Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G, Mi 9 Explorer, and Mi 9 SE hands-on review

Introduction

Xiaomi was among the makers to hold a special press event at Barcelona ahead of the MWC. It unveiled its first 5G smartphone - an upgraded Mi Mix 3 5G model. It also showcased the Mi 9 Explorer edition and the Mi 9 SE.

Xiaomi's first 5G offer is the Mi Mix 3 5G just as mentioned a while back. It's pretty much the same device we reviewed a few weeks ago, upgraded with the Snapdragon 855 chipset and its X50 5G modem.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G specs

• Body: Slider, 7000-series aluminum, ceramic back
• Screen: 6.39" Super AMOLED, 1,080 x 2,340px (403ppi), 19.5:9 aspect ratio, HDR
• Chipset: Snapdragon 855 chipset, octa-core processor (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485), Adreno 640 GPU.
• Memory: 6GB of RAM (LPDDR4X), 64/128GB storage (UFS 2.1)
• OS: Android 9.0 Pie; MIUI 10
• Camera: 12MP f/1.8 (1.4µm) + 12MP f/2.4 (1.0µm); 4K video capture at 60fps; 1080p at 240fps and 960fps
• Camera features: 2x telephoto, Dual Pixel AF, 4-axis OIS
• Selfie cam: 24MP (0.9µm) + 2MP depth sensor, LED flash
• Battery: 3,200mAh; 18W QuickCharge 4.0+ supported; 10W wireless charging (charger included in box)
• Security: fingerprint reader on the back;
• Connectivity: 5G, LTE-A; Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD, dual band GPS/Galileo, also single-band GLONASS/Beidou;

Xiaomi also brought the Mi 9 Explorer Edition in Barcelona. It's a Mi 9 through and through, with a faux-transparent back, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB storage.

Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer specs

• Body: aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 6 front, Gorilla Glass 5 transparent-like back;
• Display: 6.39" Super AMOLED, 2,340x1,080px resolution, 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi; HDR 10 and DCI-P3 compliant.
• Triple rear camera: Wide - 48MP f/1.47, 1/2", 0.8µm pixel size, laser and PDAF; Telephoto - 12MP, f/2.2 aperture, 2x zoom; Ultra-wide - 16MP, f/2.2 aperture, 1.0µm pixel size; 2160p@60/30fps.
• Front camera: 20MP, 0.9µm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture; 1080p/30fps video recording.
• OS: Android 9 Pie; MIUI 10.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855: octa-core CPU (4x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 485 Silver), Adreno 640 GPU.
• Memory: 12GB of RAM; 256GB storage; no microSD slot.
• Battery: 3,300mAh Li-Po (sealed); 27W wired (Charge Turbo) and 20W wireless fast charging.
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM; LTE-A, 4-Band carrier aggregation, Cat.16/13 (1Gbps/150Mbps); USB-C; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.0
• Misc: Under-display fingerprint reader; single down-firing speaker; no 3.5mm jack

Finally, we also saw the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE for the first time at the event in Barcelona. It's a cheaper version of the Mi 9 with a smaller AMOLED screen, Snapdragon 712 chip, a similar triple-camera on the back, and a 3,070 mAh battery.

Xiaomi Mi 9 SE

• Body: aluminum frame, glass front and back;
• Display: 5.97" Super AMOLED, 2,340x1,080px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 432ppi; HDR 10 and DCI-P3 compliant.
• Triple rear camera: Wide - 48MP f/1.75, 1/2", 0.8µm pixel size, laser and PDAF; Telephoto - 8MP, f/2.4 aperture, 1.12µm pixel size, 2x zoom; Ultra-wide - 13MP, f/2.4 aperture, 1.12µm pixel size; 2160p@30fps.
• Front camera: 20MP, 0.9µm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture; 1080p/30fps video recording.
• OS: Android 9 Pie; MIUI 10.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 712: octa-core CPU (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver), Adreno 616 GPU.
• Memory: 6GB of RAM; 64/128GB storage; no microSD slot.
• Battery: 3,070mAh Li-Po (sealed); 18W fast charging.
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM; LTE-A; USB-C; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.0
• Misc: Under-display fingerprint reader; single down-firing speaker; no 3.5mm jack

Follow us on the next page for our first hands-on impressions.