If you want more proof that the smartphones we routinely see in the US aren’t quite as exciting as the smartphones other countries have to choose from, take a look at the brand new Xiaomi MIX 4. Not only does this phone have a durably elegant and lightweight ceramic unibody, but it also has a 6.67’’ AMOLED full-screen display with the latest CUP (Camera Under Panel) technology. That means there’s no blacked-out front-facing camera area when you’re looking at the display. But there is plenty more to be impressed by with this latest Xiaomi device.
The Xiaomi MIX 4 also features a laundry list of top-tier specifications, including the Snapdragon 888+ 5G Mobile Platform, a 4,500mAh battery with MTW technology, 120W wired fast charging (21 minutes to 100% in default mode or 15 minutes to 100% in Boost Mode), 50W wireless fast charging (45 minutes to 100% in default mode or 28 minutes to 100% in Boost Mode), a 3D curved display with 10-bit TrueColor, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 480Hz touch sampling rate. But wait … there’s more.
The Xiaomi MIX 4 has a system-level AI Translation that not only translates text or photos but it also translates and transcribes audio when you want it to! The smartphone will automatically generate “real-time on-device translations and subtitles that can be used for communicating between languages.”
It also has a custom 1014 linear top speaker and 1216P linear bottom speaker with sound by Harman Kardon.
The release from Xiaomi doesn’t specify which Android version it will ship with. I’m guessing it will be Android 11 with the latest MIUI 12.5 rather than MIUI 12, which I experienced on the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G I reviewed earlier this year.
As for cameras, the Xiaomi MIX 4’s front-facing camera is a 20-megapixel, which, as I already mentioned, uses CUP Technology, so there’s no round hole removing any of the visible areas on the front display when the camera isn’t in use. All you’ll see is a continuation of the display and whatever you’re looking at until it’s time to use that camera.
On the rear, the MIX 4 has a 108MP main camera that they say will provide “ultra-clear image quality with extreme clarity.” So even when you zoom in on your photos taken, you’ll see clear details and textures — perfect for interesting cropping.
The 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera has an optical free-form lens that should keep you from getting those weird photos with wide-angle distortion. The 8-megapixel periscope camera supports 5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom.
The Xiaomi MIX 4 will be available in four memory variants, including 8GB RAM with 128GB user memory, 8GB RAM with 256GB user memory, 12GB Ram with 256GB user memory, and 12GB RAM with 512GB user memory. It will come in your choice of three colors, including Ceramic Black, Ceramic White, and the most fascinating one to me — Ceramic Gray, which was inspired by China’s Song Dynasty porcelain.
Xiaomi uses rare earth metals as colorants with green and light blue color tones to may the Ceramic Gray version; even if it’s likely to be covered by a case, I’ll bet it’s simply gorgeous in person.
Xiaomi MIX 4 sales will start on August 16th at 10 am in Mainland China via official Xiaomi channels. Its price will start at CNY 4,999 for the 8GB RAM with 128GB user storage, around $771 with today’s conversion rates. The 8GB RAM and 256GB user storage model will sell for CNY 5,299, or about $817; the 12GB RAM with 256GB user storage model will be CNY 5,799, or about $894. If you opt for the 12GB RAM with 512GB user storage, you’ll be looking at CNY 6,299, or about $971 — which seems quite reasonable considering the flagship specs.
Xiaomi doesn’t release their phones in the US, so it won’t be easy to get your hands on if you’re as intrigued as I am. But man, I’m interested!
