Xiaomi Mi 6 launched in China: Here’s what has changed from Mi 5

So how is Mi 6 different from Mi 5? Let us take a look:

Xiaomi Mi 6

Xiaomi Mi 6 seems to have a lot of Apple’s flagship features, but at a mid-budget pricing. For example, Mi 6 has a Portrait Mode just like iPhone 7 Plus, an embedded fingerprint scanner, no headphone jack and dual rear camera setup.

Xiaomi Mi 6 has an all-new four-sided 3D glass design surrounded by metallic frames. There’s a 5.15-inch display, though there is a home button on this phone. The dual stereo speakers are at the bottom like we saw on Mi 5. Mi 6 support USB Type-C for charging.

Xiaomi Mi 6 has a 12MP+12MP dual rear camera setup. The first lens is a wide-angle lens while the second one is a telephoto lens.

Xiaomi Mi 6 has a 12MP+12MP dual rear camera setup. The first lens is a wide-angle lens, while the second one is a telephoto lens. The rear camera lens in Mi 6 is said to be blended into the smartphone’s body, and doesn’t jut out. The smartphone has a ‘Portrait Mode’ similar to the one we saw on Apple iPhone 7 Plus. It blurs background while focusing on subject. Other features of the camera are 2x optical lossless zoom and 4-axis OIS.

Xiaomi Mi 6 will run the latest Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor with 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB internal storage options. This is Xiaomi’s first smartphone to feature Snapdragon 835 processor and 6GB RAM.

The smartphone along with its SIM tray is splash-resistant, though the company has not specified the water resistance rating.

Xiaomi has slightly bumped up the battery to 3,350mAh. Other features of the Mi 6 are 2×2 dual Wi-Fi technology, which is claimed to increase connectivity and speed.

Xiaomi has slightly bumped up the battery to 3,350mAh, that the company claims will easily last for a day with MIUI optimizations.

Xiaomi Mi 6 costs Yuan 2499 (Rs 24,000) for the 6GB RAM+64GB storage option. The 6GB RAM+128GB ROM variant will be available at Yuan 2899, while the Ceramic edition Mi 6 with 6GB RAM+128GB storage is priced at Yuan 2999.

Xiaomi Mi 5

In our review, we noted that Mi 5 was a pretty fast performer but it faced massive overheating issues as well software inconsistencies.

Xiaomi Mi 5 with its 3D glass back and dual stereo speakers at the bottom, looks a lot like Mi 6 in terms of design. The display is also the same at 5.15-inch Full HD. Of course, there’s no dual rear camera setup and home button doubles up as a fingerprint scanner. Xiaomi Mi 5 runs MIUI 7 based on Android 6 Marshmallow.

Xiaomi Mi 5 is powered by  the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor clocked at 1.3 Ghz. It features a 16MP rear camera with 4-axis OIS, and 4MP front camera with a wide-angle lens. Mi 5 Xiaomi Mi 5 has a 3,000mAh battery, and the device supports fast charge. It was launched in India at Rs 24,999 for the 3GB RAM+32GB storage version.

Read: Xiaomi Mi 5 review: Just not perfect yet

Verdict

Xiaomi Mi 6 looks like a pretty capable smartphone with Snapdragon 835 processor and dual rear camera setup. Not much has changed on the design front at first glance, but the device have been upgraded to accommodate a faster processor with 6GB RAM.

We’ll have to wait for Mi 6 to launch in India before we can comment on its overall performance. With Mi 5, we faced massive overheating issues in the beginning and overall the camera also didn’t live upto the hype. Hopefully Xiaomi will sort out most of these problems with the Mi 6.