A few months back when we have been talking about the upcoming bezel-less smartphones, the DOOGEE MIX was on the first place. This is related with the fact the manufacturer didn’t keep any secrets about this handset and we knew much before its official announcement at Global Sources Electronics Exhibition. This phone stands out not only due to its ambitions but also due to two reasons. The DOOGEE MIX is the first MediaTek Helio P25 handset. Second, it’s the cheapest tri-bezel-less smartphone in the globe priced under-$200. On one hand, seems this brand is not capable of fighting against the Xiaomi Mi MIX and other border-less smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S8. On the other hand, the aforementioned features and pricing make this handset quite attractive. So we decided to take a closer look at the DOOGEE MIX in order to find out whether the stir around it is to the point or the company has ‘organized’ it to promote this phone.
- OS: Android 7.0
- CPU: MediaTek Helio P25
- RAM: 4GB / 6GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Display: 5.5 inches (1,280 X 720)
- LTE band: 1/3/7/8/20
- Connectivity: 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0
- Camera: 5MP / 13MP + 8MP
- Battery: 3,380mAh
- Dimensions and weight: 144 × 76.2 × 7.95 mm / 193.2 g
As you can see from the specs list, the DOOGEE MIX comes with a number of key features. Though its selling point is considered to be the bezel-less screen, there are a few other features many companies dream to have on their flagships.
First of all, we can say the DOOGEE MIX comes with the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. Thus it you will get access to all new features added to this version.
Second, the display comes at HD resolution, but it adopts Samsung Super AMOLED technology. This means it will provide better viewing experience than many FHD screens. Plus, it has no bezels and it occupies about 93% of the front panel. Thus it occupies more area than the Xiaomi Mi MIX. At last, it comes at 5.5 inches, which is more comfortable for single-hand operations than larger-screen devices.
There is a dual-camera on the rear. But it requires a deeper research.
First, the DOOGEE MIX packaging comes with many useful accessories lacking from many other devices. The box includes the phone, a charger, a USB/HDMI cable, a protective case in black, a protective film, a pin to remove the SIM card, and a few documentations. The manual comes only in English hinting this product has been made to sell abroad.
Read: DOOGEE MIX Unboxing
Well, the DOOGEE MIX has been promoted as a bezel-less smartphone, but when holding it in hands we see the manufacturer couldn’t reach the results as Xiaomi and Samsung. In this sense, even the Elephone S7 looks more bezel-less than the DOOGEE MIX. However, 93% of this phone is occupied by the display, and we tend to think this handset can be put next to other no-border phones.
The frame is made of metal, but the rest uses glass based on plastic material. However, this doesn’t help the phone from weighing light. It’s about 200 grams, and this is too much for a 5.5-inch handset. Do you imagine how much it would weigh if being made of metal.
Read: Check Out How The Doogee Mix Offers The Maximum Screen Protection!
The SIM slot is on the left.
As usual, the phone supports dual-SIM car connectivity. One of the lots is for a microSIM card, while the second one supports nanoSIM. What’s amazing both slots support LTE.
The audio jack is on top.
The microUSB port and the speaker are on the bottom.
The volume rocker and the power button are on the right hand side.
The back only carries a dual-camera placed on the upper left corner, and a logo.
The home button and the front camera are below the screen. As we are dealing with a tri-bezel-less smartphone, it’s reasonable why the front shooter is located there.
DOOGEE is one of those Chinese brands that come with its own Doogee UI. The DOOGEE MIX runs on a customized version of Android 7.0
One of the tricks made in this software concerns the characters hanging in the upper right corner of the screen. It allows to download and install new themes.
The app list is on the right side in alphabetical order. Thus you can scroll it up/down and find the necessary app faster.
There is a roulette icon on the lower right side. Swiping it up will open the list of functions you can implement via one hand.
Apart of these, the Doogee UI supports screen split function and the security center has got a list of improvements.
Besides the dazzling black color option there have been two other color as well – Aurora blue and coral blue. But a few days ago the manufacturer added two other to the list – Stunning silver & Rouge red.
This phone can’t boast of a great performance, because it’s packed with a Helio P25 chip. It’s a octa-core SoC four of which are clocked at 1.6GHz and the rest four cores run at 2.5GHz. Seems it shouldn’t have problems with multitasking, but it scored only 60.000 points at AnTuTu.
On the other hand, the DOOGEE MIX was compared with the Vivo X9 packed with a Snapdragon 625, and we have to say MediaTek didn’t yield Qualcomm much.
Moreover, this chip comes with power consumption improvements, which help the 3800mAh battery provide longer life.
Read: DOOGEE MIX vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Battery Test
DOOGEE MIX Camera
Many manufacturers do not pack their bezel-less screen smartphones with a dual-camera, because larger screens require more space. Therefore, there is left no space of two camera modules. However, Doogee has decided to make the phone a bit bulkier but to come with these two trendy features at once.
The DOOGEE MIX uses the ISOCELL technology by Samsung that comes with the slimmest sensors. That’s why the phone is able to house a 16MP camera and an 8MP assistant camera in the rear. Like the Huawei P10 this phone comes with one RGB and one mono sensors. There is a f/2.0 aperture.
Must Read: Dual-Camera Chinese Smartphone: Buyer’s Guide 2017
The most outstanding feature of dual-camera handsets is the opportunity of taking blurred photos. Thus you can focus on a certain object and blur the background. In this sense, the DOOGEE MIX does what’s required. But as DOOGEE is new in this niche, it has too much work to be done.
However, besides the blurring function the camera comes with Facebeauty, monochrome, panoramic, PRO and HDR modes.
Read: DOOGEE MIX Camera Reviews
- Tri-bezel-less screen
- Dual-camera
- Large memory
- LTE Support
- Durability
- Price
- Helio P25 Chip
- Bulky look
The DOOGEE MIX has been promoted as a bezel-less screen handset. But actually it’s not so. At least, we can see some bezels around the screen. So when talking about this handset, let’s call it the budget variant of the Xiaomi Mi MIX or the Galaxy S8.
The company has worked on it too much. It came in with different campaigns promoting the DOOGEE MIX. As a result, many people liked this phone. So the rumors as the manufacturer is going to release the bigger version of the MIX sounds logic.
If you remember, I said at the beginning of this review the DOOGEE MIX has been designed for western market. The launch of the DOOGEE MIX Premier League Edition is the best proof.
At last, the DOOGEE MIX was priced at $169.99 when it hit the market that means you can take your hands on a Mi MIX-like handset for a song.
