Xiaomi unveiled a pair of new smartphones, with the limelight being captured by its Mi Mix “concept phone” with edgeless design.

Mi Mix
MiMix has a 6.4-inch display with a 91.3 per cent screen-to-body ratio (for comparison, Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus has a ratio of around 68 per cent). It also has a ceramic body.

The company placed a lot of emphasis on the design, wheeling out designer Philippe Starck to sing its praises – Starck was apparently involved in the process.

Mi Mix is also high-spec under the hood: powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, it is available with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (CNY3,499 [$516]) or with 6GB RAM, 256GB storage and 18K gold detailing (CNY3,999).

Elliptic Labs said Xiaomi is using its ultrasound technology to replace the hardware proximity sensor used in Mi Mix, used to turn off the screen during calls. This also means the sensor can be used to move the speaker behind the glass screen, enabling a more svelte design.

In order to give the edgeless design, the front camera has also been moved below the screen, from the more traditional position above. And in a reference to Apple’s decision to drop the headphone jack from its latest iPhones, Xiaomi said that on Mi Max it is “intact for now”.

Unveiling the device, Xiaomi said that because of the ceramic body and large screen, “mass production for this phone is not an easy job”.

Other features include 16MP rear and 5MP front cameras, HD audio (192kHz/24 bit) and 4,400mAh battery with quick charge.

Availability is scheduled in China for 4 November.

Mi Note 2
Xiaomi also updated its Mi Note phablet line, with Mi Note 2 featuring a 5.7-inch screen with dual curved edges – similar to Samsung’s approach.

mi-note-2-1According to reports, the screen has a 2K (quad HD) resolution.

The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, has 23MP rear and 8MP front cameras, and 4,070mAh battery with quick charge. It also offers global LTE support.

Three versions will be available: with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for CNY2,799; with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for CNY3,299; and a “global” version which also has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for CNY3,499.

VR headset
In addition the company unveiled a VR headset, called Mi VR, which is compatible with a number of its latest smartphones (Mi Note 2 and Mi 5 series).

Priced at CNY199, it includes dedicated motion sensor and delivers “ultra-low latency”.