Best Xiaomi phones in 2018 (Ultimate Guide): Xiaomi Mi 7, Redmi 6 Plus and others

Xiaomi released a lot of different gadgets in 2017. The Chinese manufacturer ended 2018 with the release of Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus. In 2018 the company already announced two new phones called Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Although, Redmi 5 Plus is the same Redmi Note 5, but only for Indian market, another model Redmi Note 5 Pro is really interesting device. Of course, it has some nuances, for example, old design, but it has more features and attractive price.

So, Xiaomi starts 2018 very well, however further will be even better and more interesting, because in the coming months we will be shown Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S with flagship chipset Snapdragon 845 and another flagship smartphone called Xiaomi Mi7. What else should we wait from Xiaomi in 2018? We’ll try to predict all phones from Xiaomi in 2018. Today we will talk about Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, Mi A2 / Mi 6X, Redmi 6 and Mi Note 4.

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All Xiaomi phones in 2018

Xiaomi plans to release following phones in 2018:

1. Xiaomi Mi7;
2. Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S;
3. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro;
4. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5;
5. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3;
6. Xiaomi Mi Max 3;
7. Xiaomi Mi Note 4;
8. Xiaomi Mi 6X;
9. Xiaomi Redmi 6/6 Plus.

No doubt, this year Xiaomi will present at least 10 new devices. I want to note that in 2017 the company released 13 different phones. We’ll start our review of all Xiaomi smartphones of 2018 with flagships. Then we’ll tell you about already announced devices, and finish with little-known upcoming products.

Xiaomi Mi7

The first flagship from Xiaomi in 2018 will be Xiaomi Mi7. It will have the most technologies and features. If you believe the preliminary rumors, Xiaomi Mi 7 should be the most powerful smartphone on the market. It will be equipped with top-end processor Snapdragon 845, a huge amount of memory, one of the best cameras, full screen bezel-less display and large battery (up to 4500 mAh).

One of the most interesting part of new phone is design. Xiaomi Mi 7 should look very beautiful to compete with other flagships from Samsung, LG, Sony, etc. Every year the phone manufacturers come up with something new and innovative.

Today the main trend on phone market is bezel-less or full screen design. Of course, Xiaomi Mi7 will have bezel-less design. The company will try to reduce the bezels around the screen, and leave very small strip on top with front camera, sensors and other sensors.

The body of Xiaomi Mi7 will be made of glass and metal, like its predecessor Mi 6. The front panel of Xiaomi Mi 7 will not have any keys, but on the back panel there will be fingerprint reader and dual camera. In my opinion, it is better to place fingerprint reader on the side. If you believe the rumors, the smartphone will be very compact thanks to bezel-less design and quite small screen diagonal.

Xiaomi Mi 7 Specifications:

• Body: metal frame and tempered glass (ceramics in premium version);
• Display: 5.65-inch IPS-matrix with a resolution of 2160×1080 pixels, format 18:9, density 427 ppi, will take up to 95% of the front panel, brightness up to 800 nits;
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 8-core, frequency up to 2.8 GHz, 10-nm technical process Low Power Plus, custom core Kryo 385 (Gold + Silver), 64-bit;
• Graphics: Adreno 630 with a frequency of 800 MHz;
• RAM: 6 to 8 GB LPDDR4X, 4×1866 MHz;
• Storage: 64, 128 GB of UFS 2.1;
• Camera: dual, 16 MP with f/1.7 + 16 MP with f/2.4, flash, 4-axis stabilization, phase autofocus, optical zoom 2x;
• Self-camera: 8 MP, aperture f / 2.0, wide-angle;
• 3D face scanner and fingerprint scanner (rear);
• Stereo speakers, without 3.5 mm for the headset;
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C 3.1, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou;
• Support for two SIM;
• Networks: modem with LTE Cat 18 – up to 1.2 Gbps;
• Battery: 4500 mAh + Quick Charge 3.0 and wireless charging;
• OS: Android 8.0 + MIUI 9;
• Antutu: 270000 points;
• Price: from $475.

It is unlikely that we will see Xiaomi Mi7 at MWC 2018, because the manufacturer officially announce the release of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s at the upcoming event. I think that Xiaomi Mi7 will be presented in March-April 2018.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S

Usually, Xiaomi releases Mi Mix model in autumn. This time the Chinese manufacturer decided to change plans and release Mi Mix 2S in spring 2018. We already said, that Xiaomi Mi 7 will receive the most poweful and modern hardware and bezel-less design. What about Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S?

To be honest, we know little about upcoming phone, and its design, however today it was published first photo. If you believe the leaked image, new phone will receive very thin bezels on three sides and a small panel at the bottom of display. The earlier renders shows the front camera was located in the upper right corner of smartphone. The new images look more truthfully, because the front camera cannot be placed in the upper right corner.

Also there will be dual camera with 12MP sensors from Sony and flashlight on the back side. Interestingly, the fingerprint reader is promised to be built right into the display. If it will be true, then Mi Mix 2 will have a great success.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Specifications:

• Body: metal frame and tempered glass (ceramics in premium version);
• Display: 5.99-inch AMOLED-matrix with a resolution of 2160×1080 pixels, format 18: 9, density 403 ppi, will take up to 95% of the front panel, brightness up to 800 nits;
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 8-core, frequency up to 2.8 GHz, 10-nm technical process Low Power Plus, custom core Kryo 385 (Gold + Silver), 64-bit;
• Graphics: Adreno 630 with a frequency of 800 MHz;
• RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4X, 4×1866 MHz;
• Drive: 256 GB of UFS 2.1;
• Camera: dual, Sony IMX363 at 12 MP with f/1.7 + 12 MP with f/2.4, flash, 4-axis stabilization, phase autofocus, optical zoom 2x;
• Self-camera: 8 MP, aperture f/2.0, wide-angle;
• Fingerprint scanner;
• Stereo speakers, without 3.5 mm for the headset;
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C 3.1, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou;
• Support for two SIM;
• Networks: modem with LTE Cat 18 – up to 1.2 Gbps;
• Battery: 3400 mAh + Quick Charge 3.0 and wireless charging;
• OS: Android 8.0 + MIUI 9;
• AnTuTu: 270000 points;
• Price: from $550.

We have official information that Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S will be presented at Mobile World Congress 2018 (MWC 2018). As usual, the smartphone will go on sale in about one month.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Xiaomi fans waited for this model for a long time. While Redmi Note 5 is the same Redmi 5 Plus, the Pro version has some changes. As you may remember, Xiaomi introduced completely different devices in the autumn 2017: Redmi Note 5A and Note 5A Pro. They are not even budget phones, but almost ultra-budget phones with 5.5 inch HD displays and outdated Snapdragon 425 processors (Pro version runs on Snapdragon 435).

After the release of Redmi 5 and 5 Plus, many people start to talk about Redmi Note 5. In the middle of February 2018, Xiaomi already released long-waited smartphones.

Redmi Note 5 Pro is equipped with powerful Snapdragon 636 processor, 4/64 GB of memory, 4000 mAh battery and dual main camera with 12 MP + 5 MP sensors from Sony. The fingerprint reader is located on the rear panel, while the dual camera looks like iPhone X.

Redmy Note 5 Specifications:

• Metal and plastic inserts, glass;
• Display: 5.99″, IPS-panel, 2160×1080, 403 ppi, glass 2.5D, contrast ratio 1500: 1, brightness 450 nits, 83% NTSC, format 18: 9, occupies 77.7% of the area;
• Snapdragon 636, eight Kryo 260 cores with a frequency of up to 1.8 GHz, 64-bit, a process technology of 14 nm;
• Graphics: Adreno 509, frequency 650 MHz;
• RAM: 4 or 6 GB, 2×1866 LPDDR4X;
• ROM: 64 GB + memory card;
• Camera: 12 megapixels Sony IMX486 with f/2.2 + 5 MP from Samsung with f/2.0, pixel 1.25 microns + 1.12 microns, phase detection autofocus, bokeh effect, video recording in Full HD @ 30 fps, electronic stabilization;
• Self-camera: 20 MP Sony IMX376, f / 2.2 + flash;
• Number of SIM cards: two;
• LTE Cat.12 – download 600 Mbit / s, the output is 100 Mbit / s;
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n 2.4 + 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, Micro USB, 3.5 mm jack, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou;
• Fingerprint scanner and face unlock;
• Battery: 4000 mAh, fast charging with QC 3.0;
• MIUI 9 + Android 7.1.1;
• Dimensions: 158.6 x 75.4 x 8.05 mm;
• Weight: 181 g;
• Antutu: 110000 points;
• Price: from $220.

The device only came out in India, so the Russian market will not arrive until mid-March. At a price it’s hard to predict how many overcharges will be charged, but most likely the most affordable version will get a price tag around $ 220.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Although the smartphone is called Redmi Note 5, it’s actually the same Redmi 5 Plus with different LTE bands support. So, you can buy Redmi 5 Plus or Redmi Note 5, they have the same design, specs and features. Even the prices are the same. So, if you are waiting for Redmi Note 5, you can buy the same Redmi 5 Plus. I want to note that Redmi Note 5 doesn’t support the most common LTE Band 20, unlike Redmi 5 Plus.

If you don’t know about Redmi Note 5, then let me tell you some words. It is a budget phone with full screen design. It has metal body with large plastic inserts and 18:9 display with Full HD resolution. Snapdragon 625 provides good performance. You can run any Android games. Also there is big 4000mAh battery and 12MP rear camera. It is much better than Redmi Note 4X or Redmi 4X. The price of Redmi Note 5 is about $150. For this money you will get budget phone with full screen, good hardware and decent cameras. Even the plastic inserts or lack of USB Type-C does not reduce the advantages of this smartphone.

Redmi Note 5 Specifications:

• Metal and plastic inserts, glass;
• Display: 5.99″, IPS-panel, 2160×1080, 403 ppi, glass 2.5D, contrast ratio 1000: 1, brightness 450 nits, 85% NTSC, format 18: 9;
• Snapdragon 625, eight cores Cortex-A53 with frequency up to 2.0 GHz, 64-bit, technical process 14 nm;
• Graphics: Adreno 506, frequency 650 MHz;
• RAM: 3 or 4 GB, 1×933 LPDDR3;
• ROM: 32 or 64 GB + memory card;
• Camera: 12 MP from OmniVision, f/2.2, pixel 1.25 microns, phase detection autofocus;
• Self-camera: 5 MP, f/2.0 + flash;
• Number of SIM cards: two;
• LTE Cat.6 – download 300 Mbps, return 50 Mbps;
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 + 5 GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, Micro USB, 3.5 mm jack, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou;
• Fingerprint scanner;
• Battery: 4000 mAh, fast charging with QC 3.0;
• MIUI 9 and Android 7.1.1;
• Dimensions: 158.5 x 75.45 x 8.05 mm;
• Weight: 180 g;
• Antutu: 75000 points;
• Price: from $156.

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

There are big doubts that the smartphone will be released. However, at the same time it is unlikely that Xiaomi will stop with release of Mi Mix 2S. So, if Mi Mix 2S model is guaranteed to get Snapdragon 845, which processor will Mi Mix 3 get? The fact is that the next generation of flagship chipset Snapdragon 855 we will see not earlier than December 2018. We have some thoughts about this:

1. In September Xiaomi will not introduce Mi Mix 3 and postpone its announcement until February 2019. So, Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 will be presented on the next MWC 2019. In this case, the device will receive Snapdragon 855 and the latest features from 2019.
2. In the autumn 2018, Xiaomi will release Mi Mix 3, but on the same Snapdragon 845 processor or another improved model. For example, Qualcomm will release Snapdragon 846 (Snapdragon 845 with overclocked cores).

If everything goes according to the second scenario, and Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 will be released in autumn 2018, then there will be Mi Mix 3C on MWC 2019.

As for the features of the smartphone, it will have even thinner bezels, Face ID with a complex implementation, like iPhone X,  fingerprint reader built-in display (100%), neuro technology, dual camera with 16MP sensors, 6 inch screen 18:9 aspect ratio and much more.

Xiaomi Mi Max 3

Right now Mi Max series includes two phones. Both of them have 6.4 inches displays, and earlier it sounds very scary. However, bezel-less design has arrived, and today it is not afraid to buy 6 inch smartphone. At the moment we are not sure that Xiaomi is ready to release the next generation osf smartphone. Probably, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 will have the same size as Mi Mix 2, but it will come with 7 inch display. It is possible by reducing the bezels around the dispaly.

Today we have first renders how Xiaomi Mi Max 2 may look like.  The smartphone will have all-metal body, dual main camera, 7-inch display with only one small bezel on top.

As for other specs, it is easy to guess that we will be shown two versions of smartphone, just like Redmi Note 5. The younger model will offer an excellent Snapdragon 630 processor with 3/32 GB of memory, and an advanced version with Snapdragon 660 and 4/64 GB of memory. The battery capacity should be at least 5500 mAh, which is enough for at least 3 days of battery life.

As for the release date and price of Xiaomi Mi Max 3, it is very difficult to say something. The last leaks about this phone were in December last year, which makes it clear – it will not appear soon.

Xiaomi Mi Note 4

The design of Xiaomi Mi Note 3 is a complete copy of Mi 6, while instead of Snapdragon 835 processor, it provides Snapdragon 660, bigger battery and larger display from 5.15 to 5.5 inches. Most likely, Xiaomi Mi Note 4 will follow the same way, unless Xiaomi cancels its release. We will be optimistic, so Mi Note 4 will be!

And again, we think that Xiaomi Mi Note 4 will look like Xioami Mi7. However, instead of Snapdragon 845, the smartphone will get the newest Snapdragon 670 processor. It will allow the smartphone Xiaomi Mi Note 4 to differ from other devices. New smartphone will have good price, powerful hardware and updated design.

As for release date and price of Xiaomi Mi Note 4, the smartphone will be released until the autumn of 2018. Also it can be announced together with Xiaomi Mi Mix 3. The minimum price tag will be $350.

Xiaomi Mi 6X

In August 2017, it was released very good smartphone from Xiaomi called Mi 5X. In September the company announced its first smartphone on stock Android system called Xiaomi Mi A1. It is the same Mi 5X, only with stock Android instead of MIUI.

New smartphone is a bestseller on most markets around the world. It has similar design to iPhone 7 Plus with its dual camera and portrait mode. So, we have no doubt that Xiaomi will continue this series and we will see Xiaomi Mi6X in 2018, and after it there will be Mi A2 (the name may be different).

Like its predecessor, Xiaomi Mi 6X will get mid-range specifications. It will have its own processor Surge S2. The chipset promises to be very interesting, albeit with Mali-G71 graphics. The analog smartphone on stock Android most likely will have Snapdragon 636 processor, which is similar in to Surge S2 in performance. The rest of specs we will list below, but now let’s talk about design of new phones.

We already have some real photos of upcoming phones. It seems that new devices will copy iPhone again, but this time iPhone X. Like its predecessor, Xiaomi Mi 5X will have full metal body with 6 inch display. On the back you can see fingerprint reader, vertical dual camera and flash.

Although the images may be a fake, it looks very beautiful. If Xiaomi Mi 6X will get an optical stabilization system, then it will be possible to forgive abou any kind of camera and design in general.

Xiaomi Mi 6X Specifications:

• Body: metal and tempered glass;
• Display: 5.9 inches, IPS panel, 2160×1080 pixels, density 402 ppi, display format 18: 9, multitouch 10 touches;
• Processor:
• Xiaomi Surge S2, 8-core (4 x Cortex-A73, frequency up to 2.2 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A53 to 1.8 GHz), 16 nanometers, 64-bit (for Mi 6X);
• Snapdragon 636, eight Kryo 260 cores with frequency up to 1.8 GHz, 64-bit, technical process 14 nm (for Mi A2);
• Graphic arts:
• Mali-G71 MP8;
• Adreno 509;
• Operational: 4 GB LPDDR4;
• Flash-drive: 64 GB of UFS 2.1;
• Camera: 12 MP from Sony + 12 MP (Samsung or Omnivision), double optical zoom, optical stabilization, dual flash, phase autofocus, video recording in 4K;
• Self-camera: 16 MP;
• Fingerprint scanner (on the back side);
• USB Type-C and 3.5 mm minidjack connector;
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac and Bluetooth 5.0 LE, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou;
• SIM: Dual SIM dual stand by – one radio module;
• Networks: LTE Cat 12, max. transmission speed up to 600 Mbps;
• Battery: 3300-3500 mAh, fast charging;
• Android 7.1 + shell MIUI 9;
• Antutu: 110000 points;
• Price: from $250.

We are waiting for Xiaomi Mi6X until the end of the summer. The next generation of Mi A1, or any other name, will be released in autumn 2018. The price of both phones will be no more than $250.

Xiaomi Redmi 6 and Redmi 6 Plus

Redmi series is one of the most important for Xiaomi, because the smartphones have excellent combination of specs and prices.

At the end of 2017 the company announced Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus, which became one of the first budget phones in the world with full screen displays. As you can see, the manufacturer develops its series, so this year we are waiting for no less interesting devices.

It is hard to talk about specifications of Redmi 6 and Redmi 6 Plus. However, we can assume that the younger version will receive 5.7-inch HD+ display with Snapdragon 625 or 630 processor, or maybe even new Snapdragon 460. The battery capacity will be about 3500mAh. The camera will receive 12 MP sensor, just like Redmi Note 5 Pro. The amount of memory will be at least 3/32 GB with support for memory cards.

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The advanced version of Redmi 6 Plus will get a larger display, up to 6 inches. The processor should be no lower than Snapdragon 636, or even 640. The battery is 4000 mAh, and camera with resolution of 12 MP from Sony, memory 4/32 GB and above.

Most likely, upcoming budget phones will not get rid of plastic inserts, because, in my opinion, it is a feature of Xiaomi budget phones.

The release date of Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus will be at the beggining of the winter 2018. The price should be under $200.

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