Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 first impression: no notch needed thanks to a satisfying slider screen
- The selfie camera and proximity sensor are housed behind the screen
- Users just need to slide down the screen with their finger to access the front camera
The original Xiaomi Mi Mix launched the bezel-free phone movement in late 2016. So can the Mi Mix 3 do the same for the slider design?
Launched in Beijing last week, the new flagship device has an all-screen look that, refreshingly, isn’t obscured by a notch. Instead, the crucial smartphone components such as the selfie camera and proximity sensor that make the notch a necessity on many handsets – including Xiaomi’s own Mi 8 – are housed in a component that rests behind the screen.
When they’re needed, the user merely has to drag their finger down on the screen with a bit of pressure to “slide” the phone screen down.
This design is not new to anyone old enough to have owned smartphones in the early 2000s, when brands such as LG and Danger released phones that slid open to reveal a keyboard or dial pad.
If you owned one of those devices, you’ll remember the satisfying“click” each time you opened or closed the device. The Mi Mix 3 offers that same audio and tactile feedback.
