Xiaomi Unfurls Mi Note 2 and concept smartphone Mi MIX

China based smartphone brand, Xiaomi has announced its new flagship Mi Note 2 and the concept phone Mi MIX.

Xiaomi also announced its first virtual reality headset with an inertial motion controller — Mi VR.

Mi Note 2 is the company’s latest flagship with two-sided dual curves, a beautiful successor to its widely-lauded Mi Note. Xiaomi has been pushing the boundaries of innovation over and over again by featuring breakthrough technologies in its series of smartphones. Mi Note, announced in 2015, was one of the first smartphones in the industry to make use of 3D glass on the back.

Mi Note 2 takes that to the next level with the use of 3D glass on both the front and back. At the same time, Xiaomi unveiled Mi MIX, a breathtaking work of art that surpasses existing innovations in the smartphone industry, jointly developed with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck.

Mi MIX is a concept phone with a never-seen-before edgeless design, resulting in a stunning custom 17:9 display with a 91.3% screen-to-body ratio, the highest on any smartphone in the world.

Lei Jun, CEO and co-founder of Xiaomi, said: “Xiaomi is in a position to explore the frontiers of innovation and deliver even more amazing features to our users. We are truly excited at the limitless possibilities that technology presents to us. Mi Note 2 takes our flagship lineup to the next level, and Mi MIX is a glimpse at what the phone of the future looks like.”

Mi Note 2 will be available in two colors — Piano Black and Glacier Silver — from RMB 2799 starting 1 November. Mi MIX will be available from RMB 3499 starting 4 November in China. During the event today, Lei Jun also announced Mi VR for RMB 199. Mi VR features a dedicated motion sensor and system-level optimizations for 16ms ultra-low latency, which significantly minimizes motion sickness in virtual reality. Mi VR also ships with a 9-axis inertial motion controller with touch controls, which supports a full range of motion.

Mi Note 2: Curved to impress

In addition to inheriting Mi Note's original 3D curved glass back, Mi Note 2 uses an innovative flexible OLED display that also allows it to have a 3D curved glass panel on the front. An aluminum frame connects the front and back curved glass seamlessly for a beautiful aesthetic and a wider field of vision.

With a screen-to-body ratio of 77.2%, videos and images look stunning on the immersive 5.7- inch full-HD display of Mi Note, which has a 110% NTSC colour gamut and a high contrast ratio of 100,000:1.

The main camera on Mi Note 2 uses the 22.56-megapixel Sony IMX318 sensor for highresolution images with stunning clarity with an f/2.0 aperture and a 77-degree wide angle lens. It also supports 4K video recording with electronic image stabilization for the highest quality movies.

Mi Note 2 is powered by the latest 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, offering up to 10% higher speed over the already blazing-fast Snapdragon 820. Mi Note 2 also comes with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, as well as a dedicated audio processor for HD audio quality.

With GPS high precision sensor-assisted positioning (SAP), location services are more accurate and reliable on Mi Note 2. Even when going through a tunnel without a good GPS signal, SAP continues to provide navigation and helps to keep users on track. Despite its ultra thin profile, Mi Note 2 is equipped with a massive 4070mAh battery, with support for Quick Charge 3.0. Mi Note 2 also supports NFC with full read/write functionality for functions such as mobile payment and recharging transport cards.

Specially made for the jetsetting lifestyle, Xiaomi also announced a global version of Mi Note 2 with 37 global network bands, including 22 LTE bands. This means that users will never have to worry about getting a 4G connection wherever they go, including the United States.

Key specs of Mi Note 2:

• Two-sided dual 3D curved glass
• 5.7-inch full-HD OLED display, 110% NTSC colour gamut, 100,000:1 contrast ratio
• Up to 6GB LPDDR4 RAM; up to 128GB UFS 2.0 storage
• 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
• High-capacity 4070mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0
• 22.56MP rear camera, 4K video recording with electronic image stabilization
• Mi Note 2 Global supports 37 bands for global roaming, including 22 LTE bands
• High-precision GPS with sensor-assisted positioning
• Full NFC functionality: Read, write, card emulation, P2P

Mi Note 2 will be available in China starting November 1 from Mi.com and Mi Home stores, starting at RMB 2799 for the 4GB+64GB version. The 6GB+128GB version and 6GB+128GB Global version will retail at RMB 3299 and RMB 3499 respectively.

Mi MIX: Concept phone with revolutionary edgeless design

Xiaomi has explored the frontiers of innovation to create an edgeless design on Mi MIX, putting a new spin on the typical smartphone form factor to create a beautiful work of art with incredible craftsmanship.

With a 6.4-inch screen, Mi MIX has an ultra-high 91.3% screen-to-body ratio made possible because of new innovations that do away with the physical earpiece speaker and proximity sensor on Mi MIX. With the use of piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology, in which a ceramic drive unit converts electrical signals into mechanical energy, Mi MIX is able to let users listen to calls even without an earpiece speaker. An ultrasonic proximity sensor is built into Mi MIX and sits behind the display, replacing the traditional front-facing infrared proximity sensor.

Other innovations that make the 91.3% screen-to-body ratio possible include a front camera module that is 50% smaller than typical front camera sensors, located at the bottom right corner of the phone. Mi MIX also features a display with rounded edges at the corners of the screen and a custom 17:9 aspect ratio that maximizes screen space for a better content viewing
experience.

With a full ceramic body — including the back and sides, as well as the buttons — Mi MIX features a minimalist design that has been jointly developed with world-renowned designer Philippe Starck. Equipped with a Snapdragon 821 processor (up to 2.35GHz), Mi MIX is as powerful as it is beautiful. It also has a 4400mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0.

Mi MIX comes in two configurations: a 4GB + 128GB standard version which retails for RMB

3499 and a special limited edition RMB 3999 version — Mi MIX 18K — featuring 6GB of RAM, 256GB of UFS2.0 storage, as well as 18-karat gold rims around the rear camera and fingerprint sensor.

Key specs of Mi MIX:
• 6.4-inch display with edgeless design, ultra-high 91.3% screen-to-body ratio
• Full ceramic body: Back cover, frame, and buttons
• Custom 17:9 display, 16:9 viewing area even with soft keys
• Up to 6GB LPDDR4 RAM; up to 256GB UFS 2.0 storage
• 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
• High-capacity 4400mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0
• 16MP PDAF rear camera, 5MP front camera
• High-precision GPS with sensor-assisted positioning
• Full NFC functionality: Read, write, card emulation, P2P