Xiaomi Mi 6 is similar to Mi 5 in many ways, especially in design. However, the new flagship smartphone looks more polished and premium due to the curved glass on all four edges. Along with this, stainless steel frame has also been used. The fingerprint sensor in Xiaomi Mi 6 is present under the front glass which gives a distinct identity to the phone. Apart from Xiaomi, companies like Samsung have also done similar experiments with fingerprint sensors.
At the launch event, the company had claimed that due to the stainless steel cover, Xiaomi Mi 6 is less prone to damage or breakage. Apart from this, Mi 6 is also not prone to splashes of water. The SIM tray is sealed to prevent water damage. We hope that once the phone is made available, we will get more information about its strength.
(Read: 6 special features of Xiaomi Mi 6 flagship smartphone)
Xiaomi has also talked about the curved glass design of this phone. In our opinion the device feels premium. However, you will need to clean it frequently as it easily gets fingerprints.
With a thickness of 7.5 mm, Xiaomi Mi 6 is slightly thicker than its older variant. At the same time, the weight of 168 grams makes it heavier than Xiaomi Mi 5. There is no problem in using it with one hand, although we found that due to the glass finish it slips in the hands. Xiaomi Mi 6 is offered in Black, White and Blue colors and we got the Black variant to use.
The ceramic version is heavier than the regular variant, but looks more premium. The ceramic version has an 18 karat gold-plated camera rim. Apart from the design, there is no difference between the regular Xiaomi Mi 6 and the ceramic version.
(Read: Xiaomi Mi 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 vs OnePlus 3T)
The smartphone has a 5.15-inch full-HD (1080×1920 pixels) display. It’s bright and crisp. Viewing angles are also good. However, this can also prove to be the biggest drawback of the phone. Especially compared to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 which come with larger displays with higher resolutions. But it should also be kept in mind that the price of Xiaomi Mi 6 is almost half compared to these handsets.
Xiaomi Mi 6 is the company’s first smartphone which does not have a 3.5mm audio socket. Users can expect a USB Type-C to 3.5mm adapter to be supplied with the retail box. The power and volume buttons are on the right, and the SIM tray is on the left.
The most important feature of Xiaomi Mi 6 is its two 12-megapixel rear cameras. The same setup has also been used in iPhone 7 Plus. One camera has a wide angle lens and the other has a telephoto lens. The rear camera has phase detection autofocus and four-axis anti-shake technology. Xiaomi Mi 6 has an 8 megapixel front camera which is equipped with the capability of 1080 pixel video recording.
In the limited time we spent with the phone, we found that the Xiaomi Mi 6 focuses faster. Dual mode is not the default mode, meaning only one rear camera works when the camera app is activated. But the dual camera setup can be activated with a single tap. By selecting dual mode, the phone can take pictures by blurring the background. However, the app repeatedly states that the main subject should not be more than 2 meters away from the camera. In the limited time we spent with the phone, we found that photos taken in portrait mode turned out well. In these the subjects were clean and the background blurred. The sample shots were excellent in terms of color and detail. The camera performance of M6 was good even in low light. The front camera was also fine. We managed to take beautiful selfies even in low light. The camera app has a beautify feature that improves selfies. We will write in detail about the camera performance only after reviewing this handset.
Xiaomi Mi 6 will run on MIUI 8 based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The interface is cleaner than before. Split screen multitasking feature has also found a place in the interface. The Mi 6 comes with a smart assistant feature that is customizable.
Keeping in mind the tag of flagship smartphone, the company has used the latest octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor in this handset. The maximum clock speed is 2.4 GHz. Also available is 6 GB RAM. This is the second smartphone after Samsung Galaxy S8 to come with Snapdragon 835 processor. The phone responded quickly to touch input. After this, in the limited time spent, we found that it gives fast response.
Xiaomi Mi 6 has been launched in 64 GB and 128 GB storage. And there is no support for microSD card. The dual SIM smartphone supports VoLTE and both the SIMs will be equipped with LTE. Xiaomi Mi 6 handset is the second smartphone after Galaxy S8 to come with Bluetooth 5.0. It would be appropriate to write in detail about the performance of Xiaomi Mi 6 only after the review.
our thoughts
Xiaomi has not yet made any plans to launch Mi 6 in India. However, a company representative told Gadgets 360 that the news that the handset will not be launched in India is purely a rumour. We are expecting the price of Xiaomi Mi 6 to be around the Chinese price in India also. Here the company will have a direct competition with OnePlus 3T.
If Xiaomi Mi 6 is launched in India soon, it will be the first smartphone to come with Snapdragon 835 processor in India. However, there is no other option other than waiting right now.
In the Chinese market, the price of 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant of Xiaomi Mi 6 is 2,499 Chinese Yuan (about Rs 23,500). At the same time, the variant with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage will be available for 2,899 Chinese Yuan (about Rs 27,000). Apart from these two variants, Xiaomi also introduced a third version which will be known as Mi 6 Ceramic. Xiaomi Mi 6 Ceramic has a curved ceramic body. Its price is 2,999 Chinese Yuan (about Rs 28,000). It comes with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage.