Xiaomi made some interesting moves and adopted some outstanding new technologies to make the Mi Mix happen.With the Mi Mix, Xiaomi achieved something Apple has struggled with for years — reducing the size of a smartphone’s bezels to next to nothing. The Mi Mix delivers a surprising 91.3 percent screen-to-body ratio. In comparison, the iPhone 7 Plus has a 67.7 percent screen-to-body ratio.
To put that in perspective, the 7 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen, while the Mi Mix crams a 6.4-inch screen into almost exactly the same footprint.
iPhone fans have long complained that the bezels around their Retina HD displays are too big, but Apple has been unable to reduce them. In fact, the 7 Plus is one of the largest phablets available right now — despite the fact that many rivals have larger displays.
Xiaomi achieved this by employing a number of incredible new technologies, and by not being so anal about symmetry (Apple insists that the bezels above and beneath its iPhone displays are precisely the same size, but Xiaomi isn’t too concerned about that).
Xiaomi also developed a display with rounded corners, which allows the OLED panel to sit right up against the edges of the Mi Max in a way that sharp, right-angle corners just couldn’t.
Cantilever piezoelectric ceramics and ultrasonic distance sensor
Look closely at the front of the Mi Mix and you’ll notice it has no proximity sensor and no hole to emit sound — things you traditionally find above the display on smartphones. Instead, the device uses cantilever piezoelectric ceramics and an ultrasonic distance sensor.
The cantilever piezoelectric ceramics work alongside a digital-to-analog converter to turn electrical signals into mechanical energy. That energy is then distributed through the Mi Mix’s metal frame, turning the device itself into a speaker.
This allows you to make calls just like you would on any other smartphone — by holding the phone to your ear — but negates the need for the usual bulky speaker hidden behind the bezel.
The ultrasonic distance sensor allows the Mi Mix to measure proximity through its display, so it knows when it’s being held against your face, or placed face-down on a flat surface, without the need for infrared sensors.
The Mi Mix still carries a front-facing camera, but it sits in the narrow bezel beneath the display. The module is 50 percent smaller than comparable 5-megapixel camera modules, so it doesn’t require as much space inside the phone.
Full ceramic body (including buttons)
The Mi Mix comes with a ceramic back, frame and buttons that score an 8 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness alongside materials like sapphire. In comparison, Gorilla Glass 5, which is being used on the latest Android-powered flagships, is rated around 5.
Ceramic isn’t just more robust, either. It’s radio-transparent, which means all the wireless chips inside the Mi Max — Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, LTE, etc. — can send and receive signals through the Xiaomi phone’s body without the need for antenna bands.
Ceramic is also a great material for heat dissipation, which means the Mi Mix should run cooler than most smartphones while under heavy loads.
