Ordered a Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, user review coming soon

[Fire&Blood]

My opo served great for most of the 3 &1/2 years I've had it but it's time to move on. I was eyeing the 2017 bestsellers, got fed up with limitations and quirks of available flagships and decided to take a different option.

Xiaomi does not sell directly to the US market, yet. Had to go through a third party to make the order.
The phone is sold locally for ~$510 with today's currency conversion.

Basic info and specs:
Display: 5.99 inch, 2160 x 1080 pixels screen
CPU: Snapdragon 835 2.45GHz Octa Core, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage
System: MIUI 9
Camera: 12.0MP rear camera + 5.0MP front camera

Introduction and walk-through of the features video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOnNXJs6FUU

 

[core2slow]

I was disappointed that it didn't retain that 6.4in. I'm equally disappointed that it didn't come with dual cameras and at least 4000mah battery.

Let us know you like it!

 

[Fire&Blood]

After a week of testing (and switching over to project fi) I'm very pleased with the phone. I did upgrade from a 2014 OPO so it was easy to be impressed but after quick hands on comparisons with typical contenders, (S8, G6) I still feel the mix 2 is the best option at $500. I do miss the headphone jack a little (will miss it more if/when I lose the adapter). Unlocking the bootloader and initial setup deviate from what one is used to with phones sold in the US but it was worth it.

Build quality is excellent. The phone feels very thin, even with the case on that's included in the package. I've already ordered a sturdy case that should protect the screen better since the included case has no "lip" to protect the screen. In addition, it should make the grip more comfortable, it really feels thin.

In terms of performance, snapdragon 835 delivers, MIUI hasn't held it back, no lag issues so far. Both cameras have been impressive but then again, I missed the progress phones made in the past 3 years, to users that have kept up with phones the cameras are likely less impressive. Battery life is excellent so far, network function as well. Nothing stood out with audio quality either.

The other flagships are likely better phones overall but if you value easy unlocking/rooting and want the flagship characteristics at the $500 price point, the list of competitors is rather short. Owning a rare, imported phone is icing on the cake.

 

[Elixer]

Unlocking the bootloader and initial setup deviate from what one is used to with phones sold in the US but it was worth it.

Can you elaborate a bit on the unlocking of the bootloader?

 

[lopri]

It looks like a worthy contender. A bargain even, considering the absurd pricing of recent flagships by the established players. I still want to read some objective measurements on display quality, network performance/compatibility, notification handling, battery endurance, etc.

 

[Fire&Blood]

Regarding unlocking bootloader: You have to create a mi account, fill out a request describing why you want to unlock the bootloader. It's nearly automatic and almost 100% approval rate but still, a unnecessary hoop to jump. Once request is approved (typically within 15 minutes) you have access to the unlock tool however you must bind the device to the mi account in settings. To do this, you have to use a VPN to a mainland China location (plexvpn/Shanghai) and if it's your first request, there is a 72 hour countdown until it can be unlocked.

It looks like a worthy contender. A bargain even, considering the absurd pricing of recent flagships by the established players. I still want to read some objective measurements on display quality, network performance/compatibility, notification handling, battery endurance, etc.

I don't the equipment nor the needed range of devices for any kind of meaningful comparisons. Plenty of reviews out there though, may help form an opinion. All I can contribute is that miui takes some getting used to, is quirky (two finger swipe previews notifications, 3 finger swipe takes screenshot) and this:

 

[core2slow]

I gotta say, that's an okay SOT for a phone who sits idle. What's the SOT you ended up with before it had to be plugged in?

 

[Fire&Blood]

There was a long browsing session, (was researching smartwatches) some 30 minutes gaming and reading a book, you can see the steeper decline for that period. I plugged the phone in soon after the screenshot. I think 6 hours SOT is doable but will drop you to 25% or lower.

Your mileage may vary, I'll quote a gentleman from a mix 2 discussion:

EU rom, 4G and wifi mixed usage, 20mins of calls, lot of games/youtube/browsing/telegram/whatsapp/push email etc.
And we are at the 3rd ROM release only from Xiaomi.eu...