WHILE many of us are eagerly awaiting Apple’s first foray into bezel-free phones, over in China, Xiaomi revealed the sequel to the phone that started it all — in most markets at least.

This is the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 (click on this for its complete specs and prices), progenitor of the borderless trend and arguably one of the nicest-looking mobile devices around. It represents the future of smartphone design, providing a basic outline of what your next phone might look like. And we couldn’t be more pleased with what we’ve seen today.

Six inches of super-sharp AMOLED goodness on the front, with an 18:9 aspect ratio and barely any bezels to speak of. It looks decidedly nicer than mock images of the soon-to-be-launched iPhone X; nicer, in our opinion, than what Samsung and LG have collectively put in front of us recently.

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The body is made of ceramic, which is much more durable than glass, meaning most things in your pocket can’t scratch it.

Around the back, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 uses the same 12-megapixel camera found in the Mi 6, which incorporates 4-axis image stabilization for less blurry photos and less shaky videos. The bigger pixel size means superior images in dim lighting. But unlike Xiaomi’s mainstream flagship, there’s only one primary camera on the Mix 2.

Resized sample photos taken with the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2

The selfie camera is discreetly located below the display to further the illusion of an all-screen phone.

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As earlier mentioned, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip with 6GB of RAM powers the MIX 2, and storage configuration will vary depending on the price. The unit with 64GB of memory starts at 3,299 yuan (around P25,780 or $507), whereas versions with 128GB and 256GB of storage will set you back 3,599 yuan (P28,100 or $553) and 3,999 yuan (P31,250 or $614), respectively. Not bad at all.

A Special Edition model has also been announced, bearing 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It’s also made from a single block of ceramic, making it even denser and tougher than the standard Xiaomi Mi MIX 2. Pricing is set at 4,699 yuan (P36,620 or $722).

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 images via Android Central

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