Xiaomi’s latest phone has an insane 180% screen-to-body ratio.
What you need to know
- Xiaomi’s latest flagship has an insane display that wraps around the entire body.
- It has a 180% screen-to-body ratio, and the only bezel is at the back where the camera is housed.
- The phone has a 108MP camera joined by a 20MP wide-angle lens and 12MP telephoto shooter.
Xiaomi has unveiled its latest flagship, and it is unlike any other phone in the market today. The Mi Mix Alpha has a display that wraps around the entire body — extending all the way around the back — and the only bezel on the device is at the back, where the camera is located.
That allows the phone to boast an insane 180% screen-to-body ratio. Essentially, you’re getting a phone with a screen on all sides, with a camera on one side. And that camera is noteworthy too, as it is the first time we’re seeing a 108MP sensor on a phone. Xiaomi says the camera can take photos with a resolution of 12,032 x 9,024, and in regular use you get pixel-binned images to 27MP. The main camera is joined by a 20MP wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto lens that goes up to 2x optical zoom.
Because the phone has a screen on all sides, there isn’t a traditional front camera module. Instead, you just turn the device over and take a selfie with the 108MP camera. The screen at the back is dormant until you flip it over, and the network status icons and battery indicators are located on the sides. There aren’t any buttons either, with the phone sporting pressure-sensitive buttons on the sides.
As for the rest of the hardware, the Mi Mix Alpha features a Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 4050mAh battery with 40W fast charging. Xiaomi’s Alvin Tse posted live photos of the phone, giving us a better look at how that screen works in real-world usage scenarios:
Like the first-gen Mi Mix, it’s incredible what Xiaomi has managed to achieve here. Of course, having a screen on all sides means you’re not going to be able to find a case for the device, and long-term durability is going to be an issue. But that’s the trade-off for that insane screen.
The Mi Mix Alpha will be sold in limited quantities, but customers in China will be able to get their hands on the device for a cool 20,000 RMB ($2,815). Who’s interested?
