Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Could Do An OPPO Find X

Perhaps it's not common knowledge but Xiaomi was the first company to truly prove that bezel-less smartphone could be done. Since the Xiaomi Mi Mix debuted in late 2016, the bezel-less trend has taken the smartphone market by storm, giving birth to 18:9 (or more) aspect ratios, notches of all shapes and sizes, and even elevating cameras. Ironically, it seems that the Mi Mix is now the one catching up with others and that the Mi Mix 3 will, like the OPPO Find X, have a sliding camera.

The hint comes from Chinese microblogging service Weibo, so take it with a grain of salt. It does come from Xiaomi president Lin Bin's account though, so there's definitely more to it. For the past two years, Xiaomi has stubbornly refused to give in to trends, preferring to have a very thin chin for the front camera rather than use a notch. That design, however, may have proven to be too inefficient and, now, too old.

The photo above shows a Xiaomi phone that can easily be mistaken for the OPPO Find X. The only way you could tell that it isn't is because the screen doesn't curve at the sides. That and that there are more things hiding in that sliding portion.

It seems that there are two cameras, or at least two very visible sensors. There is another one opposite the two, which could be the infrared camera. The speaker grille, which passes through a hole in the front when the slider is hidden, is also there. It's pretty much a modification of the Find X.

Will that be enough to bring the Mi Mix 3 into the spotlight? It will have to do better than that. Both the OPPO Find X and the Vivo NEX S before it have used novel tricks to get around the need for a notch but have also cut a few corners getting there, particularly in camera quality. Perhaps Xiaomi can do what those other two couldn't and deliver a more well-rounded option. Xiaomi is set to announce the Mi Mix 3 sometime in October.