Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 teaser shows almost no bezels

Xiaomi arguably started this whole bezel-less trend when it put out the Xiaomi Mi Mix last year, a smartphone that was meant to be more of a commercial concept design. Now, however, everybody (except Sony) seems to be jumping on that train. So what is Xiaomi to do? It could try to do one better. The Mi Mix 2, which could be announced in just two weeks, could break through the barriers with a phone that is perhaps only 1-2% bezels, as hinted by this teaser coming from the designer of the first Mi Mix himself.

Unless you are a designer by trade and by heart, the name Philippe Starck (not Stark) might not ring any bells. Unless you also happen to have paid close attention to the Xiaomi Mi Mix from last year. The famed French designer help create what is perhaps the world's first usable, commercial nearly bezel-less phone. And he may have a hand in this year's model as well.

In a video posted on his company's Facebook account, Starck reveals the "Conceptual Product Design" of the Mi Mix 2. At first glance, you might mistake it for a Galaxy S8+ except for one thing you will only notice from a longer look: it almost has no borders. Whereas the Galaxy S8 and S8+ still has thin bezels top and bottom, this one barely has any at the bottom and almost none at the top. Of course, there's still a bit, so it's not 100%. It's close enough, however.

What makes this new Mi Mix 2 interesting is actually the bottom bezels, which has shrunk considerably thinner than the original Mi Mix. In last year's model, this was where the front camera and some sensors could be found. Now it seems like nothing's there. However, a close up shot does reveal something, so there might be a front camera after all. How big, or small, it is, however, remains to be seen.

If the Mi Mix 1 was anything to go by, the Mi Mix 2 could also sport the latest and greatest specs for 2017, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, around 4 GB of RAM, and possibly a 6.4-inch screen again. This time, no one will probably complain if the screen only went as high as 1920x1080 pixels. And while the Mi Mix last year was only seen as a novel design, the trend this year might make many wish yet again that Xiaomi officially sold its smartphones in markets like the US.