to the touch.
Put on the included phone cover, and the phone gets a nice velvety feel that is surprisingly not prone to dust and lint.
The display is a 5.9in screen that almost overflows to the top and sides of the phone. This gives the Mi Mix series its unique look.
Here, users will get to enjoy the full screen and not be short-changed by a notch.
However, the phone’s screen resolution is only a standard FHD+, or in other words, full high-definition, plus a bit extra to fill up the 2:1 aspect ratio display. A higher resolution screen would have been beautiful.
As a result of the design, the front-facing camera of the Mi Mix 2S is at the bottom of the phone. This is a very awkward position for anyone who is used to the camera being at the top of their device, and it comes with its own challenges.
The solution offered by Xiaomi is to turn the phone upside down.
However, this only works with its built-in camera app, and not with other apps such as Instagram.
Speaking of the camera, the Mi Mix 2S main shooter is a dual-camera system with an optical zoom. The images produced are good, presentable, and can go head-to-head with pictures taken with phones at almost double its price.
My biggest hurdle when using the Mi Mix 2S is its user interface. Its lack of an app drawer, odd choice of words in its menus, and its sometimes overbearing memory management app, to me, feels like it has not yet fully matured.
That said, a user interface is a personal preference. I have also met many people who would not have it any other way, and are loyal to Xiaomi because of MIUI (the company’s proprietary Android interface).
For RM1,999, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S gives you 6GB memory, 64GB storage, and the Qualcomm 845 processor.
All things considered, this is a lot of value for the asking price, and makes this phone a good candidate for those looking for a smartphone with flagship features, but without the demanding price tag.