Seven years ago, if someone asked you about Xiaomi, you probably wouldn’t have even acknowledged the brand, let alone recommend it. Since then, however, the maverick brand from China has gone from an absolute rookie to a front-runner in the realm of smartphones. With back to back hits in terms of smartphone launches, Xiaomi seems to be enjoying their time on cloud nine, and they can only hope that their newest offering, the Mi 6 keeps them there for a while longer. With a name synonymous with James Bond’s workplace, the Mi 6 packs in quite simply, a stunning piece of hardware, with everything in its arsenal to give it the flagship tag. But with the market moving at a feverish pace, no phone is good enough these days, and it only takes one bad management call for the device to go from hero to zero. What then, is the fate of the Xiaomi Mi 6?
Lets find out –
The Mi 6 is Xiaomi’s latest offering, featuring :
- 5.15″ IPS LCD display with a 1080p resolution ( Full HD )
- 3D Glass body with a steel frame
- Android OS v7.1.1 Nougat running MIUI 8.2
- Snapdragon 835 chipset: featuring an octa-core Kryo 280 CPU (4 cores at 2.46GHz +4 cores at 1.9GHz);
- Adreno 540 GPU
- 6 GB RAM
- Dual 12MP Sony IMX386 camera on the rear
- 8MP front-facing camera
- 64GB/128GB of built-in storage
- 3,230mAh non-removable battery with QuickCharge 3.0 support
At first glance, the Mi 6 seems to be checking all boxes when it comes to flagship specifications, but Xiaomi have indeed cut a few corners in this device, which we will discuss later on in the review. But, without further ado, lets get started –
Table of Contents
DESIGN and DISPLAY –
Xiaomi has come a long way in terms of their product designs. While the first devices that came out of the Xiaomi lineup were not exactly awe-inspiring, the company pulled up their socks, and gave superhits like the Redmi Note series and then the more premium Mi series ( Mi 5 is one of my personal favorites ). The Mi 6 has the same Xiaomi feel but feels a lot more sturdy compared to the Mi 5. The build quality is stellar, keeping in tune with Xiaomi’s latest trend of producing robust devices. The company has given the headphone jack a miss this time around, and while I am personally against this trend, its a change that is taking over and we better be prepared. You do get an adapter bundled into the box that will help you dock your regulation headphones into the device, but the devices these days just don’t feel the same without the familiar jack.
Coming to the overall chassis, we have gorilla glass 5 panels on the front and back. The 2.5D structure definitely gives the device a neat feel in the hand, and the 5.15 screen size is just right for people who don’t like the hassle of big displays. Xiaomi has also opted for the glossy stainless steel frame which plays really well with the rest of the chassis, irrespective of the finish you choose ( glass or ceramic ). The downside to this however, is that your device will be a fingerprint magnet, but that definitely takes nothing away from the absolute exquisite treatment meted out to the Mi 6 by its creators.
