Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S: a new champion enters the arena

Presentation

Xiaomi remains very aggressive in terms of prices, even in Europe. The Mi Mix 2S is sold at € 499, making it one of the cheapest high-end smartphones on the market. It is therefore placed in front of the OnePlus 6 (€ 519) which will be one of its fiercest competitors. The Honor View 10 is also a serious opponent for the Xiaomi terminal. The biggest obstacle that the Mi Mix 2S may encounter in Spain remains the lack of awareness of the Chinese brand, which must build an image in Spain. With such a standard bearer, Xiaomi in any case puts the odds on its side.

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Ergonomics and design

After a first Mi Mix which had marked the spirits by the "almost borderless" aspect of its screen, Xiaomi comes back to the task with this Mi Mix 2S which uses the same recipe. While most manufacturers on the market seem to have bowed to the notch, the Mi Mix 2S is resisting. On three of its sides, the screen displays a border of only 2 mm. Only the lower border is a little more imposing. This allows the display to occupy approximately 82% of the front face of the terminal, a score among the highest on the market. This does not mean that the Mi Mix 2S can be used with one hand, given its screen of almost 6 inches (15.2 cm).

The choice to dismiss the notch still has a somewhat unfortunate consequence. Indeed, the front photo module is found in an impractical location, forcing to turn the camera over to capture a self-portrait. If you don't put it upside down when taking a selfie, the Mi Mix 2S will especially highlight your chin.

As often with Xiaomi, the finishes do not suffer from any defect. The Mi Mix 2S displays elegant simplicity. It sports a ceramic back which has the merit of not retaining fingerprints, at least on the white version that we are testing. The slightly rounded edges of the rear face make it comfortable in the hand. The metal surround also contributes to the elegance of the device.

The back accommodates a fingerprint reader which falls perfectly under the index finger when the smartphone is taken in hand. However, you have to deal with its inaccessibility when the Mi Mix 2S is placed on a table, for example. The terminal can carry 2 nano SIM cards, but does not offer the possibility of memory expansion by microSD. It is also a shame that Xiaomi has not opted for a waterproofing certification, which has become essential on the high end.

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Screen

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S opts for a screen in IPS panel of 5.99 inches (15.21 cm) diagonal. It displays a Full HD + definition of 2,160 x 1,080 px, for an 18: 9 ratio and a resolution of 403 ppi. The latter is sufficient for a precise display in almost all uses. We can regret that the Mi Mix 2S did not opt for an Oled technology; the screen therefore sees its contrast ratio cap at 1,214: 1, an average value for IPS technology. This is the only real criticism that can be made on the display of the Xiaomi.

Indeed, with a maximum brightness of 490 cd / m² and a light reflection rate of 12%, readability in full sun is perfectly guaranteed. In the dark, the Mi Mix 2S does not burn the retinas of its user, the brightness can drop to 2.1 cd / m².

Xiaomi is not outdone when it comes to taking care of the colorimetry of its screens. To get the best result, you have to go to the display settings and choose the "Default contrast" mode - which is not selected by default. Once you choose this setting, you get an excellent Delta E at 1.3 and a perfect color temperature at 6,480 K.

Reactivity side, we note a tactile delay of 89 ms, in the average, and a correct afterglow at 16 ms.

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Performances

By choosing to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, Xiaomi ensures its Mi Mix 2S high performance. Nothing can resist the beast, which swallows all the tasks that are submitted to it without showing the slightest sign of weakness. With its 6 GB of RAM, the Xiaomi smartphone easily juggles with applications.

The Adreno 630 graphics chip remains one of the most powerful on the market. It allows the Mi Mix 2S to run all the games in the Play Store in the best possible conditions of fluidity and graphic quality. A real treat for lovers of mobile games.

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Audio

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S has entered the caste of smartphones without a 3.5mm jack. As more and more often, you will have to opt for a wireless headset or use the USB-C adapter supplied in the box. Our measures relate to the latter and it gives rather satisfaction. The power delivered opens the doors to even greedy helmets, without leaving space for distortion. The dynamic range measured is among the widest in our comparison, the rendering of the stereo image is however slightly below.

The speakers are a little less pleasing. The power is there, of course, but the precision drops significantly past 70% of the maximum volume. Above all, there is a clear imbalance in the stereo, with one speaker much more powerful than the other. Whether for movies or music, the result is not optimal.

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Photo

Xiaomi highly praises the performance of its Mi Mix 2S in photos. The terminal is based on an essential duo of photo modules on the back. The main module combined with 12 Mpx sensor and stabilized optics, equivalent 26 mm and opening at f / 1.8. The second module is composed of a 12 Mpx sensor also, but smaller than the first, and a non-stabilized optic, equivalent 46 mm and opening at f / 2.4.

With the first module, the Mi Mix 2S proves that Xiaomi is perfectly in the race. In broad daylight, there is a good amount of detail and above all excellent dynamics. The image processing used by the Mix Mix 2S is very satisfactory because it does not take advantage of the accentuation found in many competitors. The shots are natural and the image edges retain a good sharpness. If there was a criticism to be made of this Mi Mix 2S, it is the slowness of the animation that the interface performs after each capture (to show that the photo has been taken and make it appear in thumbnail), this which slows down the camera a bit in its ability to chain photos.

Doing well in broad daylight is a given for many high-end smartphones. The real difficulty lies in the ability to be good in low light. An exercise in which the Mi Mix 2S is far from being ridiculous. Xiaomi is going against the grain of the market with its image processing. Many use a mixture of smoothing and accentuation, bringing out the contours but erasing the small details. The Xiaomi terminal retains more electronic noise, without damaging the small details, which are better preserved here than with the Honor View 10 for example.

The second module presented as offering 2x zoom is a clear notch below the first. The results in broad daylight suffer from electronic noise and a clear lack of detail. The Mi Mix 2S does worse here than an iPhone X. In low light, the result is also poor. We note that Xiaomi is one of the only manufacturers not to opt for a digital zoom when the brightness is insufficient. A choice that is not successful.

For video, the Mi Mix 2S can climb to a UHD definition. The result remains more satisfactory in Full HD, with less afterglow and better managed exposure transitions. The follow-up of development is for its part rather effective.

The 5MP front sensor seems to have been somewhat forgotten in history. In addition to its positioning which forces you to put your smartphone upside down to use it, the captured photos are not the best we have seen. The Mi Mix 2S is quite easily dazzled by strong lights due to hazardous exposure management.

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Autonomy

The optimization work done by Xiaomi on its Mix 2S is very good. Despite its muscular configuration, the terminal delivers a good performance in terms of endurance. On our SmartViser test protocol, the Mi Mix 2S lasted no less than 3:50 pm, an excellent score which places it just behind Honor View 10 and Huawei P20 Pro. However, it distances to Samsung Galaxy S9 +. In practice, the Mi Mix 2S will survive for two full days in standard use. In case of more intensive use, it will have no trouble finishing the day.

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Conclusion

Xiaomi offers an excellent smartphone with its Mi Mix 2S. People allergic to the notches that swarm in smartphone screens will be thrilled with a terminal that has almost everything good. A more than serious competitor for the Honor View 10. Very good omen for the French market.

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