Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, hosted its first ever event on the showroom floor of CES 2017. Aside from the launch of the Mi TV 4, a modular TV that is 30 percent thinner than an iPhone, the company also announced that it will be releasing a second color option for its famed phone: the Mi MIX.
Xiaomi is one of the success stories to have emerged in recent years. Although the company remains unheard of outside of Asia, sales of its smartphones remain brisk in India and China, catapulting it to its status as one of the most promising smartphone manufacturers to look forward to in 2017.
Mi MIX in white, aesthetically unique pearl-like finish, full display design, ships in China later this year #CES2017 pic.twitter.com/9wF1N1rJVz
— Hugo Barra (@hbarra) January 5, 2017
Although many in the West have not heard much about the company's phones, one of its handsets is currently making noise at CES 2017: the Mi MIX. The good news is that the company has released a white color option for the Mi MIX for those who prefer visual appeal that is light and airy.
Hugo Barra, Xiaomi's VP, announced that the new color has a pearl-like finish. The bad news is that Xiaomi still won't be expanding into "developed" markets such as the U.S. or Europe, so it might take a while before you get your hands on one of Xiaomi's phones. But we've got a slew of experts testing it hands on and providing first impressions on the white Mi MIX.
John Anon - Android Headlines
Aside from the color, nothing much has changed in Mi MIX, according to John Anon, reviewer for Android Headlines. The biggest selling point of the phone is not the color, but its almost bezel-less 6.4-inch display.
"For those unfamiliar with the Mi MIX, while it does come packing some fairly decent specs, the big selling point is the almost complete lack of bezels. That is, lack of a top bezel as well as the side bezels, which largely means that this is a smartphone that is just about as much screen as you can get," says Anon.
Joe Maring - PhoneArena
For Joe Maring, the white Mi MIX looks better than the black one, and is better at preventing fingerprint smudges on its touchscreen. According to Maring, "the white version does a much better job of hiding fingerprints. It is not perfect in this regard by any means, but the fingerprints it does attract are a bit less noticeable with the new color."
Overall, PhoneArena's reviewer gave a favorable response for the phone: "after finally getting to use the phone in person and seeing the new white color option as well, I would definitely like to see Xiaomi continue with this design moving forward."
Mike Wehner - Boy Genius Report
Mike Wehner of BGR was one of the few people disappointed with the phone's white color because it made the thin bezels of the phone much more noticeable.
"It's really hard to call a phone 'bezel-less' when the bezel can literally be seen from fifty feet away. Sure, the bezel is still the same size as it is on the black model, but it's just so much easier to ignore on a dark device." Wehner preferred the black Mi MIX because the color made the bezels disappear, while the white model "sticks out like a sore thumb."
Since the Mi MIX is still technically a concept phone, Xiaomi has a limited production capacity, making it hard for the company to bring it to a wider audience for now.
