ISSUE 67 • ANDROID ADVISOR 91BUYING GUIDEthe camera, flashlight or the previous app, or to turn
on Reading mode or trigger a Google search.
The second addition is an IR blaster, which used
to be a common feature of Xiaomi phones but was
removed in Mi 8. Now reinstated, this sensor works in
tandem with the preinstalled Mi Remote app to control
various appliances in your home. We got it working
with our Sony TV and DVD player, but sadly it does not
currently recognize our Roku media streaming box.
On the rear Xiaomi has refined the edges, which
are now curved on all sides. This makes the Mi 9
more comfortable to hold in one hand, despite its
larger screen, but the glossy mirror-like surface is
incredibly slippery, with nothing but the extruding
camera assembly to aid grip.
Though we’d prefer the camera to lie flush with
the phone’s body, we appreciate how difficult a
task this would be to achieve with a 48Mp sensor
on board. The new assembly sticks out further than
previously, but the unit is protected from damage
with tough Sapphire glass.
A halo ring around the top lens adds a touch of
class, and is something we’ve seen previously from
Xiaomi with the red outer rings on Mi 8 Pro and 18K
gold detailing on Mi Mix.
Aside from these few quibbles – the slippery
surface, the prominent camera bump, the fingerprints,
the sub-Quad-HD resolution and the in-display
fingerprint sensor that fails to work 100 percent
of the time – the only thing we can really call out
as a criticism of Mi 9’s premium design is a lack of
waterproofing. But when you consider that adding