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Xinmei Shen

This article originally appeared on ABACUS
Xiaomi is set to launch its new flagship smartphone at Beijing's Forbidden City at 2pm today.
Here's what we know so far about the Mi MIX 3...

It boasts a bezel-less 6.4-inch display, which you need to slide down to reveal the selfie cameras.
It will come with a whopping 10 GB of RAM.
It will be ready to run on 5G networks.

Abacus will be at a Hong Kong event to get our hands on the device this afternoon. Stay here for updates!

For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.



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Xiaomi

Xiaomi unveils Mi MIX 3

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Abacus - China Tech News

Xiaomi is launching the Mi MIX 3 in Beijing in 5 minutes and we're at a Hong Kong event bringing you the updates!


Standing by for the Mi MIX 3

The Mi MIX 3 Hong Kong event is held at a Van Gogh-themed cafe, where Chris and I are waiting for the TV to be set up...


Not yet...

Lei Jun, founder of Xiaomi, is on stage. 

 


Here we go!

Xiaomi claims the Mi MIX 3 has a 93.4% screen-to-body ratio -- higher than any other phone!


93.4% screen-to-body ratio

It's got a 6.4-inch AMOLED, bezel-less display. 


6.39-inch AMOLED display

Lei Jun gearing up to introduce the pop-up camera module by showing popular retro slider phones. 


The slider camera is coming...

Lei Jun says the sliding camera is a great stress reliever.


Slide the camera and reduce stress

...but the "chin" -- the big bezel on the bottom of the phone -- annoys me more than a notch.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think the notch is a great design choice. But it looks a lot better than a big chin to me.


Pedantic old man here...

Dual camera, back and front

Xiaomi isn't the first Chinese smartphone company to put the camera on a pop-up panel -- but Oppo and Vivo's cameras are motorized, popping up automatically when needed. Xiaomi's appears to be manual, hence Lei Jun's comment about how sliding the phone up and down is a "stress reliever".
If you're going to lose a point to the opposition, you might as well try to spin it!


Nice spin from Lei Jun

The dual cameras on the back will both have stabilizers!



Camera specs

Lei Jun is comparing the Mi MIX 3's camera to the iPhone X and Huawei P20. But those are older models: Huawei unveiled the Mate 20 earlier this month, and the iPhone X is one year old.


Misleading comparisons

Lei Jun dropped Xiaomi Mi MIX 3's cameras'  DxO score -- 103 -- with a smashing sound effect.


Higher DxO mark than iPhone X and Huawei P20

Lei Jun comparing night photography on Mi MIX 3 with Huawei P20: "Of course we're better."



Night photography

... but Lei Jun is comparing it to Xiaomi's latest Mi MIX 3 anyway to tout its camera performance at night. 

 


The P20 Pro isn't Huawei's latest model...

Making videos is supposed to be better on Mi MIX 3: it has slow motion mode and let you add "AI-recommended" background music.


Slow motion

Hong Kong event: nice food but terrible internet connection...



Hong Kong

Lei Jun says the Mi MIX 3's AI can match a video with the right background music. 


AI sound effect

Lei Jun says the front camera comes with a flashlight ... and then he was interrupted by a noisy crow.



Front camera

A bird just cooed really loudly, drawing laughs from the audience. Lei Jun says "even the bird agrees" with what he said. The event is taking place outdoor at Beijing's Forbidden City. 


A bird interrupts

Apparently, you can put all kinds of stars in your eyes when taking selfies...



Automatic background blur when taking selfie videos

Lei Jun is quite proud of the phones' look: Other than black, it will also come in “emerald green” and “sapphire blue”.




"An artwork among smartphones"

10 GB of RAM!

Taking another swipe at Huawei's P20 Pro

A closer look at the different colors

10W wireless charger comes free with the Mix MIX 3!



Wireless charging

The 5G version of the Mi MIX 3 will only launch in Europe in Q1 next year.



5G ready (soon..?)

Press a button on the side to bring up Xiao Ai -- Xiaomi's voice assistant. It's supposed to recognize up to 7 Chinese dialects and answer in the same volume as your voice.



AI assistant

The Mi MIX 3 will cost 3299 yuan (US$474) for 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 3999 yuan (US$575) for 8GB RAM + 256GB storage.



Price?

Mi MIX 3 will have a "Forbidden City" version -- after the location where the phone is launched today. 
Apparently the mythical animal printed on the back, called Xie Zhi, can help you steer clear of bad luck. It costs 4999 yuan (US$719) with 10 GB of RAM and 256 GB storage.



There's a special version!

And that's a wrap! We'll have hands-on impressions and videos from the event later, but until then, here are a few things where the Mi MIX 3 stood out for us (even though there weren't too many surprises):

You can slide down the whole display to reveal the front cameras. But it's different from the one on Oppo Find X, which is motor-powered. The Mi MIX 3 uses a magnetic slider, which Xiaomi says can be slided 300,000 times. Lei Jun says it's relaxing to play with.
It has 10GB of RAM -- but only on a special "Forbidden City" version, which costs 4999 yuan (US$719).
A 5G version will be released in Europe early next year.

