Xiaomi, whose smartphones outsold Apple Inc in China during the second quarter, has released its most expensive device a day before the US company’s launch of its much anticipated 10th anniversary model, marking its progress up the value chain in the world’s largest and arguably most challenging mobile phone market.
The Mi Mix 2, featuring an all-ceramic “unibody” design by Philippe Starck, comes with a full-screen display that retails for 4,699 yuan (US$720). A variant retails between 3,299 yuan and 3,999 yuan. The phone, featuring a unique 18:9 aspect ratio, is smaller than its earlier generation, a hundredth of an inch smaller than 6 inches, but comes with a bigger screen display.