Xiaomi announced Tuesday, its most ambitious endeavor to date, the Mi Mix Alpha 5G smartphone, which features a screen that wraps around the entire body of the device.
With a 180.6 percent screen-to-body ratio, the Mi Mix Alpha 5G is a curveball (pun intended) in the foldable smartphone era, taking what thus far has been the biggest hindrance to the new form factor, fragile, malleable screens, and making the display as accessible and functional as possible, while still being unique.
The Surround Display, as Xiaomi calls it has allowed the manufacturer to minimize the top and bottom bezels of the smartphone and to get rid of all of the device’s physical buttons. Packing the device with new technology, Xiaomi enabled pressure-sensitive touchscreen buttons on the sides of the handset as well as a linear motor to give the feel of physical buttons. The manufacturer also developed a mechanism that will serve as the earpiece receiver and proximity sensor for the smartphone.
At first glance, the Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha 5G is rather reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, which used is curved side to house device vitals and notifications. It also has a hint of similarity to the Meizu Zero “holeless smartphone,” which was supposed to have pressure-sensitive touch screen buttons before it was outed as a publicity stunt.
Much like Samsung’s first curved screen endeavor, the Mi Mix Alpha 5G is still a concept device, but it is expected to release in late December, in quantities as little as 500 units.
Hardware-wise, the Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha 5G is quite high end with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chip, 12GB of RAM, 512GB UFS 3.0, and a 4,050mAh battery with 40W fast charging.
Another feature highlight is its triple camera, which includes a 108-megapixel main lens, a 20-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. Because of the unique form factor on the Mi Mix Alpha 5G, the camera set up can severe as the front and rear cameras depending on how the device is handled.
Design-wise, the cameras are housed within a ceramic back strip, while the lenses are protected by sapphire glass. The device itself is supported by a titanium alloy frame.
For software, the device runs the Android 10 based MIUI 11 operating system.
As indicated in the name, the Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha 5G supports 5G connectivity and will be compatible with the three major carriers in Mainland China. Once available, the device will sell for RMB 19,999 or about $2,800.
