Xiaomi has been teasing the flagship Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 for a while now, but the phone is now official.
A successor to the original Xiaomi Mi MIX that was released late last year, the new phone picks up from where its predecessor left with a magnificent bezel-less design and massive raw power under the hood, much more like the Galaxy Note 8.
While Samsung might have taken all the attention with the Infinity Display design of the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 that also leaves close to no bezels on the phones, in fact, it’s Xiaomi that started this whole madness with the Mi MIX, but the Mi MIX 2 is even better.
Although a little smaller in size at 5.99 inches with a Full HD+ resolution, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 still keeps the same bezel-less design language you see on the original Mi MIX. However, the bottom bezel is much thinner than last year’s model, which makes the new phone much smaller in size, although this bezel still houses the front-facing camera. Like the LG G6 and Galaxy S8/Note 8, you get an aspect ratio of 18:9. The phone is built into an ultra slim aluminum body that the company says is 2.5% thinner than its predecessor.
In terms of specs, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is a beast. The phone, just like Samsung Galaxy Note 8, packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor mated with a massive 6GB RAM. In terms of storage, the MI MIX 2 has three options of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, same story as the Note 8. However, you don’t get a dual lens camera on the back, rather, there’s a single 12MP Sony IMX 386 sensor, the same unit used on the Xiaomi Mi 6. The front also gets the same 8MP sensor for selfies.
Given the phone supports an impressive 43 bands, it shouldn’t be a problem using it here in Kenya, however, getting hold of it might be a problem, but not impossible. There’s also a special variant of the Mi MIX 2 with a ceramic design and a whopping 8GB RAM, same as what the OnePlus 5 rocks.
Perhaps Xiaomi is wary of what happened with the Galaxy Note 7 and thus has reduced the battery capacity of the Mi MIX 2 to 3400mAh, down from 4400mAh on the original model. This supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology via the latest USB-C port.
Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 price in Kenya
Right now, you can grab the original Xiaomi Mi MIX at Ksh 55,000 for the 4GB/128GB variant and Ksh 63,000 for the 6GB/256GB variant. These are decent price tags, but you’ll be even more surprised at what the new Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 is priced at in China.
The base model, which has 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, is priced at 3299 Yuan, which translates to about Ksh 52,000, while the 128GB variant is priced at 3599 Yuan or about Ksh 57,000. As for the high-end 6GB RAM and 256GB storage, you’ll have to shell out 3999 Yuan, which equates to Ksh 63,000. As pointed out earlier, there’s a special edition with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, but this one is more costly at 4699 Yuan or about Ksh 75,000, which is still Ksh 30,000 cheaper than the Galaxy Note 8’s price in Kenya.
Note that, however, these will not be the prices of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 when it hits the Kenyan market. We all know Xiaomi doesn’t have an established market around here and in fact, getting hold of a Xiaomi phone can be a problem. Fortunately, Avechi has a good number of them, including the original Mi MIX, the new Mi 6 as well as the flagship Mi Note 2, which has also been replaced by a new Xiaomi Mi Note 3, but their prices might be quite different than what the company charges for the phones back in China.
We’ll keep an eye on the developments of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 and let you know when the phone comes to Kenya. Stay tuned.
