Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 By TWiT Tech Podcast Network

This is twit well um, let's see here Xiaomi and in the realm of devices we know actually exist. Xiaomi uh unveiled a pretty decent haul of hardware, uh announcements. The mix 4, which happens to be the first me mix in three years. Um and yes, I mean the the trend. Du jour is the in display camera, we're expecting to see one on the z fold uh and the mix is right. There too, the mix four has an in-display camera that they call the cup, also known as the camera under panel.

So that's that's how they're uh labeling that I suppose uh Xiaomi says that the area so when it comes to cameras under the display. My understanding is in order for the camera to shine through the pixels, a pixels have to be dead, and they have to be turned off and b. Usually what they've done is that's like a lower pixel density there so that there isn't as much stuff getting in the way potentially of the camera. So you know you can get a better quality picture. Xiaomi says they're putting a 400 pixels per inch area in front of that camera, which they say it makes it virtually invisible.

Of course, they say that um, so that remains to be seen, but I haven't seen any of these in-display camera devices in person, yet to really uh really know for myself kind of what it results in or if I have. I can't recall, whoa got some dogs going nuts right now. Um have either of you and what is your? What has been your experience as far as that's concerned? Mateo? Maybe you go first yeah um. I got to play with some in-screen or under screen uh cameras at I believe it was MWC 2019 and then later at IFA that year, there's they weren't finished products, but they were being demoed uh in within the industry, and I wasn't too excited by them. They're, not great.

In my from what I saw and from having seen other people go hands-on with a few devices by Oppo and VIVO and others um. Whilst it is viable, it's not a great output compared to a dedicated dodge, um or notch in a camera and having a clear, selfie camera, it depends on what the use case is and how important image, quality or video quality is to the people using that phone, because for some people they may decide that and if it's not great, they won't go for it, but then again for things like ticktock and any or social media use where you are using a selfie camera. Maybe that quality in the content is not as high of a priority, so we'll see how this goes uh. What I think the next step will be is if there is any sort of effect that comes from the under screen camera. How long will it take us some social media, uh, apps and services, to have a filter to make it look like you have the cool phone with an under screen camera uh? That will we'll just have to wait and see how long that takes, because for some people this Xiaomi me makes especially in Asia, will definitely be a status symbol to have a Xiaomi.

Mi mix device is there. So if you can have an under screen this under screen camera filter to make look make it look as if your content has been filmed on. That will actually be boosting your status within the social network, so lots of dynamics going on here. But apart from that, the makes four is a true flagship. This is the sort of aspirational device that Xiaomi goes all out on to see how things go and which bits will then trickle down to their more affordable devices in their product portfolio.

The affordable range uh pricing uh. You know converted to us dollars, anyways on the entry level of 770 970 for the top of the line is somewhere around there, so uh pretty affordable for premium range. Yeah, Xiaomi's been hitting real hard on that price performance. My experience with this kind of tech is even older, um. The last time I kind of saw some of these demos.

It was like a lg display tour where they were looking at this kind of transparent sleds and the conversation surrounding them. The engineering challenge is really profound. I mean think about how much work we go through on cameras to maximize the acquisition of light, and here we're putting display information in front of this camera, and I'm kind of torn on it. You know like to your point Mateo. I wonder so.

Many people rely on that selfie camera for so much of their documenting activities, family memories, um, I mean we can kind of write off. You know, oh, you know those tick, took, kids, but those tick, took kids are doing phenomenally, uh, intricate camera work and editing work, and you know they're doing it on a silly little social media app. But some of the stuff that that gets produced on these short form, video sharing sites is is is remarkably um proficient. This is kind of like where people learn how to use their cameras and become the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers. So I guess I mean to me and Jason I'd kind of like to throw this question back to you, too is done we really think consumers are that bothered by notches and widows peaks and punch holes, and does the notion of an uninterrupted screen, which I value as a nerd and I like to consume content, and I hate when my game is cut into by a notch or a hole punch.

Are there more people like that who value the media consumption experience or are there more people who are going to be bothered or worried about having the better selfie camera, and who would just live with the screen interruption? I mean, I think, especially where we're at right now with notches um, not being full bars. I mean at least on the iPhone. Furthermore, I guess it's still like a full bar, but the majority of android phones yeah, the majority, guess right on the majority of android phones. If there is a notch, it's usually you know either a cut-out or a tiny little teardrop or whatever it's its pretty minimally invasive, and I would guess that the majority of everyday people probably couldn't care less. As far as that's concerned, you know what I mean like it's its just kind of part of the phone, and it does the thing they wanted to do.

I don't know that I've really encountered many. You know like people in my family that are complaining to me. You know I love this phone, but it's that notch. That's hideous to me. I doubt most people really care.

You know what I mean, but at the same time, if the technology gets to a point to where that notch goes away, I don't think people would be upset about that. But you know the trade-off, can't be there. It can't be well. We took the notch away, and yours, your selfies, that you take the majority of your photos or selfies uh, actually don't look as good as you're used to them. Looking people aren't going to be okay with that either so, but there's only one way to get there and that's to iterate and that's what we're seeing, oh for sure, but I think generation.

I think that is something that people would notice more aggressively than we techies might think. You know someone's going two years on a smartphone three years on a smartphone purchase, and they're kind of holding out in that that kind of longer time frame. I think there would be an expectation that, like oh I'm, going to buy this new phone and supposedly the cameras are better. Why do my selfies look darker or smudgy or smearier? Yes to me that that would read immediately as an issue absolutely agree. Can I have a moment and a bit of a sad trombone to remember the selfie cameras that used to pop up out of smartphones up to two years ago, yeah that whole generation of hardware innovation has need an UN under display camera, and you often got some better selfie cameras than you would have in a dedicated hardware, uh section that popped out of the phone? I uh I I I had so many great uh, video, shooting and video calling experiences on the lg wing.

Um that you know just last year was was a great pop-out, selfie camera it still kind of held to some older tech designs and keeping the whole front screen uh totally UN interrupted. I have to imagine the phone makers are, are super happy, and you know not looking at all with fondness on the pop-up camera. Just from a mechanical standpoint, I have to imagine it was far more expensive for them to build the mechanical. You know pop-out camera than it is for them to do some other things and that's probably part of the reason why they continue to explore before we leave this article. Can I just call out something here that the verge has written um because we're talking about the mix four, and I mean I think this is going to be a reasonably priced phone, but this one paragraph, the camera system centers around a 108, mega pix, megapixel, Samsung, AMX sensor, suggesting similar or identical performance to the slightly outdated, but still pretty good me 11.

The 11 is a current generation phone and there aren't a lot of 108 Nana pixel megapixel pixel binning sensors out on the market. I'm wondering how that's already outdated. Uh life moves really fast if you're uh. What is the? What is the fairest Bueller? I just watched that movie and I can't remember the quote life. What is it? Uh life moves pretty fast.

If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you can miss it. The one thousand dollar iPhone 12 has a smaller. It's a one over two point: five inch 12 megapixel sensor, and we would never hear about that camera sensor being outdated, outdated, where yeah v11 is at the bleeding edge of HDR pixel binning technology. It is competing directly against the bleeding edge of Samsung, ultra phones, but the me11. I think that camera is a little outdated now, because it's months old, what are we doing? When was it even announced to talk about average consumers using 900 phones? This is silly.

That's that's silly look and I have to say that that that sensor is a fantastic sensor. I have it in the Xiaomi me 10 t pro 5g, which is a late 2020 phone. That 108 megapixel sensor is very, very good and will be for years. Xiaomi have been updating their software uh with the latest versions of mini, and I really disagree with that statement. Uh.

The other thing is they're, also not mentioning that it's the 11 ultra that they should be talking about. Not the standard me 11. In that context. Ah, interesting uh look. This phone was announced five months ago.

Okay, it's d. It's did dead! It's its old news it really, but that really is a testament to kind of like where, where we are in tech, in kind of technology coverage circles, but also in like technology, enthusiasts circles and android circles, we're so accustomed in the world of android uh to hearing about the latest and greatest- and that's always like within a realm of like a couple of months like all the energy right now, will be around Samsung's foldable, that's happening tomorrow and there's going to be a lot of energy around this, but that energy is going to be completely gone in like a month, or you know, two months or whatever when the pixels happen, and then the energy will be there. Furthermore, it's like we're. Furthermore, it's like we're addicted to this constant ongoing every other month. Some big major announcement that now that's the that's the marquee thing to pay attention to look over there.

This one, that's old, that's stinky! I just in into Mateo's point too it's its! I just take that that little of a bristle, because camera technology doesn't cycle like that it, it really doesn't um our improvements to camera performance and optics and sensor design, and when we see these advancements we kind of just shrug, and then you don't ever really get to the meat and potatoes of why that made the camera better. But then we'll get these like ridiculous camera showdowns, like oh, we'll see what you need is this phone with this kind of HDR and the mega pickles, and you're. Like you completely missed the point, this is not what's making your photos better. I think that's a point that google has been making for years. The pixel cameras have not changed it from a hardware perspective significantly for about three years.

Yet the camera performance on the devices has been improving for sure you.

Source : TWiT Tech Podcast Network