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Xiaomi Mi 6X (Mi A2) Smartphone Review

Why spend a lot when you do not have to? The Mi 6X (Mi A2), the new mid-range smartphone from Xiaomi, offers everything a smartphone user might desire – and all that for less than 250 Euros ($293). You can learn in this extensive review how the Xiaomi Mi 6X (Mi A2) stacks up against the competition.

In April of this year, Xiaomi introduced its latest mid-range smartphone, the Mi 6X, in China. The smartphone features Xiaomi’s proprietary launcher, MiUI, and has an aspect ratio of 2:1. In Europe, the smartphone will come with Android One and will be known as the Mi A2. 

The Xiaomi Mi 6X (Mi A2) is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660, has a 3010-mAh battery and features support for Quick Charge 3.0. Furthermore, the mid-range smartphone comes with a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display, a dual-camera with 12 and  20 MP sensors, a fast lens with an f/1.75 aperture as well as a USB Type-C port. The device can be unlocked via FaceUnlock or through a fingerprint scanner. We have already described the differences between the Mi 6X (Mi A2) and its predecessor in a separate article.

The top-end model of the Mi 6X (Mi A2) features 128 GB of internal storage and 6 GB of RAM. It costs about 260 Euros ($305) without shipping from China. Our review device comes with 64 of storage space and 6 GB of RAM and costs about 235 Euros ($276). The base model of the Mi 6X (Mi A2) costs 210 Euros ($246). It is not sold officially on the European market, so it can only be bought through an importer. You can learn all you need to know about importing smartphones from Asia in our “Import Guide”. The international version of the Xiaomi Mi 6X, the Mi A2 (with Android One), will come to the European market at the beginning of August.

The competing devices include other mid-range smartphones such as the Moto G6 Plus, the TP-Link Neffos N1, the BQ Aquaris VS Plus, the Motorola Moto X4, the HTC U11 Life and the Sony Xperia XA1. We have also included the Nokia 7 Plus in this review. The Nokia 7 Plus offers the same specifications but costs a little more.

Mi A2 (Mi 6 Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 8 x 2.2 GHz, Kryo 260
Graphics adapter
Memory
6 GB 
Display
5.99 inch 2:1, 2160 x 1080 pixel 403 PPI, Multitouch, capacitive, LCD IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
64 GB eMMC Flash, 64 GB 
, eMMC 5.1, 50.3 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 1 Infrared, Audio Connections: USB-Type-C, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: proximity sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, e-compass, Hall effect sensor, OTG, Miracast, Status LED
Networking
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0, network standard 4G, FDD LTE: Band 1/3/5/7/8; network standard 3G, WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz; network standard 2G, GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.3 x 158.6 x 75.4 ( = 0.29 x 6.24 x 2.97 in)
Battery
3010 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Android 8.1 Oreo
Camera
Primary Camera: 12 MPix 12+20 MP, 12MP, SONY IMX486, 1.25 µm Pixel, f/1,75; 20MP, SONY IMX376, 2 µm Pixel, f/1,75
Secondary Camera: 20 MPix f/1.75, SONY IMX376, 2 µm Pixel
Additional features
Speakers: Mono, Keyboard: Onscreen, Keyboard Light: yes, USB cable, Chinese charger + (EU plug), MiUI, 12 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
168 g ( = 5.93 oz / 0.37 pounds), Power Supply: 35 g ( = 1.23 oz / 0.08 pounds)
Price
230 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case - the Mi 6X offers a great build quality

Color schemes of the Mi 6X
Color schemes of the Mi 6X

The metal case of the Xiaomi Mi 6X (Mi A2) comes in the following color schemes: Black, Gold, Blue, Red and Pink. There is a special edition of the Mi 6X (Hatsune Miku) for manga fans, which has a “turquoise” color scheme.

The entire front of the Mi 6X (Mi A2) is covered with scratch-resistant 2.5-D glass. The glass is slightly rounded at the point where it meets with the metal frame. The IPS display has small bezels. However, the bottom bezel and the top bezel are really big when compared to the current high-end smartphones. This is why the Mi 6X has a screen-to-body ratio of only 78%.

The "Picture Perfect Dual Camera” on the back of the Mi 6X protrudes considerably from the case. Both the look and the feel of the matte aluminum finish are great. The smartphone is also very “grippy”. The case is very rigid as well. The Mi 6X is comfortable to hold in the hand, thanks to its thickness of 7 mm (~0.3 in).

The hardware buttons such as the power button and the volume rocker impress with their quality. The buttons are firmly set and do not wobble. The actuation point is also very clear. 

Size Comparison

158.4 mm / 6.24 inch 75.64 mm / 2.98 inch 9.55 mm / 0.376 inch 186 g0.4101 lbs158.6 mm / 6.24 inch 75.4 mm / 2.97 inch 7.3 mm / 0.2874 inch 168 g0.3704 lbs154.4 mm / 6.08 inch 76.1 mm / 3 inch 7.5 mm / 0.2953 inch 165 g0.3638 lbs152.3 mm / 6 inch 76.7 mm / 3.02 inch 8.4 mm / 0.3307 inch 183 g0.4034 lbs148.4 mm / 5.84 inch 73.4 mm / 2.89 inch 9.5 mm / 0.374 inch 163 g0.3594 lbs149.1 mm / 5.87 inch 72.9 mm / 2.87 inch 8.1 mm / 0.3189 inch 142 g0.3131 lbs145 mm / 5.71 inch 67 mm / 2.64 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 143 g0.3153 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity - Xiaomi smartphone with good connectivity

The Mi 6X features a status (LED) light for notifications, a fingerprint sensor, Wi-Fi calling, an infrared port as well as Miracast. Casting screen content to an external (Sony) Android TV does not present any problems with the Xiaomi Mi 6X. The USB port is of the Type-C variety. It operates at USB 2.0 speeds and is used for charging the device. Moreover, it supports USB OTG, which means that external input or storage devices can be connected to the smartphone. 

With 64 GB of internal eMMC memory, the Xiaomi Mi 6X offers a sufficient amount of storage space. Straight out of the box, only 50 GB of storage is available to the user. Those who need more storage space should get the 128 GB version. The storage capacity of the Xiaomi Mi 6X cannot be expanded with the help of an SD card.

Bottom side
Bottom side
Right side
Right side
Left side
Left side
Top side
Top side

Software - MiUI instead of Android One

As usual, Xiaomi uses its own proprietary launcher MiUI (ROM version 9.5.11 Stable). The smartphone runs Android 8.1. The security patches were last updated in May 2018.

Because the Xiaomi Mi 6X was designed for the Chinese market, it does not feature any Google apps, such as Google Play or Gmail, straight out of the box. Instead, it comes with a suite of Chinese apps. A number of apps come from Xiaomi itself. You can learn how to install Google apps on Chinese smartphones in our “Google Apps” guide.

According to TradingShenzhen, the company that provided the Mi 6X to us, there is going to be an international version that will support Google Services and that will feature additional languages besides English and Chinese (such as German). It will be powered by Android One.

Xiaomi’s proprietary launcher does not resemble stock Android at all. The 9th version of MiUI is very colorful and highly customizable. Installed applications are not contained in an app drawer, but are dispersed across different home-screens.  The look of the UI can be changed through Xiaomi’s Theme Store.

In our review, we often came across Chinese text, even though we set English as the default language. MiUI (version 9.5 Stable) is not completely translated into English.

Communication and GPS - Xiaomi smartphone with few LTE bands

The intergraded Wi-Fi module supports the IEEE-802.11 standards a/b/g/n/ac. In combination with our reference-grade router, the Linksys EA8500, the Xiaomi Mi 6X achieves good transfer rates of 307 MBit/s for upload and 247 MBit/s for download. In close proximity to the router (Telekom Speedport, W921V), we measured a signal attenuation of -38 dBm, which is rather high.

The Mi 6X can use two nano-SIM cards at the same time. The Mi 6X’s LTE modem operates at LTE Category 12 speeds of up to 600 MB/s. This applies to both SIM card slots. However, the Mi 6X is not going to operate at such speeds in rural areas of Germany, because it does not support LTE band 20. The international version of the Mi 6X, the Mi A2, is going to support LTE band 20, which means that it is going to cover the 800 MHz frequency range.

For short-distance communication, the Mi 6X features Bluetooth 5.0. However, it does not support NFC.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
HTC U12 Plus
Adreno 630, SD 845, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
573 MBit/s +72%
Motorola Moto X4
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
336 MBit/s +1%
Xiaomi Mi 6X
Adreno 512, SD 660, 64 GB eMMC Flash
333 MBit/s
Nokia 7 Plus
Adreno 512, SD 660, 64 GB eMMC Flash
307 MBit/s -8%
HTC U11 Life
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
274 MBit/s -18%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
Adreno 505, 430, 64 GB eMMC Flash
182 MBit/s -45%
Sony Xperia XA1
Mali-T880 MP2, Helio P20 MT6757, 32 GB eMMC Flash
112 MBit/s -66%
TP-Link Neffos N1
Mali-T880 MP2, Helio P20 MT6757, 64 GB eMMC Flash
102 MBit/s -69%
iperf3 receive AX12
HTC U12 Plus
Adreno 630, SD 845, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
579 MBit/s +135%
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s +53%
Motorola Moto X4
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
337 MBit/s +37%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
Adreno 505, 430, 64 GB eMMC Flash
270 MBit/s +10%
Nokia 7 Plus
Adreno 512, SD 660, 64 GB eMMC Flash
247 MBit/s 0%
Xiaomi Mi 6X
Adreno 512, SD 660, 64 GB eMMC Flash
246 MBit/s
HTC U11 Life
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
224 MBit/s -9%
Sony Xperia XA1
Mali-T880 MP2, Helio P20 MT6757, 32 GB eMMC Flash
108 MBit/s -56%
TP-Link Neffos N1
Mali-T880 MP2, Helio P20 MT6757, 64 GB eMMC Flash
101 MBit/s -59%
GPS test outdoors
GPS test outdoors
GPS test indoors
GPS test indoors

For geo-location, the Mi 6X relies on the main global positioning systems: GPS, GLONASS and Beidou. Outdoors, your location is acquired relatively quickly with a margin of error of about 3 meters (~10 ft). Indoors, the Mi 6X takes a little longer to determine the user's location and has a slightly higher margin of error.

In order to determine how accurate our review device is when it comes to geo-location, we take it with us on a bike ride. During this ride, we are also accompanied by the professional navigator Garmin Edge 500. At the end of our 9-kilometer (~5.6 mi ride, the mid-range smartphone from Xiaomi and the Garmin Edge 500 deviate from each other by about 10 meters (~33 ft). This is a very good result for a smartphone in this price range. This means that the Mi 6X can be used for navigation without any problems whatsoever.

GPS Garmin Edge 500
GPS Garmin Edge 500
GPS Garmin Edge 500
GPS Garmin Edge 500
GPS Garmin Edge 500
GPS Garmin Edge 500
GPS Xiaomi Mi 6X
GPS Xiaomi Mi 6X
GPS Xiaomi Mi 6X
GPS Xiaomi Mi 6X
GPS Xiaomi Mi 6X
GPS Xiaomi Mi 6X

Telephony and Call Quality

The call quality is on a good level. We did not observe any call drops or reception problems with the Xiaomi Mi 6X. The voice on the other end of the line is very clear and easy to understand. Our call partner also had no trouble understanding what was said during the call. During video calls, the built-in microphones help ensure a decent call quality. That being said, the call volume is a little too low for our taste.

Xiaomi’s phone app has all the usual features such as speed dial, call history as well as direct access to the saved contacts.

Cameras - dual-camera delivers good photos

Photo taken with the front camera
Photo taken with the front camera

The Mi 6X features a 12 MP and 20 MP dual-camera module on the back. The 12 MP camera comes from Sony (IMX486) and has an f/1.75 aperture and a pixel size of 1.25 µm. For night shots, there is a 20 MP sensor (Sony IMX376) with a pixel size of 2 µm, which takes in more light thanks to its bigger pixels. It has an identical aperture of f/1.75. Dual-camera systems offer the ability to dynamically adjust the depth of field to produce images with a Bokeh effect.

The Xiaomi Mi 6X (Mi A2) follows the trend of building AI capabilities into smartphones. The Xiaomi Mi 6X’s camera boasts support for object and scene recognition, both when recording video and when taking photos. It also uses AI for creating the Bokeh effect.

The Xiaomi Mi 6X relies on software image stabilization. It does not feature support for optical image stabilization. The Chinese smartphone is equipped with a dual-tone LED flash for taking shots in poor lighting conditions. Our review device can record video in 4K at 30 FPS. The video quality is good enough for a device in this price range. Having said that, it is a little jittery.

The picture quality of the Mi 6X’s 12 MP Sony camera is quite impressive. The image quality is very good for a 250-Euro ($293) smartphone. Dynamic range, sharpness and color reproduction are quite good. However, the shutter speed is somewhat lacking. The Mi 6X’s camera reveals its weaknesses in low-light conditions. Despite the wide aperture, the images look relatively dim and are plagued by noise. The pictures also look blurry.

The 20 MP front-facing camera also offers a good picture quality. However, it does not feature autofocus, which means that the sharpness of the photos is not always optimal. It can shoot video in Full HD (1920x1080) at 30 FPS.

The Mi 6X’s camera has three modes: HDR, Portrait and Pro. The Pro mode allows the user to manually adjust things such as the white balance, focus, ISO, shutter speed and the exposure compensation. You can also choose the preferred image sensor in this mode.

Normal mode
Normal mode
HDR mode
HDR mode
Bokeh effect
Bokeh effect

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

We examine the color reproduction of the Xiaomi smartphone under controlled lighting conditions. When compared to the actual reference colors, the colors of the Mi 6X appear to be quite accurate. The shots of the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport (without any image processing applied) that we took with the dual-camera system confirm this impression. That being said, the colors do look a little too warm.

In order to assess the sharpness of the photos, we photograph our test chart under fixed lighting conditions. The images we took with the Mi 6X appear detailed and sharp. All areas of the images appear to have the same level of sharpness.

Accessories and Warranty

The box contains the quick start guide, a 10-watt charger (5V, 2 A), a USB cable, a protective case and a USB Type-C to 3.5-mm audio jack adapter. There are no headphones in the box. TradingShenzhen also put an EU-compliant power plug in the box. The smartphone does not ship with this plug included.

The smartphone comes with a 12-month warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices & Handling - the Mi 6X has an accurate touchscreen

Sogou Keyboard serves as the default keyboard. It features Chinese characters. Google’s GBoard, which normally comes with Android, is also installed and can be selected.

The touchscreen has a smooth surface and responds promptly to inputs even at the edges. The fingerprint reader on the back works fast and reliably. Moreover, the smartphone can also be unlocked via face recognition. However, face recognition does not work very well in practice. Xiaomi really needs to improve its face recognition software.

The smartphone is controlled via on-screen buttons for “back”, “overview” and “home”. It can also be controlled through gestures similar to the Apple iPhone X. You can reach the home screen with a swipe from the bottom of the display. If you swipe up from the bottom of the screen and then pause you will get to the recent apps menu. To go back, you will need to swipe either from the left or the right edge of the screen towards the center of the display.

Display ... somewhat dim

Pixel arrangement
Pixel arrangement

The 6-inch LCD screen of the Mi 6X has a native resolution of 2160x1080 and a pixel density of 400 PPI. This means that the Xiaomi smartphone is on the same level as other competitors, which also feature Full HD displays. The 1080p resolution is high enough for day-to-day use.

The Xiaomi Mi 6X uses PWM for brightness control. The PWM flickering crops up at 21% brightness and lower. Because the pulse width modulation operates at a very high frequency, even susceptible individuals should not experience any adverse effects such as headaches or eye strain.

The maximum brightness of 461 cd/m² when displaying pure white is quite average. We measured a brightness of 457 cd/m² in the realistically-oriented APL50 test, in which the screen displays a pattern that consists of evenly disubstituted dark and bright squares. In auto-brightness mode, the screen brightness is very similar. Here it amounts to 461 cd/m².

418
cd/m²
451
cd/m²
432
cd/m²
433
cd/m²
459
cd/m²
441
cd/m²
436
cd/m²
461
cd/m²
440
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 461 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 441.2 cd/m² Minimum: 1.28 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 459 cd/m²
Contrast: 977:1 (Black: 0.47 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 7.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.8% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.28
Xiaomi Mi 6X
LCD IPS, 2160x1080, 5.99
TP-Link Neffos N1
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.50
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.50
Sony Xperia XA1
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Nokia 7 Plus
IPS, 2160x1080, 6.00
HTC U11 Life
SLCD, 1920x1080, 5.20
Motorola Moto X4
LTPS IPS, 1920x1080, 5.20
HTC U12 Plus
Super LCD 6, 2880x1440, 6.00
Screen
23%
12%
-3%
34%
18%
9%
29%
Brightness middle
459
580
26%
634
38%
522
14%
458
0%
545
19%
469
2%
395
-14%
Brightness
441
560
27%
635
44%
499
13%
463
5%
526
19%
479
9%
402
-9%
Brightness Distribution
91
94
3%
96
5%
92
1%
92
1%
87
-4%
86
-5%
90
-1%
Black Level *
0.47
0.3
36%
0.49
-4%
0.74
-57%
0.22
53%
0.42
11%
0.37
21%
0.37
21%
Contrast
977
1933
98%
1294
32%
705
-28%
2082
113%
1298
33%
1268
30%
1068
9%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.8
5.6
3%
5.9
-2%
4.2
28%
4
31%
4.9
16%
5.5
5%
1.6
72%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
10.7
11.2
-5%
11.6
-8%
11.5
-7%
7.4
31%
8.5
21%
10.7
-0%
3.4
68%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
7.3
7.4
-1%
7.8
-7%
6.4
12%
4.7
36%
5.4
26%
6.7
8%
1.1
85%
Gamma
2.28 96%
2.22 99%
2.16 102%
2.18 101%
2.19 100%
2.31 95%
2.1 105%
2.14 103%
CCT
7984 81%
8584 76%
8464 77%
7044 92%
7425 88%
7610 85%
8064 81%
6536 99%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 1174 Hz ≤ 21 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 1174 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 21 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 1174 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

An IPS panel in the Xiaomi Mi 6X cannot achieve perfect blacks of an AMOLED display due to its backlight. The black value of 0.47 cd/m² is, actually, very high even for an LCD screen. The contrast ratio of less than 1000:1 is also low. In the APL 50 test, in which the screen displays a pattern that consists of evenly disubstituted dark and bright areas, the contrast ratio falls even further (787:1) and the black value rises up to 0.58 cd/m².

We use a photo-spectrometer running SpectraCal's CalMAN software to examine the color reproduction of the display. A DeltaE 2000 deviation of 5.8 for the colors and 7.3 for the grayscale is okay for a smartphone in this price range. The color temperature of 7984 K is way too cool, which is why the display suffers from a slight turquoise color cast. You can adjust the contrast or change color profiles in the display settings.

Color accuracy (sRGB)
Color accuracy (sRGB)
Color space coverage (sRGB)
Color space coverage (sRGB)
Grayscale (sRGB)
Grayscale (sRGB)
Saturation (sRGB)
Saturation (sRGB)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
29.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 14.8 ms rise
↘ 14.8 ms fall
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 76 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
50.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 23.6 ms rise
↘ 26.8 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 85 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

The liquid-crystal display performs very well outside. However, it is quite difficult to read screen content in direct sunlight. The maximum brightness should have been higher. 

As usual, the viewing angles of the IPS panel are very good. The colors do not become distorted even at extreme angles.

Performance - Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 offers more than enough power

The Xiaomi Mi 6X relies on a Qualcomm chip from the 600 series. The Snapdragon 660 has eight Kryo 260 cores. Four of these cores run at 2.2 GHz (high-performance cores) and the other four (energy-efficient cores) at 1.8 GHz. Thanks to a 14-nanometer manufacturing process, the energy efficiency has been significantly improved when compared to the predecessor, the Snapdragon 625. The Adreno 512 serves as the GPU. 

The Xiaomi Mi 6X performs almost as well as the Nokia 7 Plus with stock Android. The Adreno 512 does a great job. In our benchmark suite, the Mi 6X dominates the rest of the mid-range competition when it comes to the SoC performance. 

In day-to-day use, the Xiaomi Mi 6X is very responsive. Animations are smooth and stuttering or lags are imperceivable. The Mi 6X is somewhat laggy when multitasking. Our review device takes a noticeably longer time to charge when it is used while charging.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
110680 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
66472 Points -40%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
46651 Points -58%
Sony Xperia XA1
59082 Points -47%
Nokia 7 Plus
117165 Points +6%
HTC U11 Life
73617 Points -33%
Motorola Moto X4
70445 Points -36%
HTC U12 Plus
221971 Points +101%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (105973 - 120479, n=11)
116194 Points +5%
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
140714 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
57974 Points -59%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
58282 Points -59%
Nokia 7 Plus
141701 Points +1%
HTC U12 Plus
255739 Points +82%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (116346 - 143551, n=10)
137699 Points -2%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
6723 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
5893 Points -12%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
4709 Points -30%
Sony Xperia XA1
4759 Points -29%
Nokia 7 Plus
6825 Points +2%
HTC U11 Life
5818 Points -13%
Motorola Moto X4
5919 Points -12%
HTC U12 Plus
10264 Points +53%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (6274 - 7026, n=11)
6676 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +124%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
5995 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
4634 Points -23%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
3623 Points -40%
Sony Xperia XA1
Points -100%
Nokia 7 Plus
6077 Points +1%
HTC U11 Life
4835 Points -19%
Motorola Moto X4
4887 Points -18%
HTC U12 Plus
8601 Points +43%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (5789 - 6426, n=13)
6050 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +81%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
2343 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
1393 Points -41%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
323 Points -86%
Sony Xperia XA1
1284 Points -45%
Nokia 7 Plus
2369 Points +1%
HTC U11 Life
1368 Points -42%
Motorola Moto X4
1536 Points -34%
HTC U12 Plus
4252 Points +81%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1905 - 2428, n=12)
2307 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (411 - 11438, n=158, last 2 years)
5704 Points +143%
System (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
4797 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
3063 Points -36%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
1805 Points -62%
Sony Xperia XA1
2969 Points -38%
Nokia 7 Plus
4976 Points +4%
HTC U11 Life
3215 Points -33%
Motorola Moto X4
3279 Points -32%
HTC U12 Plus
7862 Points +64%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (3745 - 5282, n=11)
4927 Points +3%
Average of class Smartphone (2376 - 16475, n=158, last 2 years)
9621 Points +101%
Memory (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
2470 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
1467 Points -41%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
778 Points -69%
Sony Xperia XA1
1063 Points -57%
Nokia 7 Plus
2503 Points +1%
HTC U11 Life
838 Points -66%
Motorola Moto X4
1405 Points -43%
HTC U12 Plus
3641 Points +47%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1737 - 2799, n=11)
2349 Points -5%
Average of class Smartphone (670 - 12306, n=158, last 2 years)
6230 Points +152%
Graphics (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
2295 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
1117 Points -51%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
788 Points -66%
Sony Xperia XA1
1016 Points -56%
Nokia 7 Plus
2298 Points 0%
HTC U11 Life
1515 Points -34%
Motorola Moto X4
1519 Points -34%
HTC U12 Plus
7945 Points +246%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1970 - 2332, n=11)
2241 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (697 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
13900 Points +506%
Web (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
1108 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
749 Points -32%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
10 Points -99%
Sony Xperia XA1
847 Points -24%
Nokia 7 Plus
1101 Points -1%
HTC U11 Life
858 Points -23%
Motorola Moto X4
795 Points -28%
HTC U12 Plus
1437 Points +30%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1027 - 1334, n=11)
1114 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (10 - 2145, n=158, last 2 years)
1487 Points +34%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
1620 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
839 Points -48%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
681 Points -58%
Sony Xperia XA1
828 Points -49%
Nokia 7 Plus
1646 Points +2%
HTC U11 Life
877 Points -46%
Motorola Moto X4
870 Points -46%
HTC U12 Plus
2429 Points +50%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1431 - 1646, n=11)
1598 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (800 - 9574, n=90, last 2 years)
5063 Points +213%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
5843 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
3539 Points -39%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
2601 Points -55%
Sony Xperia XA1
3621 Points -38%
Nokia 7 Plus
5867 Points 0%
HTC U11 Life
4193 Points -28%
Motorola Moto X4
4115 Points -30%
HTC U12 Plus
8812 Points +51%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (4895 - 5913, n=11)
5694 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 26990, n=90, last 2 years)
13549 Points +132%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
5486 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
2576 Points -53%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
2190 Points -60%
Sony Xperia XA1
2747 Points -50%
HTC U11 Life
3956 Points -28%
Motorola Moto X4
3894 Points -29%
HTC U12 Plus
12493 Points +128%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (4983 - 5811, n=9)
5524 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 18432, n=70, last 2 years)
10590 Points +93%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
26731 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
13897 Points -48%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
9949 Points -63%
Sony Xperia XA1
13734 Points -49%
Nokia 7 Plus
26610 Points 0%
HTC U11 Life
16859 Points -37%
Motorola Moto X4
16767 Points -37%
HTC U12 Plus
62152 Points +133%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (22145 - 26731, n=12)
25633 Points -4%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
28984 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
13879 Points -52%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
10262 Points -65%
Sony Xperia XA1
13125 Points -55%
Nokia 7 Plus
29333 Points +1%
HTC U11 Life
18469 Points -36%
Motorola Moto X4
18355 Points -37%
HTC U12 Plus
81726 Points +182%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (25561 - 29496, n=12)
28454 Points -2%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
21016 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
13959 Points -34%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
8990 Points -57%
Sony Xperia XA1
16394 Points -22%
Nokia 7 Plus
20085 Points -4%
HTC U11 Life
12919 Points -39%
Motorola Moto X4
12870 Points -39%
HTC U12 Plus
33810 Points +61%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (15088 - 21016, n=12)
19093 Points -9%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
2023 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
921 Points -54%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
596 Points -71%
Sony Xperia XA1
945 Points -53%
Nokia 7 Plus
2035 Points +1%
HTC U11 Life
1336 Points -34%
Motorola Moto X4
1351 Points -33%
HTC U12 Plus
4585 Points +127%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1825 - 2104, n=13)
2021 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3495 Points +73%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
1891 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
832 Points -56%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
527 Points -72%
Sony Xperia XA1
827 Points -56%
Nokia 7 Plus
1895 Points 0%
HTC U11 Life
1257 Points -34%
Motorola Moto X4
1259 Points -33%
HTC U12 Plus
5637 Points +198%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1711 - 1986, n=13)
1893 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3845 Points +103%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
2680 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
1469 Points -45%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
1103 Points -59%
Sony Xperia XA1
1892 Points -29%
Nokia 7 Plus
2734 Points +2%
HTC U11 Life
1711 Points -36%
Motorola Moto X4
1816 Points -32%
HTC U12 Plus
2774 Points +4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (2383 - 2834, n=13)
2672 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
2989 Points +12%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
1335 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
702 Points -47%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
316 Points -76%
Sony Xperia XA1
677 Points -49%
Nokia 7 Plus
1332 Points 0%
HTC U11 Life
839 Points -37%
Motorola Moto X4
835 Points -37%
HTC U12 Plus
3419 Points +156%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1124 - 1374, n=15)
1328 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (286 - 7890, n=102, last 2 years)
2665 Points +100%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
1164 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
624 Points -46%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
262 Points -77%
Sony Xperia XA1
574 Points -51%
Nokia 7 Plus
1161 Points 0%
HTC U11 Life
729 Points -37%
Motorola Moto X4
724 Points -38%
HTC U12 Plus
3488 Points +200%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1061 - 1206, n=14)
1172 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (240 - 9814, n=102, last 2 years)
2655 Points +128%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
2757 Points
TP-Link Neffos N1
1246 Points -55%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
1134 Points -59%
Sony Xperia XA1
1804 Points -35%
Nokia 7 Plus
2749 Points 0%
HTC U11 Life
1779 Points -35%
Motorola Moto X4
1811 Points -34%
HTC U12 Plus
3197 Points +16%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (1883 - 2759, n=14)
2587 Points -6%
Average of class Smartphone (858 - 4679, n=102, last 2 years)
3119 Points +13%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
48 fps
TP-Link Neffos N1
22 fps -54%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
14 fps -71%
Sony Xperia XA1
33 fps -31%
Nokia 7 Plus
48 fps 0%
HTC U11 Life
29 fps -40%
Motorola Moto X4
31 fps -35%
HTC U12 Plus
59 fps +23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (42 - 59, n=14)
48.1 fps 0%
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
83 fps +73%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
50 fps
TP-Link Neffos N1
24 fps -52%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
18 fps -64%
Sony Xperia XA1
22 fps -56%
Nokia 7 Plus
50 fps 0%
HTC U11 Life
30 fps -40%
Motorola Moto X4
30 fps -40%
HTC U12 Plus
98 fps +96%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (43 - 51, n=14)
48.4 fps -3%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=178, last 2 years)
244 fps +388%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
21 fps
TP-Link Neffos N1
11 fps -48%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
7.5 fps -64%
Sony Xperia XA1
19 fps -10%
Nokia 7 Plus
22 fps +5%
HTC U11 Life
14 fps -33%
Motorola Moto X4
15 fps -29%
HTC U12 Plus
35 fps +67%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (19 - 40, n=14)
22.6 fps +8%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 165, n=179, last 2 years)
71 fps +238%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
23 fps
TP-Link Neffos N1
11 fps -52%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
7.6 fps -67%
Sony Xperia XA1
9.6 fps -58%
Nokia 7 Plus
23 fps 0%
HTC U11 Life
14 fps -39%
Motorola Moto X4
14 fps -39%
HTC U12 Plus
72 fps +213%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (20 - 23, n=14)
22.1 fps -4%
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 363, n=179, last 2 years)
138 fps +500%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
14 fps
TP-Link Neffos N1
6.9 fps -51%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
4.8 fps -66%
Sony Xperia XA1
15 fps +7%
Nokia 7 Plus
15 fps +7%
HTC U11 Life
9.8 fps -30%
Motorola Moto X4
11 fps -21%
HTC U12 Plus
31 fps +121%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (12 - 30, n=15)
14.7 fps +5%
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 158, n=179, last 2 years)
59.9 fps +328%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
15 fps
TP-Link Neffos N1
6.8 fps -55%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
2.4 fps -84%
Sony Xperia XA1
3.4 fps -77%
Nokia 7 Plus
14 fps -7%
HTC U11 Life
9.7 fps -35%
Motorola Moto X4
9.6 fps -36%
HTC U12 Plus
39 fps +160%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (8.2 - 15, n=14)
13.6 fps -9%
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 279, n=179, last 2 years)
96.7 fps +545%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
8.6 fps
TP-Link Neffos N1
4.1 fps -52%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
2.7 fps -69%
Sony Xperia XA1
7.9 fps -8%
Nokia 7 Plus
9.1 fps +6%
HTC U11 Life
5.4 fps -37%
Motorola Moto X4
5.7 fps -34%
HTC U12 Plus
20 fps +133%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (7.5 - 18, n=15)
9.13 fps +6%
Average of class Smartphone (5 - 117, n=179, last 2 years)
42.9 fps +399%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
9 fps
TP-Link Neffos N1
4.1 fps -54%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
2.7 fps -70%
Sony Xperia XA1
3.7 fps -59%
Nokia 7 Plus
8.3 fps -8%
HTC U11 Life
5.5 fps -39%
Motorola Moto X4
5.3 fps -41%
HTC U12 Plus
35 fps +289%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (8 - 9.1, n=14)
8.84 fps -2%
Average of class Smartphone (2.9 - 166, n=179, last 2 years)
58.6 fps +551%
Lightmark - 1920x1080 1080p (sort by value)
Sony Xperia XA1
4.88 fps
Nokia 7 Plus
15.07 fps
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
15.1 fps
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value)
Xiaomi Mi 6X
353 Points
Sony Xperia XA1
191 Points -46%
Nokia 7 Plus
349 Points -1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (349 - 353, n=2)
351 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (177 - 6114, n=61, last 2 years)
2145 Points +508%

Legend

 
Xiaomi Mi 6X Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, Qualcomm Adreno 512, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
TP-Link Neffos N1 Mediatek Helio P20 (LP4) MT6757, ARM Mali-T880 MP2, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
BQ Aquaris VS Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937), Qualcomm Adreno 505, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Sony Xperia XA1 Mediatek Helio P20 (LP4) MT6757, ARM Mali-T880 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Nokia 7 Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, Qualcomm Adreno 512, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
HTC U11 Life Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, Qualcomm Adreno 508, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto X4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, Qualcomm Adreno 508, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
HTC U12 Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Qualcomm Adreno 630, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash

The performance in Google's Chrome browser is absolutely satisfactory. The Mi 6X is ahead in all browser benchmarks and performs very well in practice. However, demanding sites take a little longer to load.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (66.1 - 414, n=3, last 2 years)
194.9 Points +274%
HTC U12 Plus (Chrome 66)
87 Points +67%
Nokia 7 Plus (Chrome 60)
53.9 Points +3%
Xiaomi Mi 6X (Chrome 67)
52.1 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (45.3 - 55.5, n=12)
52 Points 0%
Motorola Moto X4 (Chrome 63)
30.81 Points -41%
TP-Link Neffos N1 (Chrome 62)
29.02 Points -44%
HTC U11 Life (Chrome 63)
28.99 Points -44%
Sony Xperia XA1 (Chrome 58)
28.45 Points -45%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33525 Points +235%
HTC U12 Plus (Chrome 66)
16285 Points +63%
Nokia 7 Plus (Chrome 60)
10945 Points +10%
Xiaomi Mi 6X (Chrome 67)
9995 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (8463 - 10945, n=14)
9973 Points 0%
Motorola Moto X4 (Chrome 63)
5050 Points -49%
HTC U11 Life (Chrome 63)
4893 Points -51%
TP-Link Neffos N1 (Chrome 62)
4797 Points -52%
Sony Xperia XA1 (Chrome 58)
3956 Points -60%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
3305 Points -67%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
BQ Aquaris VS Plus (Chrome 65)
13541 ms * -184%
TP-Link Neffos N1 (Chrome 62)
9701 ms * -103%
Sony Xperia XA1
9506 ms * -99%
HTC U11 Life (Chrome 63)
9493 ms * -99%
Motorola Moto X4 (Chrome 63)
8396 ms * -76%
Xiaomi Mi 6X (Chrome 67)
4769 ms *
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (3796 - 4769, n=13)
4115 ms * +14%
Nokia 7 Plus (Chrome 60)
3937 ms * +17%
HTC U12 Plus (Chrome 66)
2410 ms * +49%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1653 ms * +65%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall
HTC U12 Plus (Chrome 66)
257 Points +49%
Xiaomi Mi 6X (Chrome 67)
173 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (159 - 182, n=8)
170.9 Points -1%
Nokia 7 Plus (Chrome 60)
168 Points -3%
HTC U11 Life (Chrome 63)
100 Points -42%
Motorola Moto X4 (Chrome 63)
86 Points -50%
Sony Xperia XA1 (Chrome 58)
78 Points -55%
BQ Aquaris VS Plus (Chrome 65)
78 Points -55%

* ... smaller is better

The performance of the internal eMMC memory is quite average. However, it is on the level of other mid-range devices. Smartphones in this price range almost never feature modern UFS memory, which is much faster. This is why the read and write rates are quite low.

Xiaomi Mi 6XTP-Link Neffos N1BQ Aquaris VS PlusSony Xperia XA1Nokia 7 PlusHTC U11 LifeMotorola Moto X4HTC U12 PlusAverage 64 GB eMMC FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
132%
-10%
9%
42%
135%
157%
408%
82%
1211%
Sequential Read 256KB
272
262.1
-4%
274.3
1%
248.5
-9%
283.1
4%
268
-1%
281.6
4%
709
161%
273 ?(95.6 - 704, n=201)
0%
1467 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
439%
Sequential Write 256KB
203.7
184.6
-9%
205.1
1%
127.8
-37%
211.6
4%
120
-41%
120.5
-41%
195.8
-4%
176.8 ?(40 - 274, n=201)
-13%
1077 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
429%
Random Read 4KB
73
57.4
-21%
48.3
-34%
66.2
-9%
54.7
-25%
39.3
-46%
45.4
-38%
118.1
62%
59.1 ?(9.58 - 148.5, n=201)
-19%
241 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
230%
Random Write 4KB
6.89
45.48
560%
6.4
-7%
13.2
92%
19.62
185%
50.2
629%
55.3
703%
104.2
1412%
31.7 ?(2.34 - 146.9, n=201)
360%
265 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
3746%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
75.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
84.5 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
78.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
82.2
82.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
83.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
84.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
77.4 ?(21.1 - 107.6, n=144)
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
67.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
60.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
68 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
62.3
59.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
60 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
63.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
58.3 ?(11.2 - 83.3, n=144)

Gaming

The Qualcomm Adreno 512 supports all the latest APIs such as Vulkan, OpenGL and Direct3D 12. This relatively powerful graphics unit is capable of running even demanding 3D games from the Google Play Store at decent frame rates. Current titles such as the racing game “Asphalt 8: Airborne” and the first-person shooter “Dead Trigger 2” run most of the time at 28 to 30 FPS on the high settings. We use “GameBench” to record frame rates in the games. Both the touchscreen and the motion sensor work very well while gaming.

Asphalt Airborne 8
Asphalt Airborne 8
World of Tanks Blitz
World of Tanks Blitz
Dead Trigger 2
Dead Trigger 2
World of Tanks Blitz
 SettingsValue
 high, 0xAA, 0xAF60 fps
  Your browser does not support the canvas element!
Dead Trigger 2
 SettingsValue
 high30 fps
  Your browser does not support the canvas element!
Asphalt 8: Airborne
 SettingsValue
 high28 fps
  Your browser does not support the canvas element!

Emissions - The battery of the Mi 6X is too small

Temperature

The surface temperatures of the Xiaomi Mi 6X stay relatively low even under continuous load. When idle, the surface temperatures of the Mi 6X peak at 28 °C (82.4 °F) on the back.

We check to see how well the SoC does under sustained load with the help of the GFXBench ES3.1 battery test. Here, the same sequence is run 30 times in a row and the results of each sequence run are recorded. The Mi 6X does not throttle down in the demanding Manhattan section (OpenGL ES 3.1). The benchmark results reveal a slightly fluctuating frame rate. The fluctuations lie within one percent of each other. This is why drops in performance under load are highly unlikely.

Max. Load
 36.9 °C
98 F
34.6 °C
94 F
37 °C
99 F
 
 37.2 °C
99 F
34.4 °C
94 F
36.3 °C
97 F
 
 35.7 °C
96 F
33 °C
91 F
34.5 °C
94 F
 
Maximum: 37.2 °C = 99 F
Average: 35.5 °C = 96 F
33.5 °C
92 F
36 °C
97 F
36.5 °C
98 F
33.9 °C
93 F
36 °C
97 F
36.7 °C
98 F
32.9 °C
91 F
35.2 °C
95 F
36.1 °C
97 F
Maximum: 36.7 °C = 98 F
Average: 35.2 °C = 95 F
Power Supply (max.)  32.3 °C = 90 F | Room Temperature 21.6 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.5 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.2 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36.7 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.3 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

Pink noise
Pink noise

The Mi 6X has only one speaker, which is located on the bottom of the device. With 84 dB(A), it is sufficiently loud and sounds good enough for watching short videos such as music clips. Bass is almost completely missing, but the highs are reproduced very faithfully. The highs only become distorted at 15 kHz or above.

Xiaomi forgoes a dedicated audio jack. Therefore, the USB port serves as the audio port. The audio quality is not superb, but is good enough for a 250-Euro ($293) smartphone.  

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2035.240.92532.939.93137.234.94031.740.35039.639.16328.334.18027.332.310026.928.712526.731.5160243920020.946.225020.948.331519.555.740018.562.950017.565.863017.569.680015.769.2100015.870125016.675.2160015.873.7200015.474.2250015.573.531501671.6400015.873.150001671.6630016.367.1800016.367.71000016.271.81250016.475.51600016.459.9SPL28.684.1N1.158.5median 16.4median 69.2Delta2.28.835.245.132.941.137.238.931.736.639.642.728.33427.33026.930.226.736.32441.720.946.520.950.619.551.718.557.517.556.917.556.615.760.915.870.316.675.715.878.515.479.615.581.21679.415.8781674.416.377.316.381.316.283.816.468.316.455.328.690.21.176median 16.4median 70.32.212.5hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseXiaomi Mi 6XHTC U11 Life
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Xiaomi Mi 6X audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 18% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 73% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 40% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 53% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

HTC U11 Life audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.5% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 9% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 9% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 57% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 35% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 74% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 21% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life

Energy Consumption

When idle, the Xiaomi Mi 6X is very energy-efficient for a 6-inch smartphone. However, it is less energy-efficient under sustained load. All in all, the Mi 6X consumes a little less power than the Nokia 7 Plus, which has the same hardware. Nevertheless, there is still some room for improvement with the Mi 6X.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.01 / 0.11 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.65 / 1.94 / 1.97 Watt
Load midlight 4.65 / 5.93 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Xiaomi Mi 6X
3010 mAh
TP-Link Neffos N1
3260 mAh
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
3400 mAh
Sony Xperia XA1
2300 mAh
Nokia 7 Plus
3800 mAh
HTC U11 Life
2600 mAh
Motorola Moto X4
3000 mAh
HTC U12 Plus
3500 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
19%
-8%
43%
-6%
7%
13%
-29%
-41%
-11%
Idle Minimum *
0.65
0.69
-6%
0.79
-22%
0.64
2%
0.65
-0%
0.63
3%
0.65
-0%
0.77
-18%
1.052 ?(0.56 - 2.9, n=14)
-62%
0.891 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
-37%
Idle Average *
1.94
1.64
15%
2.29
-18%
0.81
58%
1.76
9%
2.1
-8%
1.51
22%
2.18
-12%
2.62 ?(1.4 - 8.6, n=14)
-35%
1.448 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
25%
Idle Maximum *
1.97
1.67
15%
2.3
-17%
0.86
56%
1.78
10%
2.15
-9%
1.57
20%
2.21
-12%
2.88 ?(1.54 - 8.9, n=14)
-46%
1.63 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
17%
Load Average *
4.65
2.59
44%
3.84
17%
2.09
55%
4.47
4%
3.34
28%
3.88
17%
6.25
-34%
5.1 ?(3.47 - 9.4, n=14)
-10%
5.57 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
-20%
Load Maximum *
5.93
4.36
26%
5.95
-0%
3.31
44%
9.13
-54%
4.83
19%
5.47
8%
10.16
-71%
9.08 ?(5.93 - 18.5, n=14)
-53%
8.27 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
-39%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The Xiaomi Mi 6X achieves a battery run time of 8 hours and 15 minutes in our practically-oriented Wi-Fi test with the display brightness set to 150 cd/m². When compared to the competition, the 3000-mAh battery appears quite small. The Mi 6X does better in our Full HD video test. The battery performance under load is also impressive. Here the Mi 6X lasts a little longer than the Nokia 7 Plus.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
17h 26min
WiFi Websurfing
8h 15min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
10h 08min
Load (maximum brightness)
3h 12min
Xiaomi Mi 6X
3010 mAh
TP-Link Neffos N1
3260 mAh
BQ Aquaris VS Plus
3400 mAh
Sony Xperia XA1
2300 mAh
Nokia 7 Plus
3800 mAh
HTC U11 Life
2600 mAh
Motorola Moto X4
3000 mAh
HTC U12 Plus
3500 mAh
Battery Runtime
57%
30%
33%
24%
52%
39%
9%
Reader / Idle
1046
1433
37%
1703
63%
1820
74%
1652
58%
1452
39%
H.264
608
751
24%
706
16%
798
31%
688
13%
464
-24%
WiFi v1.3
495
776
57%
644
30%
675
36%
672
36%
725
46%
659
33%
507
2%
Load
192
256
33%
158
-18%
303
58%
289
51%
230
20%

Pros

+ great build quality
+ good cameras
+ accurate GPS
+ good performance

Cons

- speaker
- low display brightness
- battery life
- (software + availability)

Verdict - Xiaomi Mi 6X impresses

In review: Xiaomi Mi 6X. Review device provided courtesy of: TradingShenzhen.
In review: Xiaomi Mi 6X. Review device provided courtesy of: TradingShenzhen.

The Xiaomi Mi 6X is a powerful mid-range smartphone, which costs less than similarly-equipped smartphones that are available in Europe. The performance and connectivity options are impressive for a smartphone in this price range. The build quality and the aluminum case are also on another level.

Xiaomi has made some cuts when it comes to the speaker, the missing SD card slot and the relatively low battery capacity. Face recognition also performs very poorly and the dual-camera module struggles in low-light conditions.

The limited availability, Chinese software and insufficient LTE coverage make the Mi 6X hard to recommend to German users. All of this will change when the Mi A2 comes to Europe.  

The Xiaomi Mi 6X will become interesting as soon as the sibling model Mi A2 comes to the European market, which should happen in early August. The Mi A2 will feature Android One and will reportedly support LTE band 20. The Mi 6X is a well-rounded smartphone that offers powerful hardware and makes only a few concessions when compared to other devices in this price range.

Xiaomi Mi 6X - 07/02/2018 v6(old)
Marcus Herbrich

Chassis
87%
Keyboard
67 / 75 → 89%
Pointing Device
92%
Connectivity
43 / 60 → 72%
Weight
91%
Battery
91%
Display
83%
Games Performance
54 / 63 → 86%
Application Performance
60 / 70 → 85%
Temperature
91%
Noise
100%
Audio
70 / 91 → 77%
Camera
75%
Average
77%
86%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Marcus Herbrich, 2018-07- 8 (Update: 2019-03- 9)