Xiaomi has launched its high-end flagship phone with a near bezel-less screen, the Mi Mix 2, in India at a hefty price tag of Rs 35,999. Successor to last year's concept phone Mi Mix, the Mi Mix 2, is notably Xiaomi's most expensive phone in India to date. Considering what it brings to the table, however, it takes no genius to ascertain that the Mi Mix 2 ought to be an expensive phone. In line with current-generation high-end flagship phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the LG V30 and even Apple's soon-to-be available iPhone X.

The Mi Mix 2, it seems like, carries forward the trend started by last year's Mi Mix which is why it also aspires to offer more screen real estate in a compact pint-sized form factor. At the same time, the Mi Mix 2 aspires to correct some of the grueling shortcomings that made the original a lot less accessible for the general audience. This includes a broader availability and support for more global LTE bands as well.

A more accessible Mi Mix

Just like the Mi Mix, the Mi Mix 2 also comes with a full ceramic body and an outer frame that is carved out of 7-series aluminum alloy. The Mi Mix 2 ships with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front and an 18K gold-plated camera rim that make it instantly stand out like a limited edition device. While the ceramic back protects against scratches -- in fact, the Mi Mix 2 with its ceramic body would be really hard to scratch unless you really want to, the same cannot be said about accidental drops though since ceramic is also one of the most brittle materials around -- the curved aluminum frame enhances grip and all-round experience. Xiaomi ships a protective case in the box, just in case.

Just like the Mi Mix, the Mi Mix 2 also boasts of an impressive screen-to-body ratio offering more screen without occupying a larger footprint. Because the Mi Mix 2 offers an unusual aspect ratio of 18:9 -- last year's Mi Mix came with a 17:9 screen -- it is longer than it is wider, much like the iPhone X. The Mi Mix 2, for your reference, is a 5.99-inch phone but because Xiaomi has shaved off much of the bezels, it appears smaller when in the hands. Just like the Mi Mix, the Mi Mix 2 also doesn't have a forehead, but only the chin. Xiaomi, this time round, has reduced the size of the chin. The front camera -- a 5-megapixel -- is still tucked away at the bottom but, this time round, Xiaomi has managed to make it all the more concealed. It still works in a similar fashion though. When you're taking a selfie, you look down or simply flip the phone around. The ultrasonic proximity sensor understands that you flipped the phone, and changes the orientation of the front camera accordingly. And it does this, very fast.

Speaking of which, the Mi Mix 2 still uses an ultrasonic proximity sensor through the display, through the glass, through the whole thing. It senses when you bring your phone to your ear just like an infrared proximity sensor. Unlike last year when Xiaomi used a piezoelectric ceramic driver for the earpiece -- so the earpiece was also hidden underneath the glass -- the Mi Mix 2 has a tiny slit up top that serves as the earpiece/secondary speaker. The Mi Mix 2, in addition, gets a pair of stereo speakers. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack though which means the same connectivity port -- USB Type-C -- will be used for audio out, charging and data syncing. Xiaomi will thankfully ship a USB Type-C to 3.5mm dongle in the box.

Elsewhere, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 comes with top-of-the-line specs including a 2.45GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, clubbed with 6GB of RAM. It comes with 128GB of internal storage which is non-expandable. The dual-SIM phone supports 4G LTE, NFC and USB OTG. On the software side, the Mi Mix 2 comes with Android Nougat-based MIUI. The Mi Mix 2 is backed by a 3,400mAh battery which is non-removable. The Mi Mix 2 also supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 and ships with a certified fast charger in the box.

On the camera front, the Mi Mix 2 comes with a 12-megapixel rear camera -- Sony IMX386 sensor -- assisted with phase detection autofocus, 4-axis OIS and dual-LED (dual-tone) flash. The rear camera is capable of shooting 1080p and 4K videos at 30fps.

Price and availability

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 will be available for buying online via Flipkart, and offline via the company's exclusive retail partners and Mi Home stores at a price of Rs 35,999. It will be available in Black colour option and just the one version: 6GB RAM/128GB storage. Xiaomi isn't launching the limited edition variant of the Mi Mix 2 that ships with an all-ceramic unibody, 8 gigs of RAM and 128GB of storage, in India for the time being. Another thing to note here is that while the company's budget Redmi phones are largely made in India, the Mi Mix 2 that will be sold in India will not be made in India but imported from China.