With waterfall displays becoming the latest trend on smartphones, Xiaomi has taken the concept to the next level by wrapping the display around the entire phone.
Xiaomi’s Mi Mix Alpha has what the Chinese are calling a “surround screen”. The screen-to-body ratio on the smartphone is 180 percent, with the screen wrapping around to meet the camera module on the back of the phone.
The camera setup on the Alpha is also extremely impressive. There’s a 108-megapixel main camera made in partnership with Samsung, as well as a 20-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens.
Because of the design of the screen, there is no need for a front-facing camera on the phone. If you’re wanting to take selfies, you just turn the phone around and use the rear display to see what you’re photos will look like.
Another absence is no physical buttons on the side of the phone. Status icons like network signal and battery signal will be displayed on the side of the phone instead.
As well as looking phenomenal there’s some standard specs that you will find on the phone. There’s a 4,050mAh battery, but due to the design there’s probably going to be issues with regards to battery life. I’m anticipating that such a massive display will eat up battery life compared to a standard smartphone.
Take a closer look:
The Mix Alpha also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, 40W wired fast-charging and 5G connectivity.
The phone will go into production this year and go on sale in December for 19,999 yuan (around $2,800). It’s unclear whether Xiaomi are actually on planning on selling this device outside of China just yet.
Aside from potential battery life problems, there’s also the worries of screen durability. Samsung have only just started selling their Galaxy Fold after problems with their foldable screens. It was originally launched in February and was set to be rolled out April, but Samsung postponed the launch because early reviewers experienced issues with the device.
A device as fiddly as the Alpha may experience similar problems. It’s because of these concerns that their may also be problems with privacy and accidentally setting off touch recognition.
It’s very easy to point out issues that the phone faces… but is also one of the best looking phones I’ve ever seen. I hope that this goes from being a small production project to being a popular mainstream device!
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Matt Weston is a lover of electric cars, artificial intelligence and space. From Cornwall, he’s a UCLan graduate that still dreams of being a Formula One driver in the very near future. Previously work includes reporting for regional newspapers and freelance video for the International Business Times.