The Xiaomi Mi 6X is finally here, a direct successor to the Mi 5X. This handset has been leaking intensively for a couple of weeks at this point, and the company has finally made it official in China. The Xiaomi Mi 6X is actually quite similar to the Redmi 5 Plus and Redmi Note 5 Pro as far as the design is concerned, and for those of you who do not know, this phone will likely become the upcoming Mi A2. Xiaomi re-released the Mi 5X as the Mi A2 Android One handset last year, the company used the Mi 5X’s shell, and included stock Android on the inside, and chances are that Xiaomi will do the same this year with the Mi 6X, though the Mi A2 is expected to arrive in about a month or two. The Xiaomi Mi 6X is a mid-range smartphone, and we’ll go over its specifications, design, cameras, battery… and other aspects down below, so if you’re interested, read on.
The first thing you’ll notice on the phone is its display, we’re looking at a 5.99-inch fullHD+ (2160 x 1080) IPS LCD display here, and as you can see, Xiaomi has opted to use a display with an 18:9 display aspect ratio here. The Mi 6X is fueled by the Snapdragon 660 64-bit octa-core processor, which is one of Qualcomm’s mid-range processors which utilizes the Adreno 512 GPU for graphics processing. The Xiaomi Mi 6X comes in a couple of different RAM (LPDDR 4X) / storage variants, the company has introduced 4GB and 6GB RAM variants of the device, the 4GB RAM model comes with 64GB of storage, while the 6GB RAM model comes in both 64GB and 128GB storage flavors. Speaking of which, storage expansion is available here as well, all you’ll need is a microSD card.
On the back of the Mi 6X, you’ll find two cameras, 12-megapixel (f/1.75 aperture, Sony’s IMX 486 sensor), and 20-megapixel (Sony’s IMX376 sensor, f/1.75 aperture) cameras, while an LED flash is included in-between them. A fingerprint scanner also sits on the back of the phone, while a 20-megapixel camera (Sony’s IMX376 sensor, f/1.75 aperture) can be round on the phone’s front side. A 3,010mAh battery is included in this package as well, it is not removable, and it supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging tech. NFC is not included in the Mi 6X, while the phone comes with Bluetooth 5.0. A Type-C USB port is included on the bottom of the Mi 6X, while a 3.5mm headphone jack is not a part of the package. There are two SIM card slots included in the Mi 6X, we’re looking at two nano SIM card slots, in case you were wondering. Android 8.1 Oreo comes pre-installed on the Mi 6X, while Xiaomi’s MIUI 9 skin comes pre-installed on top of it. The Mi 6X measures 158.9 x 75.5 x 7.6mm, while it weighs 166 grams.
Xiaomi Mi 6X Design
The Xiaomi Mi 6X sports a metal unibody build, to be more precise, Xiaomi used anodized aluminum (for the most part) in order to make this phone a reality. The Xiaomi Mi 6X resembles Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 Pro handset quite a bit, the device sports relatively thin bezels, while its display features rounded corners. The back side of this phone is slightly curved, while a fingerprint scanner sits on the back of the device as well. A vertically-aligned dual camera setup is included in the upper-left portion of the phone’s back side, and in-between those two cameras you will find an LED flash. All those sensors protrude a bit, they’re not flush with the phone’s back. A Type-C USB port is included on the bottom of the Mi 6X, along with the phone’s loudspeaker, while all the physical keys sit on the right-hand side of the Xiaomi Mi 6X (volume up, volume down and power / lock buttons). The phone’s display is not curved, but a curved glass is included on top of the Mi 6X’s front panel. The device comes in Black, Blue, Gold, Red, and Rose Gold color variants.
Xiaomi Mi 6X Cameras
Xiaomi has included three cameras on this handset overall, two of them are located on the back of the device, while one is included above the phone’s display. On the back of the Mi 6X, you’ll be able to find a 12-megapixel and 20-megapixel snappers, along with an LED flash which is placed in-between them, while a single 20-megapixel camera sits on the phone’s front side. Xiaomi has opted to include a 12-megapixel (1.25um pixel size) Sony IMX486 sensor behind a f/1.75 aperture lens, and a 20-megapixel Sony IMX376 module behind a f/1.75 aperture lens. As far as the front-facing camera is concerned, we’re looking at a 20-megapixel Sony IMX376 sensor, and it’s placed behind a f/2.2 aperture lens. Portrait shots taken with the phone’s front-facing snapper, which the company released recently, actually look really nice, though it remains to be seen if the front-facing camera will perform that well in real life. As far as rear-facing cameras are concerned, they both look good on paper, and the lens aperture is also promising, the Mi 6X could be able to shoot some really decent images for a mid-range smartphone, even when not a lot of light is present in a shot.
Xiaomi Mi 6X Battery Life
The Xiaomi Mi 6X comes with a 3,010mAh battery, which is not removable, as this is a metal unibody smartphone. This battery is not one of the largest ones out there, but it’s not exactly that small either. It is worth noting that the Mi 6X comes with a fullHD+ display, and a power efficient Snapdragon 660 chip, so chances are that this battery will be good enough for the device, presuming that MIUI is well-optimized, of course. Wireless charging is not available on the Mi 6X, which was to be expected due to this phone’s build, metal all around. Fast charging, on the other hand, is included, and we’re looking at Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging tech, which we’ve seen on a ton of smartphones thus far. In theory, Quick Charge 3.0 should be able to charge up your smartphone to 50 percent in only half an hour. Now, Xiaomi’s MIUI 9 skin also comes with some battery-saving features, as you do get plenty of options to kill apps in the background, and control per-app activities.
Xiaomi Mi 6X Software
MIUI 9 does come pre-installed on the Xiaomi Mi 6X, but during its press conference, the company did not mention what version of MIUI exactly. MIUI 9.5 is the latest stable version of the company’s Android skin, so we’re guessing that version comes pre-installed on the Mi 6X. MIUI 9.5 comes with a redesigned notification tray, it looks more like stock Android now, and regular Quick Reply option is included as well. MIUI 9.5 also brought some small graphical changes in other parts of the UI, and a ton of improvements under the hood. Some new sound recording options have been added, while the company updated pretty much every single one of its applications in this build of MIUI. Xiaomi’s skin still doesn’t have an app drawer, all the apps you install will be placed on your home screen, and it’s worth noting that MIUI also comes with a rather detailed battery saving section, which lets you take closer look at what a particular app is allowed to do, and you can even block specific apps from running in the background. MIUI 9.X is generally different than stock Android, though, though that is probably not a surprise to the vast majority of you.
Xiaomi Mi 6X Security
The Xiaomi Mi 6X sports a fingerprint scanner on its back, but that is only one of its security authentication methods. The phone’s fingerprint scanner is extremely fast, but if you prefer facial scanning (Xiaomi calls it ‘Face Unlock’ instead, the Mi 6X gives you that option as well. The phone’s front-facing camera is used to scan your face and lets you unlock the device, while regular authentication methods are included in MIUI as well, including both PIN and pattern lock. Xiaomi did talk briefly about Face Unlock during its press conference, and it basically said that it’s really fast, and accurate, but not as secure as a fingerprint scanner, as the phone uses its front-facing camera, not some fancy sensors in addition to that camera, like the iPhone X.
Xiaomi Mi 6X Availability
As already mentioned in the ‘Specifications’ section of the announcement, Xiaomi has introduced three different variants of the Mi 6X, and the most affordable one of them, the one that sports 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage is priced at 1,599 Yuan ($253). The middle-of-the-road model with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage costs 1,799 Yuan ($285), while the most expensive Mi 6X variant costs 1,999 Yuan ($316), and sports 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The first flash sale of the Mi 6X will kick off on April 27 at 10AM in China (local time), for those of you who are interested. The phone will be available for purchase from a number of stores in China, including the company’s official store, Suning, Tesco, Tmall, and so on. Having said that, Xiaomi did not say anything about the phone’s availability outside of China, but chances are that more info will be shared in the near future.
Xiaomi Mi 6X Official Renders:
Xiaomi Mi 6X Official Hands-On:
