Snapdragon 845 can handle almost anything you can throw at it

The Mi Mix 2s has flagship guts that’s equivalent to devices that are twice its price. Specifically, it’s running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor, paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There’s an even pricier version of the Mi Mix 2s that has 128GB of storage that retails for Php 29,990.

Since the Mi Mix 2s has the fastest Snapdragon processor currently available on a smartphone, it’s not surprising that it demolishes all apps that come before it. Whatever your Android gaming addiction is, the phone can handle it without breaking a sweat. The Mi Mix 2s did get a little warm after a while, but that’s not really unexpected. The only thing that really gave it pause was Gameloft’s Asphalt 9: Legends, but we gather that’s more because of the app’s beta status than the shortcomings of the Snapdragon 845 itself.

Of course, Xiaomi’s compromises for the Mi Mix 2s come back to bite it when you’re actually using it. That oddly positioned selfie camera means you’ll have to flip the phone upside down to take a selfie, a motion that may knock the phone out of your hand because the body is a bit slippery.

Sound quality coming from the bottom mounted speakers aren’t that great, sounding tinny and distorted. Normally we’d suggest you switch to your wired headphones to listen to music properly, but since the Mi Mix 2s doesn’t have a headphone jack, you’d be better off with a wireless pair of cans. The USB Type-C adapter is an option too, but obviously you lose the ability to charge and listen to music at the same time, plus it’s an accessory that’s liable to get lost because of its size.

You’ll either love or hate MIUI

Just like other phones from Chinese firms, Xiaomi implemented their own UI overlay on top of Android Oreo dubbed MIUI. Now on its 8th iteration, MIUI gives you additional features and removes the app drawer. Swiping all the way to the left reveals a homescreen called the Guide, which gives you access to app shortcuts and information that’s important to you at one glance.

We’re not fans of UI overlays on phones, and we’re more biased towards devices that have pure Android on them. Despite that MIUI doesn’t really get in the way too much. The ability to download and install Android P ahead of everyone else is also a great compromise if you don’t like MIUI, though obviously that route has its own pitfalls.