Xiaomi wasn’t the first to introduce an all glass and no bezel phone, but you’ll have to agree, it was the first company, in the whole wide world, to popularise the concept. Incidentally, its first all screen and no bezel phone, the Mi Mix, was largely marketed as a concept phone: a phone that was made to show off Xiaomi’s manufacturing prowess. The Mi Mix saw limited availability but it was enough to cement Xiaomi’s name in the books of the technologically sound.

The Mi Mix 2, which was launched a year later, was all about making the concept more accessible. In terms of both design as well as availability. The Mi Mix 2S, that Xiaomi has launched this year, is all about fine tuning the concept some more, keeping in tact all the things especially in the design department that made its predecessor, the Mi Mix 2, so very likeable.

There’s a reason why it’s called the Mi Mix 2S and not the Mi Mix 3. Successor to the Mi Mix 2, the Mi Mix 2S, brings notable changes to the core hardware including ARCore support and also brings in a dual camera system that apparently crushes the iPhone X, according to Xiaomi, while carrying forward the one-of-its-kind bezel-less design of last year’s Mi Mix 2. Much like the Mi Mix 2, the Mi Mix 2S also supports global LTE bands, which means that it may be headed to India soon. Although Xiaomi wouldn’t say when.

Just like the Mi Mix 2, the Mi Mix 2S also comes with a full ceramic body and an outer frame that is carved out of 7-series aluminum alloy. The Mi Mix 2S, much like the Mi Mix 2, ships with Corning Gorilla Glass on the front and an 18K gold-plated camera rim that make it instantly stand out like a limited edition device. That is for the black version. Xiaomi will also be offering the Mi Mix 2S in white, that looks both creamy and dreamy, where the outer frame because it’s silvery is a lot more distinguishable. Also, it uses silvery accents, around the camera module as well as around the fingerprint sensor.

While the ceramic back protects against scratches in fact, the Mi Mix 2S with its ceramic body would be really hard to scratch unless you really want to, the same cannot be said about accidental drops though since ceramic is also one of the most brittle materials around the curved aluminum frame enhances grip and all-round experience. The Mix 2S may look exactly like the Mi Mix 2, but upon close observation, you’ll realise it’s not as slim and also not as light weight. There’s a considerable heft to it, in this new rendition, but rest assured there’s method to this madness. Not to mention, this also adds a hint of reassurance to the whole package: the Mi Mix 2S is as solid as ever, even more so than its predecessor and that’s a good thing.

Just like the Mi Mix 2, the Mi Mix 2S also boasts of an impressive screen-to-body ratio offering more screen without occupying a larger footprint. Because the Mi Mix 2S offers an unusual aspect ratio of 18:9, it is longer than it is wider, much like the iPhone X. Unlike the iPhone X , there is no notch here though. Sigh.

The Mi Mix 2S, for your reference, is a 5.99-inch phone but because Xiaomi has shaved off much of the bezels, it appears smaller when in the hands. Just like the Mi Mix 2, the Mi Mix 2S also doesn’t have a forehead, but only a chin. The front camera a 5-megapixel is still tucked away at the bottom. It still works in a similar fashion though, which means, much like its predecessor, clicking selfies on the Mi Mix 2S would be as frustrating, if not more. The drill remains the same. When you’re taking a selfie, you look down or simply flip the phone around. The ultrasonic proximity sensor understands that you flipped the phone, and changes the orientation of the front camera accordingly. And it does this, very fast.

Speaking of which, the Mi Mix 2S still uses an ultrasonic proximity sensor through the display, through the glass, through the whole thing. It senses when you bring your phone to your ear just like an infrared proximity sensor. Much like the Mi Mix 2, the Mi Mix 2S, also has a tiny slit up top that serves as the earpiece/secondary speaker. The Mi Mix 2S, in addition, comes with a pair of stereo speakers. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack though which means the same connectivity port USB Type-C will be used for audio out, charging and data syncing.

Elsewhere, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S comes with FHD+ 18:9 IPS LCD display with a 2160×1080 pixel resolution, which is same as the one on-board the Mi Mix 2. It’s still as bright and colourful as ever and also there’s a manual mode in addition to a built-in reading mode that turns them to the warmer end of the spectrum for night-time usage that helps bump up saturation should you be looking for more punch. The Mi Mix 2S comes with top-of-the-line specs including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, clubbed with up to 8GB of RAM. It comes with up to 256 GB of internal storage which is non-expandable. The dual-SIM phone supports 4G LTE, NFC and USB OTG.

On the software side, the Mi Mix 2S comes with Android Oreo-based MIUI 9. MIUI in its newest version adds gesture support to the Mi Mix 2S, which are more in line with what you get in the iPhone X. Swiping up from the bottom takes you to the home screen, swiping and holding takes you to recent apps, while swiping from the edge of the screen takes you back. There’s in picture-in-picture, Play protect and all the under the hood changes. There are no notification dots though.

The Mi Mix 2S is further backed by a 3,400mAh battery which is non-removable. The Mi Mix 2S also supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge and ships with a certified fast charger in the box. The Mi Mix 2S also supports Qi wireless charging. Remember how I told you the Mi Mix 2S was slightly thicker than the Mi Mix 2. Well, now you know the reason. The Mi Mix 2S, is in fact, the first Xiaomi phone to pack wireless charging out-of-the-box. Xiaomi is also announcing a wireless charger to be sold separately for RMB 99 which roughly translates to Rs 1,025. The top-end version of the Mi Mix 2S will ship with a free wireless charger in the box, Xiaomi has announced.

But coming to the real attraction here. The Mi Mix 2S comes with dual rear cameras. It’s a setup that’s similar to what we saw in Xiaomi’s Mi 6, only it has been enhanced further, according to Xiaomi, to take better low light photos. And, it comes with lots and lots of artificial intelligence.

The Mi Mix 2S comes with a dual camera setup on the rear 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel where one lens is wide-angle while the other is telephoto. The Mi Mix 2S offers 2X optical zoom and 10X digital zoom and should technically result in clearer distant shots and professional bokeh effects in portraits.
The dual camera system on-board the Mi Mix 2S is assisted with 4-axis OIS which should technically entail in more stabilised videos. The primary sensor, which is a Sony IMX363, has large 1.4um pixel size, and also there is dual pixel autofocus along with hardware-based multi-frame noise reduction. Xiaomi says the Mi Mix 2S dual camera system scored a DxOMark score of 101 for still photos and it crushes the iPhone X in almost all the departments, including videos. Last year’s Mi Mix 2 came with downright disappointing cameras. The Mi Mix 2S, in the little time that I have spent with the device, is better, nay, much better. It’s promising, and produces fairly bright and crisp photos in ideal lighting scenarios. With lots of detail and colours that are mostly true to the source. But then, I tested the Mi Mix 2s, in ideal scenarios, which means I will reserve my final verdict for when we are able to test the device in its totality.

What really adds a third dimension to Xiaomi’s new phone, as compared to its predecessor, is AI. The Mi Mix 2S can apparently detect 206 scenes across 25 categories and then accordingly it can optimise contrast and saturation in photos. The phone also supports dynamic bokeh effects, as well as live translations. The pre-production unit that we spent our time with did not have the final software and was lacking in the dedicated AI mode. The portrait feature was there and looked good for the most part, but more importantly, since this is software dependant, we can expect it to get better with time. The front camera also supports portrait selfies, only it’s software-based.

Xiaomi has launched its high-end flagship phone with a near bezel-less screen, the Mi Mix 2S, in China at a starting price of RMB 3299 which roughly translates to Rs 34,185. This is for the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage version. The top-end version with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage will meanwhile sell for RMB 3999 which roughly translates to Rs 41,438. The Mi Mix 2S will also be available in 6GB RAM and 128GB storage option for RMB 3599 which roughly translates to Rs 37,296. Just like any other Xiaomi phone, the Mi Mix 2S, also packs in a lot and somehow manages to keep the price under check. The same was true about the Mi Mix 2 as well, and that thing was launched in India at Rs 35,999. If it were not for its disappointing cameras, the Mi Mix 2S could have been one of the best buys at its price point. With the Mi Mix 2S, Xiaomi will be looking to change all that and by the looks of it, there’s a lot to look forward to in the days to come. The Mi Mix 2S, when you look at it, has it all. At the same time, it brings in features like wireless charging that were until now limited to a higher price segment. The Mi Mix 2S is all about fine tuning. Hopefully, it makes its way to India soon. Watch this space for out full review of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S in the days to come.