The Xiaomi Launched in April 2017, the Mi 6 flagship. A few months after its launch, rumours of a possible "Plus" or "Pro" version were also circulating, which the manufacturer never confirmed, and in the summer the Mi Note 3 arrived instead. Today, some interesting photos have surfaced, with a popular Chinese tipster sharing some "live" shots of the unveiled Xiaomi Mi 6 Pro smartphone.
The pictures show that the phone would have come with pressure-sensitive volume buttons.
The display, rounded on 4 sides, was (would have been) supplied by LG Display. The device's chunky top bezel - as seen today - houses the speaker, selfie camera and light sensor. On the bottom, we can still see the classic capacitive Home button with the fingerprint sensor integrated.
The glass back of the Xiaomi Mi 6 Pro reveals another interesting feature. While the Mi 6 has a horizontal dual camera, the Mi 6 Pro has a vertical dual camera, but the LED dual flash is kept in the corner. The USB-C port is at the bottom, and there's no 3.5mm jack. At the top, we see another difference, the SIM tray and the Power button have been moved here.
The use of the pressure-sensitive virtual volume button mentioned above is interesting, as there are no physical buttons on either the right or left side of the Mi 6 Pro. On the Mi 6, the right side has a pair of volume buttons and the Power button, while the left side has the SIM tray.
The water resistance has been retained, as has the same processor, Snapdragon 835.
A "Per" is not yet justified by the information shared, as neither the display size, battery capacity, RAM/backup size nor camera specifications are known.
The pictures show paint chipping from use, and worn code numbers on both sides. This also suggests that it was a pre-series used by the company's employees.
Xiaomi has never confirmed the existence of the Xiaomi Mi 6 Pro / Plus smartphone. It is therefore not known exactly why the company decided to withdraw the production and distribution of the Mi 6 Pro. Among the reasons could presumably be the prelude to the upcoming full display era, as well as the proximity of the launch of the Mi MIX 2, which is already in trial production. Already in September 2017, the new direction was visible, envisaging a thin, almost coffee-less design. Not to mention the pricing, as a model with such hardware would not have been very popular in China. That's why the Mi Note 3 could switch to Snapdragon 660.
From 2018, we already know the new direction, the manufacturer has jumped model numbers, introducing the Mi 8, the first to use a notch AMOLED display.
Xiaomi is currently preparing for the announcement of the Xiaomi Mi 10 series, the exact date of which is still unknown. The Mi 10 and Mi Pro 5G phones will feature a perforated display (where the selfie camera will be placed), one of the changes (the manufacturer started using this solution on the Redmi K30), and will be among the first to debut the Snapdragon 865 processor.
The 2020 MWC Global launch is still very much in doubt, as both LG and ZTE cancelled the event on 5 February due to the coronavirus.
So at the moment, the Chinese launch is also very much in doubt, according to the latest information. only an online presentation is expected.
