The notch is so yesterday. Sliders are in. I’m talking about today’s smartphones, of course. And there’s none quite like Xiaomi’s new Mi MIX 3. The beautiful, award-winning Mi MIX series features a sexy magnetic slider mechanism that gives consumers exactly what they want – an all-screen display.
We’ve seen some pretty innovative phones last year, first out of the gate with the vivo NEX and its “elevating camera.” The motorised sliding camera on the OPPO Find X still takes the cake, in my opinion.
Xiaomi’s execution isn’t quite as complicated, and the slider isn’t motorised. That’s not to say it isn’t cool. The Mi MIX 3 uses a patented slider that incorporates neodymium magnets. When the screen is slid down, the magnetic mechanism kicks in and snaps the upper body into place. The upper body houses the selfie shooter and antenna, and allows them to tuck neatly, hidden out of sight when not in use. This means you get to enjoy the maximum full-screen display.
Also it solves one of the pain points (especially for me) which is the stupidly placed selfie camera at the bottom corner of the device.
Moving on, Xiaomi says the life expectancy of the slider mechanism is 300,000 cycles, as vigorously tested its labs.
The cool thing about the slider is that it’s customisable. You can slide open the phone to answer calls or set it to launch different functions. There’s also a special in-game function which allows you to access screen capture, screen recorder, or hide notifications during gameplay by using the slider.
The Mi MIX 3 boasts a 6.39-inch FHD+ AMOLED display (2340×1080) with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9.
It’s hard to not talk about design and material build when it comes to the Mi MIX series. The first Mi MIX concept, designed by renowned designer Phillipe Starck, made ceramic on phones sexy. Four generations on, the Mi MIX 3 does not disappoint with its elegant, beautiful ceramic back.
Xiaomi offers three colour options: Onyx Black, Jade Green and Sapphire Blue.
For the first time, Xiaomi is including a dedicated AI button the left side of the phone. This button can be used to invoke Google Assistant or can be customised to perform different functions.
The great things about the Mi MIX 3 is its support for Qi wireless charging. The phone comes with a 10W wireless charger in its retail box.
Under the hood, the Mi MIX 3 is a powerhouse, engaging the services of Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 845 with up to 6GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of storage.
In the camera department, you’ll find a familiar 12MP + 12MP f/1.8 rear dual camera (same on the Mi 8) with 4-axis OIS and Dual Pixel autofocus.
The front gets an impressive 24MP + 2MP dual-camera with a Sony IMX576 main sensor. The sensor uses Super Pixel technology that can combine four pixels into one 1.8-micron pixel for better quality images.
The Mi MIX 3 scores an impressive DxOMark photo score of 108, making it one of the best smartphones for photography in the market today.
Pricing and availability
The Mi MIX 3 will be available starting 12 January 2019, with the Onyx Black option going for MYR2,199. The Jade Green and Sapphire Blue colourways retail for MYR2,299. All options come in a 6GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration.
The device will be available online at Xiaomi’s Flagship Store on Lazada, Mi Official Store on Shopee, as well as offline Authorised Mi Stores.
