Not only do I review laptops, tablets and mini PC’s but also mobiles and pretty much anything else tech related. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S only recently launched, this is an update to the Xiaomi Mix 2. The chipset has been upgraded to a Snapdragon 845 (From the Snapdragon 835). The Mix 2’s rather average camera upgraded to a dual pixel phase detection autofocus unit with 1.4um pixel size and f1.9 and a secondary f2.2 12MP sensor with PDAF and 2 x zoom. It’s also the first Xiaomi to have wireless charging, it supports Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W. Below is the full video Xiaomi Mix 2S review and further down for more review notes.
Overall this is a great flagship device from Xiaomi with a definite step up in camera performance especially in low light and a mobile that is blazing fast with a premium ceramic finish and slim bezels. Just wait for the global ROM version due to be released soon and by then the audio quality and calls should have been patched in an update.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Review Notes:
- Fastest phone I’ve tested to date, the Snapdragon 845 is super quick & the UFS 2.1 storage.
- Wireless AC speeds max out around 650mbps, this is very good for a mobile phone. Maybe lower end chipsets max out around 250Mpbs or less.
- Wireless and Bluetooth range is great, one of the better ones tested.
- Call quality is average. Heavy handed noise cancellation and slightly muffled mics. Xiaomi needs to patch this. (Reminds me of the old OnePlus 3T audio in calls and video)
- Battery life is good around 4% standby battery drain in 12 hours. And almost 9 hours continuous screen on time translates into a 2 day battery life for most but the heaviest of users.
- The build and finish is perfect. Top quality. No build quality issues here!
- The ceramic finish is more durable an any Gorilla glass, but still slippery
- The included case is great, perfect fit and almost looks a part of the phone when on.
- Wireless charging works with any Qi charger, my Amazon bought 7.5W one charged the Mi Mix 2S in 2 hours 56 minutes. Lines up with Xiaomi’s under 3 hours claim, but only just!
- To fully charge the 3400mAh with the stock cable and 12v 1.5A charger took 1 hour and 39 minutes. Very quick!
- The cameras are an improvement over the Mi Mix 2, however, some work to be done here with software updates in the way of camera tweaks. The front camera overexposing most of the time, resulting in washed out backgrounds and an overly white face. Audio quality isn’t up to flagship level’s just see my below Redmi Note 5 Vs Mi 2S camera comparison and you’ll note that the Redmi Note 5’s audio is much better. Same goes for 4k video stability. 4k EIS is on but only the optical 4-axis image stabilisation is clearly working. Xiaomi needs to fix this.
- Ai Camera does have scene recognition however all it really does is boost up the saturation and brightness is an unnatural way.
- Low light photography is one of the best seen on a Xiaomi mobile. It’s a massive step up from the Mi Mix 2.
- The screen is great for an IPS, brightness peaks at 500 lux, it’s okay and readable in direct sunlight, but not the best I’ve seen. But still great.
- GPS performance is one of the best I have seen to date, locks on super quick, great signal strength, uses all the satellites it finds and accuracy always stuck to around 3m.
- The loudspeakers are decent. But not high quality, at 100% it will distort a little and I feel that even the Redmi Note 5’s loudspeaker is better.
- Audio out from the type-c to 3.5mm adapter is loud and crystal clear. Not complaints. Can drive my HyperX Cloud II’s just fine with enough volume so the AMP is up to the job. Not eardrum-shattering loud, but good enough for most I feel.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S review conclusion after more than a weeks use as my main phone.
For around $500 you can pick yourself up the Mi Mix 2S, it’s a great flagship however Xiaomi needs to patch and fix via OTA the audio quality in both voice and video. They also need to enable EIS on 4k, yes the shipset supports it, it has the power to do it. Once Xiaomi patch this you’ve got a top slim bezel mobile of 2018, before the notch smartphones hit liek the OnePlus 6, Mi 7, Zenfone 5Z etc.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Vs Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S quick camera comparison:
And since the budget Redmi Note 5 (Ai Chinese variant) has a very similar dual pixel focus camera but lacks OIS It thought it would be great to do a comparison between the two. The results are surprising, in daylight the Redmi Note 5 does an exceptional job at almost going head to head with the Mi Mix 2S in good light. And note how the Redmi Note 5 has better video stability with it’s EIS and the audio is better than the Mi Mix 2S. Hard to believe for a $230 mobile, the Redmi also has an IR transmitter, FM radio, MicroSD slot and a 3.5mm which the Mi Mix 2S lacks.
