Xiaomi Mi6 Review. This flagship for half the price, and not quite a shovel
The company Xiaomi has long won national love for its powerful smartphones for a relatively small price tag. Its previous flagship, Xiaomi Mi5S Plus, came out in the “spade” format of 5.7 ", and in the sixth generation," Chinese Apple "decided to return to a more compact format, Xiaomi Mi6 has a diagonal of 5.15".
Otherwise, everything is also quite in the spirit of this company - a top-end processor, a lot of memory and an iPhone-like design.
Other characteristics of the smartphone are also very interesting, let me give them in the tablet.
In general, the configuration is very interesting, in the spirit of modern flagships - a relatively small size, with the top processor, a lot of memory. The battery is not extra-large, but it lasts a day, given the good optimization of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. FullHD resolution, of course, someone can say that this is not enough, but, as practice shows, enough for everyday work with a smartphone and watching movies . But for VR it is not enough, so if you like to sit with a bucket on your head, you should find another phone number. In accordance with the latest trends, there are two cameras and there is no support for microSD, as well as a headphone jack.
Photos do not convey the appearance of a smartphone very well - it looks more interesting live than on them. Nevertheless, let's look at the device from all sides. I had a black glossy version of the smartphone, in my opinion it looks the least advantageous. However, compared with the Mi5S, it is immediately apparent that they finally got rid of the huge black frames around the screen.
The main control button is in the middle, it also has a fingerprint sensor. The sensor works just a bullet, however, as in all the flagship Xiaomi, this has never been claims. A button without mechanical pressing, however, is worth touching it, and it vibrates. Use quite convenient. To the right and to the left are two sensory areas “back” and “context menu”, highlighted by dots. I had no problems with their finding.
Above the eight-megapixel camera, as well as a voice speaker. To his right there is a dim LED showing the status of the smartphone. For example, it flashes slowly when charging.
Charging and synchronization is via USB Type-C, it is located below. Also here is the speaker grille. Please note that there is only one speaker, despite the fact that the smartphone supports stereo sound. And how does he support him? Very simply, a voice speaker is used as the second sound source. The solution is interesting, not devoid of wit, in the spirit of Soviet engineers. The sound quality is normal, but without pronounced low frequencies, and with a slight “snoring” of the middle at maximum volume.
The control buttons are centered on the right. Here and the volume rocker, and on / off button. They are made well, pressed well, no complaints about them appear.
Above the microphone for noise reduction, as well as infrared. Note the slight rounding of the glass covering the screen. This is not 2.5D, the rounding is very weak, that is, there should be no problems with the protective film sticker. At the same time, the glass is “at the junction” of the screen and is not covered with a frame, so if you are prone to drop the device on the floor, you should immediately take care of a case (it is included) or a bumper.
On the left is a slot for SIM cards. There may be two.
As I said, microSD is not supported, so you have to be content with the internal memory of the smartphone.
The smartphone is glossy on the back; however, it is not as actively collecting fingerprints as, for example, the black iPhone.
Two cameras, one with normal focal length, the second with doubled. More about this in the section about testing photos.
Well, for the sake of completeness, let's look at how the smartphone looks from behind the bottom.
Package not too luxurious, but not poor. In addition to the traditional charging with a Chinese plug (Quick Charge is supported), wires and clips are also equipped with a USB Type C - 3.5 adapter (for using wired headphones), as well as a silicone case.
This is how close postings look like.
Well, the view of the smartphone in the case.
It protects well, but the fingerprints on it are already much more noticeable than on the device itself.
Another problem is that with a case the charging connector keeps on just barely, and it is worth moving the smartphone a bit as it stops charging. If I used the device for myself, then, probably, I would cut the cover a bit so that the connector was inserted completely.
The packaging of the device is classic, similar to the one that was in Xiaomi Mi5S
Most of the inscriptions are in Chinese, but among the hieroglyphs we can consider the main technical characteristics.
There are no special claims to the appearance of the smartphone and its ergonomics. It is comfortable, well tailored, well in the hand. Similarity with iPhones to the point of confusion, but there's no way to go.
The smartphone uses the most powerful processor at the time of release. In Antutu, he scores as much as 180 thousand points. In the test 3DMark SlingShot get as much as 3300 points.
Most of the tests, like Bonsai Benchmark, completely rest on the screen refresh rate.
In PCMark, the situation is also excellent - fast processor, lots of memory, fast storage.
It is unlikely that in the near future you will need more performance. For several years, all games will run at maximum settings, there is absolutely no doubt about it.
GPS is fast and clear, works with three navigation systems - GPS, Glonass, Beidou.
The smartphone supports Mifare Classic, it can be used to read and write information, for example, from the Troika card. There should be no obstacles to using Android Pay either, but on the Chinese firmware it does not work, it swears on the “left” Google Apps (I put them hacked from MiPad). After the release of international firmware, everything should be a bundle.
Complete power supply supports Quick Charge up to 12V 1.5A. Charges the device for 1 hour, it's really great.
The battery life is not amazing - this is a standard day, like most other flagships. It strongly depends on how intensively you use the device. More autonomy than the OnePlus 3T, smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S8 + in the "normal" mode.
The device uses two 12 megapixel camera module of good quality. However, as always, Xiaomi succeeds in this, the Chinese could not get the most out of iron. Photos are at a good level, but not flagship. Originals can be downloaded on Yandex. Photos (open on the links from the photos).
Photos in the album " Xiaomi Mi6 2 ", the author of mpanius on Yandex. Photos.
Night shots are not amazing, however, they are quite worthy.
When there is insufficient lighting, but not in the night, the noise level is not very aggressive, and the noise is noticeable. However, it is better than "clay".
In favorable light conditions, the picture is good, bright, saturated.
When the picture has a lot of detail (grass, for example), it becomes clear that the JPG compression ratio is too big. Some parts are lubricated.
At a certain point in case of insufficient lighting, the aggressive noise level is turned on, and the picture turns into clay.
The second camera is designed for use with such a twofold approximation.
The same shot taken with a regular camera.
But what I really liked was a special “portrait mode”. It blurs the background and slightly smoothes the skin. The photos are really good.
The HDR job is soft and unobtrusive, not at all as aggressive as in the Redmi series.
Here is another example of the use of "zoom", this time first 1x camera ...
And this is a two-fold increase.
Finally - shooting in macro mode
In general, the camera does not have enough stars from the sky, but, nevertheless, remains very, very decent.
Smartphone Xiaomi Mi6 is a convenient and compact flagship device, for half the usual price of the flagship. There is a lot to complain about, for example, the fact that despite the not very large diagonal, it is not very compact. It can be compared with “big brands”, with Samsung Galaxy S8 or LG G6, and the latter will be better, but the price is much less pleasant. At a price, it roughly corresponds to last year’s flagships of the “big brands”, while significantly exceeding them in ergonomics and performance (but losing in the camera).
The main claim of course is the lack of a headphone jack and microSD. In addition, we should not forget that smartphones designed for the Chinese market do not work with LTE Band 20, that is, they will not always catch the fourth-generation connection if you are connected to Beeline or Tele 2 in the Moscow region.
On the links you will find the actual prices (with delivery) for the black version of 64 GB (there is a coupon MiF4G, with it the price is 459.99) for the black version for 128 GB (coupon GMi6 with it price 509.99), for the blue version , and for the international ceramic version of
Try coupons:
$ 419.99 for 64 GB with a GRMi64G coupon or $ 409.99 with a HMI6 coupon
$ 479.99 for 128 GB with a GRMi4G coupon
Otherwise, everything is also quite in the spirit of this company - a top-end processor, a lot of memory and an iPhone-like design.
Other characteristics of the smartphone are also very interesting, let me give them in the tablet.
Display | 5.15 ", 1920x1080, IPS, 428 ppi |
CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 8 cores (4x 2.45 GHz + 4x 1.9 GHz) |
Graphics | Adreno 540 |
RAM | 6 GB |
Permanent memory | 64 GB / 128 GB |
Connection | 4G LTE, Wi-Fi (802.11ac, 2 × 2 MU-MIMO),
|
Cameras | Main: two 12 megapixel cameras,
Front: 8 megapixel |
Sensors | Fingerprint scanner, accelerometer,
|
Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, BDS |
OS | Android 7.1.1 Nougat + MIUI 8.0 |
Battery | 3350 mAh |
Dimensions | 145.2x70.5x7.5 mm |
Weight | 168 grams |
Price in china | On the links you will find the actual prices (with delivery)
64GB black version (there is a MiF4G coupon, with it the price is 459.99) on the black version of 128 GB (coupon GMi6 with it price 509.99) on the blue version , and on the international ceramic version . Try coupons: $ 419.99 for 64 GB with a GRMi64G coupon or $ 409.99 with a HMI6 coupon $ 479.99 for 128 GB with a GRMi4G coupon |
In general, the configuration is very interesting, in the spirit of modern flagships - a relatively small size, with the top processor, a lot of memory. The battery is not extra-large, but it lasts a day, given the good optimization of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. FullHD resolution, of course, someone can say that this is not enough, but, as practice shows, enough for everyday work with a smartphone and watching movies . But for VR it is not enough, so if you like to sit with a bucket on your head, you should find another phone number. In accordance with the latest trends, there are two cameras and there is no support for microSD, as well as a headphone jack.
Appearance and ergonomics
Photos do not convey the appearance of a smartphone very well - it looks more interesting live than on them. Nevertheless, let's look at the device from all sides. I had a black glossy version of the smartphone, in my opinion it looks the least advantageous. However, compared with the Mi5S, it is immediately apparent that they finally got rid of the huge black frames around the screen.
The main control button is in the middle, it also has a fingerprint sensor. The sensor works just a bullet, however, as in all the flagship Xiaomi, this has never been claims. A button without mechanical pressing, however, is worth touching it, and it vibrates. Use quite convenient. To the right and to the left are two sensory areas “back” and “context menu”, highlighted by dots. I had no problems with their finding.
Above the eight-megapixel camera, as well as a voice speaker. To his right there is a dim LED showing the status of the smartphone. For example, it flashes slowly when charging.
Charging and synchronization is via USB Type-C, it is located below. Also here is the speaker grille. Please note that there is only one speaker, despite the fact that the smartphone supports stereo sound. And how does he support him? Very simply, a voice speaker is used as the second sound source. The solution is interesting, not devoid of wit, in the spirit of Soviet engineers. The sound quality is normal, but without pronounced low frequencies, and with a slight “snoring” of the middle at maximum volume.
The control buttons are centered on the right. Here and the volume rocker, and on / off button. They are made well, pressed well, no complaints about them appear.
Above the microphone for noise reduction, as well as infrared. Note the slight rounding of the glass covering the screen. This is not 2.5D, the rounding is very weak, that is, there should be no problems with the protective film sticker. At the same time, the glass is “at the junction” of the screen and is not covered with a frame, so if you are prone to drop the device on the floor, you should immediately take care of a case (it is included) or a bumper.
On the left is a slot for SIM cards. There may be two.
As I said, microSD is not supported, so you have to be content with the internal memory of the smartphone.
The smartphone is glossy on the back; however, it is not as actively collecting fingerprints as, for example, the black iPhone.
Two cameras, one with normal focal length, the second with doubled. More about this in the section about testing photos.
Well, for the sake of completeness, let's look at how the smartphone looks from behind the bottom.
Package not too luxurious, but not poor. In addition to the traditional charging with a Chinese plug (Quick Charge is supported), wires and clips are also equipped with a USB Type C - 3.5 adapter (for using wired headphones), as well as a silicone case.
This is how close postings look like.
Well, the view of the smartphone in the case.
It protects well, but the fingerprints on it are already much more noticeable than on the device itself.
Another problem is that with a case the charging connector keeps on just barely, and it is worth moving the smartphone a bit as it stops charging. If I used the device for myself, then, probably, I would cut the cover a bit so that the connector was inserted completely.
The packaging of the device is classic, similar to the one that was in Xiaomi Mi5S
Most of the inscriptions are in Chinese, but among the hieroglyphs we can consider the main technical characteristics.
There are no special claims to the appearance of the smartphone and its ergonomics. It is comfortable, well tailored, well in the hand. Similarity with iPhones to the point of confusion, but there's no way to go.
Tests
The smartphone uses the most powerful processor at the time of release. In Antutu, he scores as much as 180 thousand points. In the test 3DMark SlingShot get as much as 3300 points.
 |  |
Most of the tests, like Bonsai Benchmark, completely rest on the screen refresh rate.
 |  |
In PCMark, the situation is also excellent - fast processor, lots of memory, fast storage.
 |  |
It is unlikely that in the near future you will need more performance. For several years, all games will run at maximum settings, there is absolutely no doubt about it.
 |  |
GPS is fast and clear, works with three navigation systems - GPS, Glonass, Beidou.
The smartphone supports Mifare Classic, it can be used to read and write information, for example, from the Troika card. There should be no obstacles to using Android Pay either, but on the Chinese firmware it does not work, it swears on the “left” Google Apps (I put them hacked from MiPad). After the release of international firmware, everything should be a bundle.
Complete power supply supports Quick Charge up to 12V 1.5A. Charges the device for 1 hour, it's really great.
The battery life is not amazing - this is a standard day, like most other flagships. It strongly depends on how intensively you use the device. More autonomy than the OnePlus 3T, smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S8 + in the "normal" mode.
A photo
The device uses two 12 megapixel camera module of good quality. However, as always, Xiaomi succeeds in this, the Chinese could not get the most out of iron. Photos are at a good level, but not flagship. Originals can be downloaded on Yandex. Photos (open on the links from the photos).
Photos in the album " Xiaomi Mi6 2 ", the author of mpanius on Yandex. Photos.
Night shots are not amazing, however, they are quite worthy.
When there is insufficient lighting, but not in the night, the noise level is not very aggressive, and the noise is noticeable. However, it is better than "clay".
In favorable light conditions, the picture is good, bright, saturated.
When the picture has a lot of detail (grass, for example), it becomes clear that the JPG compression ratio is too big. Some parts are lubricated.
At a certain point in case of insufficient lighting, the aggressive noise level is turned on, and the picture turns into clay.
The second camera is designed for use with such a twofold approximation.
The same shot taken with a regular camera.
But what I really liked was a special “portrait mode”. It blurs the background and slightly smoothes the skin. The photos are really good.
The HDR job is soft and unobtrusive, not at all as aggressive as in the Redmi series.
Here is another example of the use of "zoom", this time first 1x camera ...
And this is a two-fold increase.
Finally - shooting in macro mode
In general, the camera does not have enough stars from the sky, but, nevertheless, remains very, very decent.
Total
Smartphone Xiaomi Mi6 is a convenient and compact flagship device, for half the usual price of the flagship. There is a lot to complain about, for example, the fact that despite the not very large diagonal, it is not very compact. It can be compared with “big brands”, with Samsung Galaxy S8 or LG G6, and the latter will be better, but the price is much less pleasant. At a price, it roughly corresponds to last year’s flagships of the “big brands”, while significantly exceeding them in ergonomics and performance (but losing in the camera).
The main claim of course is the lack of a headphone jack and microSD. In addition, we should not forget that smartphones designed for the Chinese market do not work with LTE Band 20, that is, they will not always catch the fourth-generation connection if you are connected to Beeline or Tele 2 in the Moscow region.
On the links you will find the actual prices (with delivery) for the black version of 64 GB (there is a coupon MiF4G, with it the price is 459.99) for the black version for 128 GB (coupon GMi6 with it price 509.99), for the blue version , and for the international ceramic version of
Try coupons:
$ 419.99 for 64 GB with a GRMi64G coupon or $ 409.99 with a HMI6 coupon
$ 479.99 for 128 GB with a GRMi4G coupon
Under the spoiler, more coupons to other smartphones from Xiaomi
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