Xiaomi Mi Mix 3’s slider is almost-perfect
I’ve yet to find the perfect phone , but Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 3 comes closer than any phone I’ve used in years.
The Mi Mix 3 is a full-screen display phone without a notch, and relies on hiding its front camera under the display that’s revealed when you slide it down –via a unique slider mechanism powered by magnets– with a satisfying click as it locks into place.
Using the sliding feature is almost an addictive experience, and I kind of can’t stop doing it. The screen even lights up and a buzz-like chime plays every time you slide it open, like a little mini reward. If you’re worried that you’ll break it, Xiaomi says the slider is rated for 300,000 cycles (opening and closing it counts as one cycle), and on average, I found myself sliding less than 50 times a day.

View full gallery
The front cameras uses a 24-megapixel and 2-megapixel setup.
Aloysius Low/CNET
Beyond the slider, the Mi Mix 3 is a fantastic device that packs the current best in hardware, such as Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon 845 chip (though the Snapdragon 855 is due to arrive soon), a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Full-HD+ display, dual 12-megapixel rear cameras with 2x optical zoom and wireless charging. Best yet, it even comes with a wireless charging pad in the box.
As for price, the cheapest Mi Mix 3, with 6GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage, sells for around $490, £375 and AU$680 converted from its 3,299 Chinese yuan price. The version with 10GB RAM and 256GB of onboard storage costs 4,999 Chinese yuan, or about $845.
While the cheapest version is a steal, the highest end model is still cheaper than the cheapest iPhone XS Max, by about $250. The only problem though, is where to get one. You can buy the Mi Mix 3 in most parts of Asia, as well Spain and Italy, but since Xiaomi currently doesn’t sell phones in the US there aren’t any official options for US phone enthusiasts.
Almost perfect
I told you earlier that the Mi Mix 3 is almost perfect, and I wasn’t kidding. Sure, it’s missing a few things, such as waterproofing — which I’m guessing is almost impossible with the sliding mechanism — and secure 3D face unlocking, but I can live without these. Here’s why:
The Mix 3 looks amazing
The shiny signature ceramic rear shimmers in the light, and while the backing is acclaimed for resisting fingerprint grease, you’ll still see plenty. The darker color of the phone does hide the ugly marks somewhat. The phone is comfortable to hold, and while it’s slightly heavier than the iPhone XS Max on paper, I didn’t really notice it.
View full gallery
The rear is made of ceramic and is supposedly fingerprint and scratch resistant (but you’ll still see prints, in case you’re wondering).
Aloysius Low/CNET
The 6.4-inch display is bright, and colors pop out, even outdoors in sunlight. The Mix 3 also supports wireless charging, which is nice to have, and as mentioned earlier, you don’t have to buy a charging pad since it comes in the box.
The MIUI 10 software ties it all together
You get an Android experience that feels somewhat like iOS, but it’s definitely Android. By default, the Mix 3 uses onscreen buttons, but you can switch it to a gesture based control that’s similar to iOS — swipe up to exit an app, swipe the sides to go back or forth, and swipe and hold to bring up all the currently open apps on the phone.
One of new features that takes advantage of the slider mechanism is to bring up a customizable quick menu that lets you quickly access apps such as a recorder, stopwatch or take notes. You can also set it to just take a picture with the front selfie camera.
View the Original Article . . .
Aloysius Low {authorlink}
https://www.cnet.com/g00/3_c-6bbb.hsjy.htr_/c-6RTWJUMJZX77x24myyux78x3ax2fx2fbbb.hsjy.htrx2fwx78x78x2fwjanjbx78x2f_$/$/$/$?i10c.ua=1&i10c.dv=14 CNET Reviews – Most Recent Reviews
http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/ne/gr/prtnr/CNET_Logo_150.gif