The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S has one of the world’s best mobile cameras, French imaging company DxOMark proclaimed Tuesday, having published its in-depth review of the new smartphone’s photography tools which awarded the device with a score of 97 on the firm’s non-finite scale, thus putting it immediately below the Google Pixel 2 and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, and on par with the iPhone X and Huawei Mate 10 Pro. As such, Xiaomi’s latest offering is tied for the title of the third best smartphone camera on the market, with its dual-lens setup being rated as extremely capable.
In terms of still photography, DxOMark praised the accurate color rendition and white balance delivered by the device, as well as the overall speed of its autofocusing mechanism. The Mi MIX 2S also avoids image noise in an effective manner and manages to preserve details even when it comes to close-up zoom shots verging on attempted macro photography. The telephoto lens allows for natural bokeh effect in the context of portrait shots, with the handset’s software being accurate when it comes to subject isolation, the reviewers found. Xiaomi’s new Android flagship was primarily criticized in terms of low-light performance and its “quite limited” dynamic range which can prove problematic when shooting more demanding scenes like a sunset. The handset’s images also produced some visible color fringing and heavily backlit portraits proved to be a no-go as the Mi MIX 2S was rarely able to accurately expose the actual subjects, as per the same review. The overall score is still overwhelmingly positive because outside of low-light conditions, all other scenarios which expose the weaknesses of the device will be rarely encountered.
The optical image stabilization of the Android phablet has also been praised by DxOMark which found most of the smartphone’s photography strong suits also applied to its video-taking capabilities, including accurate color delivery and fast autofocusing. The main complaints in this regard pertained to small inconsistencies regarding frame sharpness and white balance, though that’s an issue most contemporary mobile devices still suffer from, with the video recording shortcomings of Xiaomi‘s new offering hence not standing out and the Mi MIX 2S ultimately being deemed “a Chinese gem.”
