A few weeks ago, Xiaomi officially confirmed that there will be a Xiaomi Mi MIX 4 and a Xiaomi Tablet this year. Before now, Xiaomi released two flagships annually, one in the digital series early in the year and another in the MIX series later in the year. However, since the release of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G in May 2019, the company has not released any other phone in this series. The Xiaomi Mi MIX Alpha that was announced in September 2019 never hit the market. Obviously, it is not a device for the public – it is scaringly expensive anyway.
According to Xiaomi’s CEO, Lei Jun, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4 will surpass other Mi phones. However, what are the features that we should expect from the MIX 4? Let’s take a look at the top five expectations.
1. On-screen camera
For starters, the MIX series places emphasis on its design. Recall when the maiden Xiaomi Mi MIX hit the market? Its “square-ish” full-screen design was a sight to behold. However, the requirement for “full-screen” now has since increased. If Xiaomi is to make an impact with the Xiaomi MIX 4 full-screen design, it has to remove the camera sensor. The best way to do this is to use an on-screen camera sensor.
Unfortunately, as of now, the on-screen camera technology is not mature. It still has some lapses and its output is not very great. The ZTE Axon 20 5G is the only smartphone in the industry with this technology. However, there are confirmations that the camera performance is below par.
Looking at Xiaomi’s technical reserves, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4 should be on track to use the on-screen camera technology. However, this is only an expectation and nothing official. Recall that the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 comes with a periscope camera which did not go well. Obviously, Xiaomi will avoid the periscope technology and pop-up cameras are already in mid-range phones.
2. Air wireless charging technology
In addition to the on-screen camera technology, we also expect the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4 to come with the new Xiaomi Mi Air Charge Technology. Late last month, Xiaomi showed its own “air charging” technology on Weibo. Is it a coincidence that reports on the MIX 4 and Mi Air Charge Technology are on the web at the same time? Probably not. We are still waiting for the first Xiaomi phone to use the Mi Air Charging Technology. This will probably be the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4.
The newly released Xiaomi Mi Air Charge Technology is a significant attempt to turn the whole house into a wireless charger. With this technology, you can charge your device anywhere you are in the home. Whether you are walking, gaming or sleeping, your device could be charging without a socket. You do not also need any cables or wireless charging stands.
How does this technology work?
This is probably the most important question that many people will ask. In fact, it is the first question I asked when I first saw the report. The company had to design a special charging pile that comes with five-phase in-built interference antennas. These antennas will detect the location of the smartphone. To get power to the phone, Xiaomi also includes a phase control array of 144 antennas. These other antennas can then transmit millimeter-wide waves via beamforming to the smartphone.
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Furthermore, there is also a small antenna array with an in-built “beacon antenna” and “receiving antenna array”. While the former serves to broadcast the phone position information, the latter with 14 antennas convert millimeter-wave signal from the charging pile into electric energy. It does this via the rectifier circuit to make the charging solution complete.
Is this technology safe?
This is another very important question that many may ask. Well, we do not expect Xiaomi to say it is not safe so we look at its workability. For now, the Xiaomi Mi Air Charge Technology only outputs 5W. This is hardly enough to cause any harm over the short term. However, we can not tell the effect of exposure to such charges over the long term.
This technology supports charging multiple devices simultaneously. Each device will get 5W charging. According to the company, works over several meters. However, it did not give a specific distance range. It is important to note that physical obstacles do not reduce the charging efficiency. This technology works for only smartphones for now.
3. Design breakthrough
The Xiaomi MIX series is known for the use of ceramic body material. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 4 will probably continue this trend – only better. Of course, we expect it to retain its “square-ish” but with a quad-curve design. A few weeks ago, Xiaomi showed us the brand-new “Quad Waterfall Screen” concept phone. If this technology appears on Xiaomi Mi MIX 4, it will be an interesting sight to behold.
Looking back at the progress of the Mi MIX series, it is not difficult to find that each generation of Mi MIX has a certain exploration in the body material, and from another perspective, the body material is also one of the “easiest decentralization” technologies in the mobile phone field. As an inheritance from the MIX series, Mi MIX 4 is likely to bring us new surprises in the body material (maybe not ceramic).
4. Battery & fast charging
Xiaomi will probably work on the battery and fast charging of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4. Although the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra comes with a 4,500 mAh battery that supports 120W wired fast charging, this technology is not yet mature. Recall that the maximum output the Mi 10 Ultra can take is 80W. This is a far cry from the theoretical rated 120W. In addition, the 120W fast charging is only slightly faster than Xiaomi’s 50W fast charging solution. This is why the Xiaomi Mi 11 ditches the 120W charging solution for 55W.
With the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4, the company should be able to deliver “true 120W charging solution”. Well, at least, this is what we expect, it may not be the reality. With the battery, we hope to see something better. 4,500 mAh is becoming regular. Can Xiaomi get a bigger but lighter for the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4? We will have to wait and see.
5. Display
Xiaomi seems to be interested in the display of its devices in recent times. Unfortunately, display improvements never really make the headlines (except its refresh rate of course). For the Xiaomi Mi 11, its display achieves 13 new technoloical breakthroughs. From this perspective, we expect the Mi MIX 4 to come with some sort of dislay improvements.
Conclusion
While it will be interesting to see the Xiaomi Mi MIX 4, there is no official information on its specs or launch date. Nevertheless, these are the top five features that we expect from this smartphne. What do you expect from the MIX 4? Let us know your thouhts in the comment section below.
