Xiaomi kicked-off the Mix lineup back in 2016 with one purpose in mind – push the screen to the edge and minimize the bezels. The original Mi Mix was one of the first futuristic truly bezel-less phones to hit the market. It was a concept that worked and garnered immense popularity, such that it was followed by the Mi Mix 2 (which also landed in India) in 2017 and Mi Mix 3 with the highest screen-to-body ratio and the slider design back in 2018.
Mi Mix Alpha features a 7.92-inch pOLED panel (same as the Galaxy Fold), which Xiaomi refers to as 4D Surround display. It boasts a 2088 × 2250-pixel resolution and an unbelievable 180.6 percent screen-to-body ratio. I couldn’t get too touchy-feely with this new concept phone but in my brief time, I realized that it should have a great in-hand feel but is more fragile than it looks.
What’s the Rear Display for?
I know, one of the biggest queries with Mi Mix Alpha is – what would the wraparound display on the rear be used for? I bet you have already figured out that one of the most obvious use-cases is clicking high-res selfies and vlogging. You can see below that Mi Mix Alpha asks you to flip over on switching to the selfie mode.
There are no selfie cameras aboard the Mi Mix Alpha and that’s pretty evident. The device only includes a triple camera module on the rear and it’s used for selfies too – as seen above. The camera lenses are protected by sapphire glass on-top to safeguard this fragile concept against scratches.
Finally, let me give you a quick brief about the internals. Mi Mix Alpha is backed by the Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, coupled with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.0 onboard storage. This is enough firepower for the crazy wraparound display that runs a custom build of MIUI.
Mi Mix Alpha is also equipped with a 4,050mAh nano-Silicon cathode battery that provides juice to your wraparound display. It supports 40W wired fast-charging via the USB Type-C port on board and no wireless charging due to design limitations. We cannot talk about the battery without giving you a look at the crazy charging animation, where the whole screen lights up and gradually fills up to show you the battery level. It’s one of my software features on the Mi Mix Alpha.
Mi Mix Alpha is one of the most futuristic concept smartphones that I have had the chance to experience in person. It’s still unbelievable how Xiaomi has taken a flexible display and wrapped it around the entire body, sort of putting an end to the screen-to-body ratio war.
Now, if you want a look at the Mi Mix Alpha, Xiaomi told us that it’s planning to polish the software and will soon start showcasing its futuristic concept device at its Mi Home stores across India. The devices will sit inside a glass enclosure (you won’t get a hands-on with Mix Alpha) but it will still give you a glimpse at what the future beholds.
