The Mi Mix, an intriguing new concept phone from Xiaomi, offers an edgeless 6.4-inch display in a form factor no bigger than a regular 5.7-inch handset.

The feature-packed new smartphone was designed in partnership with French designer Philippe Starck, who is perhaps most familiar to Cult of Mac readers as the man who designed Steve Jobs’ high-tech yacht.

Unveiled alongside Xiaomi’s new Mi Note 2 smartphone, the Mi Mix boasts a ceramic body. Xiaomi claims the material helps put the Mi Mix beyond “anything that’s available in the market today.”

The radical new phone also sports an ultrasonic distance sensor, rather than a traditional proximity sensor, and “antilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology,” which is able to transmit sound without requiring an earpiece.

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In terms of more standard tech, the phone features a 5MP front camera (with a sensor that’s 50 percent smaller than the average smartphone), 16MP rear camera, Snapdragon 821 processor, 6GB of RAM, up to 256GB storage, and a 4,400mAh battery. The plan is for the Mix to start selling in China next month, with prices varying between ¥3,499 ($516) and ¥3,999 ($590).

The new phone underlines that Xiaomi is keen to cement its position as more than a low-end smartphone maker. The Mi Mix looks especially interesting because two of its most significant innovations — the edgeless display and the ceramic body — are features rumored for Apple’s 2017 10th anniversary iPhone.

The use of ceramic was previously explored by Apple for its Apple Watch Series 2. According to Apple, the material is stronger than steel, with a “pearly, lustrous finish that won’t scratch or tarnish.”

How will Xiaomi’s new smartphone stack up against its rivals? We’ll have to wait and see for sure, but so long as it doesn’t explode it’s already ahead of at least one Android flagship this year.

And hey, Apple can keep an eye on the Mi Mix’s success as a free localized market trial for some of its own research projects…

Source: Android Central