Xiaomi’s Wild New Phone Screen Wraps Around The Device

Xiaomi’s Wild New Phone Screen Wraps Around The Device

Just a few short weeks back the mobile world was all about the foldables. Both Samsung and Huawei rolled up to IFA with their respective bendy offerings, and we tried out both of them.

We guess this prompted Xiaomi to demand everyone holds its figurative beer, because it’s now taken the brave new world of phone screens to the next level.

[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/09/samsung-galaxy-fold-huawei-mate-x-foldable-comparison/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/samsung-galaxy-fold-header-410×231.jpg” title=”Foldable Showdown: Samsung Galaxy Fold Vs Huawei Mate X” excerpt=”It was unclear whether foldables would be a significant part of the conversation at IFA this year… until both Samsung and Huawei came in swinging with both of their bendy devices. I had a chance to play with both throughout the week, and have some initial comparative thoughts.”]

It may not bend, but the Mi Mix Alpha has a display that covers almost the entirety of the device. Xiaomi is referring to it as a ‘surround screen’ and it only stops once it hits the camera array.

In fact, the phone manufacturer is claiming that the device has a 180.6 per cent screen-to-body ratio. Sure, why not?

But if you thought it was just a gimmick, it has a lot more going on down in the guts.

When it comes to the specs it’s absolutely packing. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor, 12GB RAM, 512GB storage and a 4,059mAH battery with 40W fast-charging. It also has a 5G modem because why not add more to this unit?

Oh, it also has digital side buttons:

And icons such as 5G, battery life and bluetooth are also displayed in the folding crease:

Camera-wise it has a triple rear set with a… wait for it, 108 MP primary lens (not a typo), 20MP wide-angle lens and 12MP telephoto lens.

There is no dedicated front facing camera because there’s simply no need for one thanks to the wrappable display. Just turn that bad boy around and point it straight at your face.

As hyped as we are for this beautiful, ridiculous thing, we do have some questions. Screen durability and battery life are potential red flags – not to mention how easy it will be for randoms to spy on your screen.

Sadly, we probable won’t need to worry too much about these issues in Australia.

The Mi Mix series tends to be quite conceptual and only released in small quantities, and Xiaomi has confirmed that only certain markets will be getting the Alpha.

And considering that Australia only recently began officially selling Xiaomi phones at all, we’re unlikely to see it.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha will go on sale in China in December and will cost 19,999 yuan, which is roughly $4,135. Damn.

[The Verge]


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