50 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 44
REVIEW
Google services, which means you need to do
some work to configure the handset if you wish
to use Gmail, Google Photos, Google Drive and so
on. Fortunately with our sample we were able to
download the Google Installer from the Mi App Store,
but this isn’t something we would recommend for
people who don’t know their way around an Android
phone – especially when everything is in Chinese.Design
It’s difficult to imagine without seeing it in the flesh,
but the Mi Mix 2 is even better-looking than the
original. And that’s even taking into account we
reviewed the top-end ceramic model for the original
Mi Mix, a handset that won the IDEA Gold award for
design. Part of the reason for this, no doubt, is French
designer Philippe Starck is back on board.
The best design change, in our opinion, is the
reduced overall size. It’s dropped 7mm on its height
and 6mm on its width, and has even shaved off a little
round its waist, now just 7.7mm thick. Unfortunately
this means there is now a camera bump, which is
more apparent thanks to its gold surround. We’d have
preferred Xiaomi to stick to the 7.9mm design with the
rear camera lying flush.
We appreciate that some people want a huge
phone, but having used the Mi Mix across multiple
seasons we never found a coat or jacket pocket into
which it would comfortably fit without feeling as
though it was going to rip the seams.
And when you have a piece of tech that large, it’s
surprisingly easy to drop. Not good when you have a