Smartphone design has stagnated. If you're using Apple as a measuring stick for the industry, we're going to have three years of iPhones that use an identical case design. If you're going by Samsung, the company hasn't tweaked its front design since the Galaxy S5 in 2014. Google just produced its first self-branded smartphone hardware ever, and it didn't have anything significant to say when it comes to smartphone design either.
Not everyone in the industry seems so content with the status quo, though. For a different take on smartphone design, we look to China, where Xiaomi has just introduced a phone with a jaw-dropping design that maximizes screen real estate above all else. The Xiaomi Mi Mix is the company's look at "the future of smartphones." While it's being called a "concept phone," it's actually for sale for the shockingly low price of $516. Forget about buying it, though—Xiaomi is selling the Mi Mix in Chinaonly. Even if you could pay a premium to import it, it sadly lacks important LTE bands for service in the US.
Still... just look at that design! The Mi Mix looks like one of those incredibly unrealistic fan renders, but it's a real phone I was able to spend the last week with. There have been tons of questions about the practicality of something like this and what tradeoffs are involved. Is all-screen actually a good idea? More importantly, is this really the future of smartphones ?| Screen | 2040×1080 6.4" (362ppi) IPS LCD |
|---|---|
| OS | Android 6.0 with Miui 8 |
| CPU | Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (two 2.35GHz Kryo cores and two 2.12 GHz Kryo cores) |
| RAM | Standard: 4GB
"18K" version: 6GB
|
| GPU | Adreno 530 |
| STORAGE | Standard: 128GB"18K" version: 256GB |
| NETWORKING | 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC |
| BANDS | GSM: B2, 3, 5, 8 WCDMA: B1, 2, 5, 8 CDMA: BC0 TD-SCDMA: B34, 39 FDD-LTE: B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 TD-LTE: B38, 39, 40, 41 |
| PORTS | USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| CAMERA | 16MP rear camera, 5MP front camera |
| SIZE | 158.8 x 81.9 x 7.9 mm (6.25 x 3.22 x 0.31 in) |
| WEIGHT | 209 g (7.37 oz) |
| BATTERY | 4400 mAh |
| STARTING PRICE | Standard: ~ $516
"18K" version: ~$590
|
| OTHER PERKS | Fingerprint sensor, notification LED |
