Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S vs. Samsung Galaxy S9+: Specs Category Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Samsung Galaxy S9+ Operating System MIUI 9.5

Android 8.0 Oreo Samsung Experience 9.0

Android 8.0 Oreo Display 5.99-inch 18:9 IPS LCD 2160 x 1080

Gorilla Glass 4

403ppi pixel density 6.2-inch Super AMOLED 2960x1440 (18.5:9)

Gorilla Glass 5

529ppi pixel density Chipset Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

Four Kryo 385 cores up to 2.80GHz

Four Kryo 385 cores at 1.70GHz

10nm Octa-core 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (U.S.)

Octa-core 2.7GHz Exynos 9810 (Global)

10nm GPU Adreno 630 Adreno 630 (U.S.)

Mali-G72 MP18 (Global) RAM 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X 6GB LPDDR4X Storage 64GB/128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 64GB/128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 Expandable No Yes Battery 3400mAh 3500mAh Charging USB-C

Quick Charge 3.0 (9V/2A)

Wireless charging USB-C

Adaptive Fast Charging

Wireless charging Water resistance No IP68 Rear Camera 12MP f/1.8 1.4-micron pixels

12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens

Dual Pixel Autofocus

4K@30fps, 720p@120fps 12MP f/1.5 or f/2.4 with 1.4-micron pixels

12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens

Dual Pixel Autofocus

4K@60fps, 1080p@240fps, 720p@960fps Front Camera 5MP 8MP with auto HDR Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 ac MU MIMO, 2x2 MIMO

NFC, LTE with VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0

GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou Wi-Fi 802.11ac MIMO, 1.2 Gbps (Cat-18) LTE

Bluetooth 5.0 LE

ANT+, NFC, GPS, Glonass Security One-touch fingerprint sensor (back) One-touch fingerprint sensor (back) SIM Dual SIM Single SIM (U.S.)

Dual SIM (Global) Dimensions 150.9 x 74.9 x 8.1mm 158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm Weight 191g 189g Colors Black, White Midnight Black, Lilac Purple, Coral Blue Where they're both equal

Both the Mi Mix 2S and the Galaxy S9+ have a lot in common — they have minimal bezels up front and reflective backs, they feature the latest hardware available today, and both offer wireless charging. The Mi Mix 2S is compatible with the Qi wireless standard, whereas the Galaxy S9+ works with both Qi and PMA. Both phones have top-notch performance as well: you're not going to encounter any slowdowns or lags on either device. The Galaxy S9+ comes with 6GB of RAM as standard, as does the Mi Mix 2, and both phones can be configured with up to 256GB of internal storage. The 256GB option on the Mi Mix 2S comes with 8GB of RAM, as well as global LTE bands — the standard variant has LTE connectivity limited to Asian markets.

The similarities continue on the software side of things as well — both phones come with Oreo out of the box. The Mi Mix 2S features MIUI 9.5, and Xiaomi has significantly improved the stability and fixed numerous bugs. Samsung Experience 9.0, meanwhile, is nearly identical to what we saw on the S8+ last year. I'm giving MIUI the edge on this front just for the sheer improvement in performance from the previous iteration. The camera on the Mi Mix 2S is incredible. Over the last two years, the differentiator between a $500 phone and one costing over $800 was the camera. If you wanted a camera that consistently took great photos in any lighting scenario, you had to shell out the big bucks. However, it looks like all that's changing this year, at least if the camera on the Mi Mix 2S is any indication. Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S on the left, Galaxy S9+ on the right.

Xiaomi's new AI-assisted feature is in use here, and it makes the Mi Mix 2S stand out. The photo taken by the S9+ has a yellowish tint throughout, but that isn't the case on the Mi Mix 2S. The colors are accurate as well, and overall the Mi Mix 2S wins this one.

The Mi Mix 2S also edges out the S9+ in this photo. The S9+ image is washed out, and you don't necessarily get accurate colors.

This is where the S9+ starts to take the lead. It was able to focus faster, leading to a crisper image. The colors are much more vibrant as well, and there's more detail.

Low-light photography has been the main drawback on Xiaomi phones in the past, but the Mi Mix 2S vastly improves on that front.

This is a particularly tricky photo as there's little light, but the Mi Mix 2S does a great job of preserving detail. If anything, it does better than the S9+. Overall, it's safe to say that the Mi Mix 2S has the best camera of any Xiaomi phone by some distance. It may just be the camera to beat in the $500 space. What the Mi Mix 2S does better

The Mi Mix 2S has a ceramic back while the Galaxy S9+ comes with a glass back reinforced by Gorilla Glass 5, and when it comes to durability, the former takes the lead. The ceramic back gives the Mi Mix 2S added resistance to tumbles, and it doesn't scratch as easily — after a month of use, the back of my Galaxy S9+ is littered with scratches. The Mi Mix 2S also feels better to hold thanks to the subtle curves at the back and the smaller 5.99-inch form factor. The 6.2-inch 18.5:9 panel on the S9+ is a tad too large, and the narrow chassis combined with the tall display makes the phone unwieldy. It's also easier to reach the fingerprint sensor on the Mi Mix 2S — it is located where your finger usually rests at the back, so you don't have to contort your hand to access it. The Mi Mix 2S runs rings around the Galaxy S9+ when it comes to battery life. Then there's the battery: the Mi Mix 2S comes with a 3400mAh battery, slightly lower than the 3500mAh battery on the Galaxy S9+. However, the FHD+ panel and MIUI's battery-saving optimizations make the phone last significantly longer than the S9+. The difference is particularly noticeable when using cellular data throughout the day — the Galaxy S9+ barely managed to last over 14 hours, whereas the Mi Mix 2S delivered over 20 hours of battery life. The Mi Mix 2S also has the upper hand when it comes to charging. The phone comes with Quick Charge 3.0 — allowing the phone to fully charge up in just over an hour and a half — whereas the Galaxy S9+ is still limited to Samsung's Adaptive Fast Charging. What the Galaxy S9+ does better