Xiaomi's new Mi Mix 2S adds dual AI-powered cameras

Xiaomi's new Mi Mix 2S is an update to last year's Mi Mix 2, and it comes with updated hardware to compete with a whole new generation of all-screen flagship phones. Oh, and it doesn't have an iPhone-esque notch.

Announced in Shanghai on Tuesday, the Mix 2S comes with new dual 12-megapixel rear cameras at the back, featuring an AI-powered wide angle and a telephoto lens combo. The Mix 2S uses Sony's new IMX636 sensor, featuring larger 1.4um pixels and dual-pixel technology, which allows for better low-light shots. We'll be sure to test this out in our hands-on.

Otherwise, the phone looks exactly the same, and shares some of the same specs as the Mi Mix 2, such as an all-screen 5.99-inch Full-HD+ display (2,160x1,080 pixels), a ceramic rear and a front 5-megapixel selfie camera at the bottom right corner of the phone.

Thanks to machine learning, the Mix 2S' camera is able to properly detect stray hair or accessories to ensure they don't get blurred when taking portrait-mode shots. The phone is also able to seamlessly take five different pictures and combine them together to reduce noise in low-light shots.

Another cool feature is optical character recognition (OCR). It can detect when you're taking a picture of a presentation, for instance, and use OCR to transcribe Mandarin text, so when you zoom into the picture, the text remains clear. It's not yet known if this works with other languages.

Besides the new camera, the Mix 2S also packs Qualcomm's snappy new Snapdragon 845 processor, as well as dual nano-SIM card slots. One key new feature is wireless charging using the Qi standard, which makes its debut in the Mix 2S. There's still no word on water resistance, but that's never been a priority for Chinese phone makers.

The Mix 2S will come in three versions: A 6GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage model, a 6GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage model and an ultimate version with 8GB and 256GB of onboard storage. The phone will come in two colors, black or white, and, unlike with the Mi Mix 2, there seems to be no Special Edition model with a ceramic unibody this time around.

The base model will sell for 3299 Chinese yuan ($530, £370, AU$680) while the top-end model goes for 3,999 yuan ($640, £450, AU$830). The middle sibling will cost you 3,599 yuan ($575, £405, AU$745). Global availability of the phone has not been disclosed, but it'll go on sale in China on April 3.

Xiaomi also added that if you want to use the Mix 2S anywhere in the world, you'll have to get the top-end model, which supports all global LTE bands. All models should work across the US, UK and Australia, though.