Should you buy the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 over the Google Pixel 3?

We’re in for an exciting end of the month. OnePlus is expected to unveil the OnePlus 6T, and Xiaomi has introduced its ambitious flagship phone with a sliding-out camera, the Mi Mix 3. The Xiaomi Mi Mix will also have a 5G-supporting edition along with 10 gigs of RAM!

It sounds like Xiaomi has a big ace up its sleeve with the Mi Mix 3. But will it be enough to stop customers from flocking to the new Pixel 3 models?

Quite possibly. In what follows we will try to answer the question of whether you should wait for the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 or not.

Why buy the Mi Mix 3 over Pixel 3?

1. Amazing, new eye-catching design

Xiaomi’s Mi MIX series is certainly evolving, and a new-generation stands to introduce several new features compared to previous iterations. The most eye-catching novelty this year is that the Mi Mix 3 phone features a retractable camera module.

Check out this video from Engadget’s YouTube channel to see the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 in some real-world action.

It doesn’t come out in a way that Oppo Find X does, which is fine. Instead, the display slides out to reveal the camera module with a click sound, and Xiaomi says the Mi Mix 3 can take up to 300,000 cycles easily. The mechanism is spring loaded and not powered by a motor, so you won’t have to worry about the motor getting damaged with use.

So if you’re bored of classic designs like the one of the Pixel 3 or can’t stand a large notch like the Pixel 3 XL’s, the intriguing look of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 will certainly attract your attention. And of others nearby you. Be sure to do the slide-out gesture to catch others in awe.

2. Big true, all-screen display

Xiaomi’s Mix series is well known for its beautiful design. And this time around the company has upped its game and managed to achieve a massive screen-to-body ratio of 93.4% this time around. Obviously, this means extremely thin bezels all-around.

The Mi Mix 3 packs in a spacious 6.39-inch display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio, 1080 x 2340 resolution and yes, more importantly, no notch! Here’s a truly all-screen phone you can get right now!

3. Extra features in MIUI 10

The Mi Mix 3 comes with Android 9 Pie OS, with MIUI 10 plastered on top. Android Pie contains a bunch of new features such as new full-screen gestures, optimized system performance, Adaptive Battery and more.

But more interesting par there is the MIUI 10 custom skin by Xiaomi that is simply the best for many Xiaomi fans. And we can understand that even if we are more into stock UI. If we ahd to pick up the best OEM skin, it would be Xiaomi’s MIUI by a far margin. The MIUI 10 gives you cool features like the AI-powered pre-loading of apps, new Recents tab, and improved camera capabilities especially when it comes to portraits with bokeh.

The UI is very sweet, and packs in a lot of small features that you won’t find on Pixel 3, which runs a slightly tweaked version of stock Android UI. Although, the Pixel 3 does have a few very advanced features of its own too, which we shall talk about it below in a separate section.

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4. Excellent product support

Xiaomi provides easy access to product support. In India, for example, the company’s services centers are widely available. But that’s not the case with the Pixel 3.

5. 10GB RAM powerhouse!

While the Pixel 3 only includes 4GB of RAM on board, the Mi Mix 3 is expected to ship out with up to 10GB of RAM. Which you got to admit, sounds awesome albeit a bit excessive.

Opinions are divided whether we actually need so much RAM on board our smartphones, but Xioami wants to impress and a 10GB of RAM handset certainly has a wow factor.

That being said, the Pixel 3’s 4GB of RAM is sensible enough, especially given Google’s fluid software experience. But if you want to brag to your friends that you own one of the few smartphones to carry 10GB of RAM, then you should definitely get the Mi Mix 3. It would help a lot if you are a multitasker, in that it will not reload the games and apps when you jump to few other apps and come back later to resume your pervious session, something that you can’t have on the Pixel 3.

6. Save money

Even with such beastly specs on board, the Mi Mix 3 will still cost you a lot less than the Pixel 3 which starts at $799.

According to what we know so far, there’s going to be four Mi Mix 3 variants:

6GB of RAM + 128GB storage – 3,299 yuan (or INR 34,796 or $475)
8GB of RAM + 128GB storage – 3,599 yan (or INR 37,960 or $515)
8GB of RAM + 256GB storage – 3,999 yuan (or INR 42,179 or $575)
10GB of RAM + 256GB storage – 4,999 yuan (or INR 52,726 or $720)

All these things combined will ensure users have a great software experience while using the MI Mix 3.

Why buy the Pixel 3 over Mi Mix 3?

1. Best camera in class

Google’s Pixels are known for having an incredible camera, and the Pixel 3 is no different. The camera’s success is partly owned to the hardware, but mostly because of its software tweaks thanks to Google’s AI employed here.

With the Pixel 3, Google has introduced a number of new features, while relaying pretty much on the same hardware as the Pixel 2. For example, Top Shot is a machine learning-powered tool that can capture a sequence of images, then checks them all and recommends the best one of the bunch.

2. Wide selfies

While The Pixel 3 retained the 12.2MP sensor of its predecessor, it does have a completely new front-facing setup of the dual kind. The selfie camera consists of two 8MP shooters. One is a fixed-focus snapper with a 97-degree field of view and f/2.2, while the other is a f/1.8 sensor with regular 75-degree FoV and autofocus.

The other major change to the Pixel 3 is the addition of the wide-angle selfie, so you can fit yourself, your friends and a scenic backdrop too. Google calls this Group Selfie Cam and says it might eliminate the need for selfie sticks.

3. Latest updates

Want another reason to get the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL? It gets fast and consistent updates. When a new version of Android becomes available, the Pixel phones are the first in line to get it. So you won’t have to wait months after the update has been released to be able to enjoy the latest Android has to offer. Which is a huge plus for a lot of users out there!

And guess what, having launched with Android 9 Pie, and assured three major software updates, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL would be updated to not only Android Q and Android R (last major update for Mi mix 3 probably if not Android Q), it will also get Android S.

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4. Smooth performance

Every manufacturer has their own flavor of Android (Xiaomi has MIUI), but the Pixels are the scene for what Google has envisioned Android to be. And that’s beautiful, elegant and very smooth.

The fluid software ensures the Pixel 3 can offer a smooth overall experience, even if it has “only” 4GB of on board. But don’t forget the flagship is based on the powerful Snapdragon 845 processor, so you shouldn’t notice any hiccups.

5. Better speakers on Pixel 3

The Pixel 3 phones come with dual front-facing speakers, which according to Google are 40% louder than last year. If you want your next phone to produce better audio, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are easily the best of the bunch.

6. Availability

As Xiaomi won’t launch the Mi Mix 3 in the US, and many other regions, you won’t have a chance to buy the device anyway. And importing a costly device like this is a never a good idea unless you don’t care about getting the device repaired if something goes bad.

So, if you have Pixel 3 available but not the Mi Mix 3, you buy what you can buy.

So, which one would you opt for if the money wasn’t a restriction for you, and both products were available in your country?