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Hands-on with the Mi MIX 3 — third time’s the charm?
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Hands-on with the Mi MIX 3 — third time’s the charm?

by Vyncent ChanOctober 30, 2018
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Yes, I know the Mi MIX 3 isn’t the third device in Xiaomi’s Mi MIX family. But it is the one which bears the “3” numbering, unlike the Mi MIX 2S which was more of an iterative upgrade over the Mi MIX 2, despite the huge gap in specifications. So what does the Mi MIX 3 bring to the table?

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For starters, there are the new colors. The Mi MIX device are traditionally offered in black, with white variants offered as special editions or limited runs. The Mi MIX 3 drops the white variant (will it possibly come as a special edition?), but adds Jade Green and Sapphire Blue. One thing which you might realize is that the colors are very muted here as compared to in the press renders, but it looks a lot better under better lighting, as you will see in the next photos.

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Here’s the back of the Sapphire Blue variant under natural lighting. Xiaomi has dropped the “MIX designed by Xiaomi” tagline, instead opting for a new “MIX by Xiaomi” label. The fingerprint scanner is set very shallowly in the ceramic back of the Mi MIX 3, while the dual rear camera configuration in the upper left corner is maintained from the older Mi MIX 2S. The device is also more curved, bearing more similarities to the Xiaomi Mi 8 than the Mi MIX 2’s sleek lines.

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Flipping the device over to the front, you will find that the signature chin on the Mi MIX series is now gone. Xiaomi’s ambition to go full bezel-less with the Mi MIX series has been realized, and there are no notches or motorized mechanisms used to achieve that. That’s because Xiaomi has used a patented magnetic sliding mechanism to hide the front facing cameras.

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The sliding mechanism feels very sturdy, and has no free-play or wobble at all. It slides right into position with mild force, and slides right back without a wobble. The sliding mechanism can be used to trigger various functions, but as of now, the Mi MIX 3 is ready to take selfies in just a slide.

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We believe this decision will sit very well with the fairer sex. Selfies taken with the older Mi MIX smartphones generally look rather unpresentable, because of the position of the front facing camera. Now with the selfie camera in the right place, and more accessible than ever, this device should fly right off the shelves into women’s handbags. And did we mention that it comes with a 24MP front facing camera? That’s the highest resolution selfie camera Xiaomi has ever equipped their smartphones with! There’s even a 2MP secondary camera to enable fancy background effects, as well as a softlight for better images in poor lighting.

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The Malaysian price of the Mi MIX 3 has yet to be confirmed, but we have been informed that the device will be brought in to Malaysia very soon. We love that the device will be coming with a wireless charger in the box, which means there is no need to purchase additional hardware to take advantage of the 10W wireless charging in the Mi MIX 3.

Well, as a fan of exotic materials, the Mi MIX 3 has surely gotten me smitten. What about you? Have you fallen for the allure of the Mi MIX 3? Let us know in the comments!

About The Author
Vyncent Chan
Technology enthusiast, casual gamer, pharmacy graduate. Strongly opposes proprietary standards and always on the look out for incredible bang-for-buck.
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