Review of Xiaomi Mi6 - a powerful flagship with a good camera

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Xiaomi Mi6 has a stylish design, thoughtful shape, high performance and many other small features that make it one of the most interesting and attractive smartphones to date.

Specifications

Display	5.15 inches, IPS, 1,920 × 1,080 dots
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (8 cores)
Video accelerator	Adreno 540
RAM	6 GB
Persistent memory	64 or 128 GB
Main camera	Dual 12 MP module (Sony 389)
Front-camera	8 megapixels
Operating system	Android 7.1.1 with MIUI 8.0 add-on
Interfaces	USB Type-C
cellular	Two nanoSIM
Wireless interfaces	Wi-Fi a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 5.0 LE
Navigation	GPS, A-GPS, BDS
Battery	3 350 mAh, fast charging Qualcomm QC 4.0
Sensors	Fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, compass, barometer
Dimensions (edit)	145.2 × 70.5 × 7.5mm
Weight	168 g

Appearance and usability

Xiaomi has abandoned large smartphones of the upper price segment, returning to a diagonal of 5, 15 inches. And just like the Mi5 generation without an index, the fresh Mi6 received two versions: in a glass or ceramic body.

The ceramic version is the flagship one, therefore it is equipped with a more powerful filling. It is presented so far only in black. The larger glass version is sold in three colors: black, white and blue with gold edging.

The design resembles Samsung S7: the color shimmers pleasantly on the edges, changes its shade depending on the lighting. Surprisingly, the glass black smartphone turned out to be less easily soiled than the iPhone 7 in the same color, despite the fact that there is no oleophobic coating for the case.

The smartphone has a comfortable, streamlined shape.

The front panel of Mi6 does not stand out in any way. Above there is a camera, light and proximity sensors, an earpiece (aka the second speaker in multimedia applications) and a three-color indicator.

The controls are in their usual places. The volume rocker and power key are within the reach of the thumb, as is the ultrasound scanner located between the touch keys "Back" and "Home" right below the display. The scanner received a refined filling in comparison with the previous generation: if in Xiaomi Mi5s it failed in 15–20% of cases, then the updated version works almost flawlessly even with wet hands.

At the bottom there is a universal USB Type-C connector, made on a modern USB 3.1 controller. Higher data rates and pass-through charging are available to the user (when using the appropriate accessories). At the top there is an IR transmitter for using the gadget as a control panel and an additional microphone.

USB Type-C is the only wired interface on the Mi6, there is no traditional mini-jack. We will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the solution below.

Despite the manufacturer's declared moisture protection, its standard is not specified. Unfortunately, under the terms of testing, we had to abandon bathing the device and checking the corresponding properties.

In the hand, the Xiaomi Mi6 can seem quite heavy and slippery. With longer use, this feeling disappears - the body really provides a comfortable and firm grip. But surfaces that are too smooth and angled can be problematic.

Display

The Xiaomi Mi6 uses an improved IPS panel over previous generations of the company's smartphones. The Mi5s Plus has the most similar characteristics.

The smartphone screen has a very high brightness and contrast, rich color reproduction and feels great both in the dark and under the bright sun. Almost AMOLED, but without the inherent problems with OLEDs.

In addition, the screen has undergone major improvements from the software side. The smartphone has received improved algorithms for preserving vision. Now the minimum display brightness is equal to one candle - the most pleasant and correct value for using the device in complete darkness.

Also, Mi6 has an improved reading mode, familiar to us from other smartphones of the company. However, the flagship practically does not change the color of the display, while simpler Xiaomi devices simply include a yellow backlight.

Hardware platform and performance

Xiaomi Mi6 became one of the first smartphones based on the new single-chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 platform. It is worth emphasizing that it is serial, since almost every brand announced the release of such a device, but only Samsung and Xiaomi offered them to the mass consumer.

In such a comparison, Mi6 takes on a special charm. The new processor can cope with any load now and will do it for several more years: the performance margin is simply colossal. Benchmarks give the corresponding data, recording the novelty in the category of the most powerful smartphones.

In addition, the new processor reduces heat dissipation. The device does not heat up above 45 degrees even under heavy load.

Operating system and software

Like other smartphones of the company, Xiaomi Mi6 runs MIUI. The first copies of the device were supplied with the eighth Chinese firmware. At the moment, an international (global) version of the add-on is also available, based on the fresh version of Android 7.1.1.

The system has advanced options for customizing the shell, functionality of the smartphone and connected peripherals, appearance and reaction to various events.

Improved screen algorithms in reading mode and in low light, and improved power consumption are important differences from previous versions.

Autonomy

The capacity of the Xiaomi Mi6 non-removable battery is 3 350 mAh. An excellent figure for a flagship, but small for users of mid-priced economy smartphones, including Xiaomi devices of the Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 lines.

Contrary to expectations, a well-optimized software shell and a modern processor allow Mi6 to achieve excellent autonomy. On it, you can watch a movie for 8 hours at maximum screen brightness with the wireless interfaces turned off. Reducing the backlight level by up to 25% increases the operating time up to 14 hours.

In a mixed mode of operation, the smartphone lasts for at least a day. The net operating time of the display at maximum brightness is at least 5 hours. And this is with the synchronization of 10-15 applications in the background, constant correspondence, calls, watching videos and using the device as a navigator.

The new chipset allowed the company's engineers to implement another important function - fast charging of the promising Quick Charge 4.0 standard. With its help, Xiaomi Mi6 charges from 0 to 100% in just 1 hour 30 minutes. To make the battery last as long as possible, the charging algorithm works nonlinearly: the smartphone charges 50% in just half an hour, 80% in an hour.

Cameras

Usually, Chinese smartphones cannot boast of the quality of shooting. But this is another matter. The main camera is one of the main advantages of the Xiaomi Mi6.

As befits a modern fashionable flagship, Mi6 received a dual main camera. Each module hides the flagship Sony IMX298 with a 12 megapixel matrix, used in the previous generation of the company's smartphones. But, as we know, the camera does not always depend on the hardware configuration. This was the case with Mi5, the photo capabilities of which were never revealed by the developers. Apparently, they were in a hurry to master the module for Mi6, because everything is in order.

The latest flagship is equipped with 4-axis camera stabilization, and it really works really well. Also worth noting is the improved sharpness of images.

For an ordinary user who does not scrutinize each frame meticulously, these properties will manifest themselves primarily when shooting in the dark and in cloudy weather. These complex scenarios work better for the Xiaomi Mi6 than any of the Chinese smartphones.

Not every system camera allows you to take such photos.

The front camera was designed according to Chinese canons: as you know, the entire population of the Middle Kingdom is very fond of taking selfies. If desired, you can use it to get artistic pictures. The quality of simple shots for social networks can hardly be discussed.

Sound

Xiaomi has picked up another mobile trend this season - stereo sound. Mi6 was the first of its devices to receive two external speakers: one is installed on the bottom end, and the second is an enhanced conversational emitter.

The combination in this case was only half beneficial: the upper one sounds much quieter, the stereo sound turns out to be a little distorted. Probably, if you dig into the settings or wait for the official full version of the global firmware, the problem will be fixed programmatically.

In the meantime, Xiaomi Mi6 still has the most interesting sound of external speakers among all the company's smartphones. It is juicy, deep, bass, as much as possible for a mobile device. The musical ZTE Axon 7 plays approximately the same way, half the cost of which is the audio path.

The fly in the ointment was added by the decision of engineers to follow the example of Lenovo and Apple and abandon the traditional headset jack. The role of a mini-jack is played by a universal data connector. Fortunately, the Mi6's USB Type-C is powered by an advanced USB 3.1 chip, so you can charge the device and listen to music in a wired headset at the same time.

The package contains an adapter for ordinary headphones. But Xiaomi has taken care of the customers by providing something better. Already, you can purchase an updated version of the Xiaomi Hybrid headset with USB Type-C instead of the 3.5 mm connector.

Wireless interfaces

In line with the flagship status, Xiaomi Mi6 has received support for all modern communication standards. The latest Bluetooth 5.0 LE with lower power consumption and increased range is used to connect to peripheral equipment. There is NFC - you can use Android Pay and Troika. The Wi-Fi module works in all common ranges and has a good range, easily communicating with the router through 3-4 reinforced concrete walls.

The Xiaomi Mi6 navigation module supports GPS, A-GPS, BDS, GLONASS satellites are not displayed when searching. The cold start is almost instantaneous: it takes no more than 10 seconds.

As always, the novelty received a cut-off range of LTE operating frequencies, including Band 20. Unfortunately, the short testing time did not allow us to determine whether part of the European bands was blocked by software or hardware. However, in the networks of "Beeline", "Megafon", Tele2 of the Volga region, excellent reception and transmission is noted both with voice connections and in the EDGE / 3G / LTE data transfer mode.

Outcomes

Pros:

• Compactness.
• A large number of colors.
• High quality dual module camera.
• A modern, energy-efficient processor with a performance margin for several years.
• Good sound in speakers and headset (thanks to USB Type-C).

Minuses:

• Lack of 3.5mm audio jack.
• Fragile glass body.
• Slippery coating.
• Low (compared to the average segment of Xiaomi smartphones) autonomy.

The cost of the Xiaomi Mi6 is $ 410 (with the Mi664GZY coupon) for the version with 64 GB of storage and $ 480 (with the GRMi4G coupon) for the version with 128 GB of storage. The main competitors of the new items were OnePlus 3T ($ 400), ZTE Nubia Z17, Mi5s ($ 300) and Samsung Galaxy S7. Most of them are inferior to Mi6 in autonomy and performance, but in terms of image quality, the Galaxy S7 will certainly have an advantage. The choice in any case remains with the buyer.