Chinese mobile maker Xiaomi unveiled the Mi 6, its latest flagship smartphone, at a packed-out event in Beijing on Wednesday.

The Mi 5's successor features curved "four-sided 3D glass" and a front that isn't bezel-free like the company's Mi MIX, but the phone does boast a lot of tech for a device that starts at 2499 RMB, or $360 – about half of what a base iPhone 7 goes for in China.

WeChat 1492586297
Like the iPhone 7 Plus, the new 5.15-inch Mi 6 includes a 12-megapixel rear dual lens camera combining a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. It also matches Apple's latest smartphone with 10x digital zoom, 2x lossless zoom, image stabilization, and depth of field effects.

Similar to the Mi 5s, the Mi 6 features a Qualcomm-based ultrasonic fingerprint reader built under the glass at the bottom of the phone. The "button-less" technology is said to recognize a 3D map of each user's fingerprint through ultrasonic waves, although it only works within the bezel's concave indentation that marks out the home button.

mi 6
The Mi 6 includes 2x2 Wi-Fi, which is meant to improve connectivity speed, and does away with the headphone jack, settling for a single USB-C port instead. Elsewhere the handset features the latest Snapdragon 835 processor (also found in the S8), 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage memory on the entry model, dual stereo speakers, a 3,350mAh battery, a new "night display" screen mode, and water resistance.

C9waIk4U0AIpxIG
The Mi 6 with 128 GB option costs 2899 RMB ($420) while a special Ceramic edition goes for 2999 RMB ($435). It's unclear at this time whether the phone will become available in Europe or the U.S.

Screen Shot 10
The announcement of a new flagship phone comes at a particularly important time for Xiaomi, which suffered its first sales slump last year. The company's former VP of Global Efforts Hugo Barra left in February, while CEO Lei Jun recently admitted the firm had grown too fast and was now entering a transitional period, as it focuses on its main markets in China and India.

Tags: China, Xiaomi
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

MrGimper Avatar
105 months ago
I think it's safe to say that for a large share of people, it's iOS that is keeping them loyal rather than the hardware. Apple really need to up their game (and IMO needed to a few years back) or more people will start to jump ship.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5105973 Avatar
105 months ago
The materials, aesthetic and specs are impressive. I would pay more for an iPhone having the same, because Apple does maintain higher standards for working conditions, tries to ensure humane sourcing of rare earth materials, and do have programs in place to minimize adverse effects on the environment. We are not paying just for the phone itself, but for better practices. Of course the problem with Apple right now is their design looks stalled out and stale. They're a very huge company now serving an immense international market and can't turn on a dime like companies that are smaller and hungrier and can pop out a metal phone, then a glass, then a ceramic one.

And pretty and speccy isn't that impressive without good service and support standing behind the product. Apple invests a lot in infrastructure to provide that. Samsung is starting to get on the ball, too. I've not heard the best support and service stories about the smaller Chinese companies yet.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8692574 Avatar
105 months ago
I love my Mi Mix, Xiaomi is really doing some great stuff.... now if they also gave better OS updates....
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sunapple Avatar
105 months ago
If they match Apple's design, features and specs for half the price like this it seriously undercuts people's reasons for paying the Apple premium.

These cheap phones used to be crap, but the game has clearly changed. And if production will be forced to move to the US... How can you compete with that?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
105 months ago
I love it when people comment about how cheap these phones are and never questioned how they manage to get it so cheap?
It's neither rocket science nor socially evil how Xiaomi and others sell such nice phones for less.

1. They're okay with not making record huge profit margins on the hardware like Apple does.
2. They don't have the overhead of Apple, who spends a ton on fancy HQs, tens of thousands of employees, stores, R&D on cars, ads, etc.

Consider that Apple pays Foxconn about $230 for an iPhone 7 that it sells for $650. Now imagine if they were instead willing and able to take only a 2% profit margin like Xiaomi.

Frankly, beyond greed, there's no reason for phones to cost very much. It's no different than the way that DVD players, microwave ovens and other consumer goods started at $1,000 but now can be had anywhere for far less.

Yeah, but to implement all those safeguards at their manufacturing sites requires money and Apple probably had to reduce a cut from their products in order to get the manufacturers to apply those safeguards ...
Apple doesn't like to reduce their margins. Instead, they usually force Foxconn take the hit.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DEMinSoCAL Avatar
105 months ago
I love it when people comment about how cheap these phones are and never questioned how they manage to get it so cheap? Ever thought that perhaps they squeeze out their suppliers and a squeeze up supplier means poorer working conditions? Though its okay, because this is Xiaomi we're talking about, lets see Apple do the same thing and you'll see hordes of people with pitch fork saying Apple need to improve working conditions.
Uh...isn't this exactly what Apple does? When Foxconn installs suicide barriers around their building, it can't be because working conditions are luxurious...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
top stories 2025 04 26

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Air Rumors, Apple Watch Turns 10, and More

Saturday April 26, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
We've known for quite some time about Apple's plans for a thinner "iPhone 17 Air" coming later this year, but wow, the latest dummy models give us our best look yet at just how thin this phone is going to be. Other Apple news and rumors this week included another iOS 18.5 beta, the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, and more management reshuffling in Apple's Siri division, so read...