To elevate its first Mix smartphone, Doogee has released the Mix 2 to offer more competitive specs for its asking price. The device now boasts a new design, more powerful battery, and better cameras. However, it still packs the same processor, graphics, and RAM size as its predecessor.
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| Doogee Mix 2 Review; Your Heavy Contender |
Way more expensive than the first Mix smartphone, let’s find out if the Doogee Mix 2 is worth the jump. Let’s dig deeper here!
PHYSICAL:
If the Mix 2 is only a human, then, puberty hits it hard. Still flaunting a flashy look, the device is dressed with a glossy overall finish and metal framing. Its body – both front and back – easily attracts fingerprints, so, better use its protective case to prevent turning this premium-looking smartphone into a messy device. Having a solid build, it’s pretty obvious that it is durable enough to survive some pressure. The handset is big at 159.1 x 74.7 x 8.6mm, and is heavy at 210 grams. On that note, one-hand usage isn’t a good thing to try as solid grip is obviously needed.
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| 5.99-inch 18:9 display |
Its front is headed by its huge 5.99-inch 18:9 display, which is topped by 2.5D curved glass. Above the screen, you’ll see its 8-megapixel 130-degree + 8-megapixel 88-degree front cameras, speakerphone, and sensor.
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| On-screen Navigation Keys |
The space below the panel is left blank space as it features on-screen navigation keys. Its left side is unoccupied, while its right side accommodates its volume rockers and power/lock button.
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| Volume rockers and Power/Lock Button |
These keys are thoughtfully placed where our fingers can still easily reach it. We just noticed that its power/lock button is hard to press most of the time. Mentioning this, there were times when we simply want to unlock the device but it would suddenly turn off because we hardly pressed it.
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| Hybrid dual SIM card slot |
The top portion of the device welcomes its hybrid dual SIM card slot, while its USB Type-C port and speaker grilles are located at the bottom. It has no 3.5mm audio port, fortunately, Doogee gives a USB Type-C to 3.5mm dongle.
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| USB Type-C port and speaker grilles |
Flip the device on its back to reveal its 16-megapixel + 13-megapixel rear cameras along with its LED flash. Aligned vertically to its shooters, its fingerprint scanner works responsively during our tests. Meanwhile, its company branding is also seen on its shiny back.
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| 16-megapixel + 13-megapixel rear cameras |
Going back to its display, it flashes a 5.99-inch 18:9 FHD+ touchscreen that has 2160 x 1080 resolution, which translates to 403 pixels per inch. It provides good viewing experience, and decent brightness level both indoor and outdoor. Sporting a wide and responsive screen, the handset is good for gaming, too, as it scores 10 on multi-touch test.
SOFTWARE:
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| Software |
The Mix 2 runs on Android 7.1 Nougat O.S. Navigating the device is simple and at ease, too. It comes with pre-installed Google apps, as well. Clean enough, it features an app drawer where you can navigate your applications. Moreover, users can also create folders to organize it better.
PERFORMANCE:
The Mix 2 is powered by 64-bit Helio P25 octa-core processor clocked at 2.5GHz. Paired with Mali-T880 graphics, it is coupled with a large RAM capacity of 6GB, and 64GB of internal storage.
Looks good on paper, we still ran it on our preferred benchmark apps to give us what to expect about its performance. Here are the results:
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| Benchmark Results |
- AnTuTu – 74399
- Geekbench – 844 (Singe Core)
- Geekbench – 3,534 (Multi Core)
- 3DMark – 12,658 (Ice Storm Unlimited)
- 3DMark – 8,010 (Ice Storm Extreme)
- 3DMark – 868 (Sling Shot)
- PCMark – 3,825 (Work 2.0)
Actual performance is smooth as it can handle multitasking. We only encountered crashes when its battery is at its low percentage, other than that, it can switch to multiple apps easily. During our tests, we enjoyed playing Tekken, and Rules of Survival. On that note, we rarely experienced lags when playing games and watching videos with heavy graphics.
CAMERA:
On paper, one of the Mix 2’s “wow” offerings is its camera setup. The device is equipped with 16-megapixel + 13-megapixel f/2.0 PDAF rear cameras with LED flash. It comes with dual cameras on its front, as well, consisting of 8-megapixel 130-degree lens and another 8-megapixel 88-degree wide angle sensor.
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| Camera Interface |
Its rear cameras offer various modes to step up your mobile photography. This includes FaceBeauty, Blur (Bokeh Effect), Mono (Black and White), Panorama, Watermark, HDR, and Pro (manual mode). Meanwhile, its front shooters feature FaceBeauty, and Mono modes.
User can also enjoy nine filters to elevate their camera experience.
Sample Photos:
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| Camera Test |
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| Camera Test (Mono) |
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| Camera Test (HDR) |
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| Camera Test (Pro) |
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| Camera Test (Outdoor) |
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| Camera Test (HDR) |
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| Camera Test (W/ No HDR) |
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| Camera Test (Mono) |
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| Camera Test (Selfie w/ FaceBeauty) |
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| Camera Test (Selfie w/ No FaceBeauty) |
On the other hand, its front cameras could produce natural-looking self-photos even if you use its FaceBeauty feature.
CONNECTIVITY:
The Mix 2 is a dual-SIM device that supports 4G LTE connectivity. However, if you intend to expand its internal storage, you have to sacrifice one of its slots to accommodate your microSD card. It has basic connectivity features, too, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. All of these worked well during our tests, considering that we had a good signal reception.
See Also: Doogee X53 with 18:9 Display and Dual Rear Cameras Now Available for PHP3,599
BATTERY:
When we say “heavy,” we meant it literally and figuratively. The Mix 2 packs a heavy 4060mAh battery capacity that can really accompany users on their daily mobile tasks. It sports battery saving mode to maximize your phone usage, too.
Used as our basic smartphone, it lasted for almost two days with basic activities such as sending SMS and email, capturing photos, and a minimal use of social media. Heavy usage, on the other hand, includes continuous usage of the device, social media browsing, basic communications, playing games, and watching videos. With this, it lasted for almost a day.
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| PCMark Battery Life Test |
We also did our traditional video loop test where we put its volume and brightness level at its maximum level while its WiFi connection is left opened. This process pushed its battery up to 13 hours and 03 minutes.
Meanwhile, we ran it on PCMark Battery Life test, suggesting that the Mix 2 will last up to 8 hours and 38 minutes.
CONCLUSION:
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| Doogee Mix 2 |
Though it has poor rear camera performance, we still had fun taking selfies because it produces natural-looking self-photos. Moreover, as it packed a big 4060mAh battery capacity, the Mix 2 might be a perfect match for consumers who look for a smartphone that can accompany them for almost a day on a single charge.
Having good things to offer, the Doogee Mix 2 sells for Php12,995!
Doogee Mix 2 Specs:
- Dual Nano SIM, dual standby, supports 4G/LTE
- 5.99-inch 18:9 FHD+ (2160 x1080) touchscreen, 403 ppi, with 2.5D curved glass
- Dimensions: 159.1 x 74.7 x 8.6mm
- Weight: 210 grams
- Android 7.1 Nougat
- 2.5GHz 64-bit Helio P25 octa-core processor
- Mali-T880 GPU
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage
- 16MP + 13MP PDAF main camera with LED flash
- 8MP + 8MP secondary camera
- Multimedia player
- GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, BDS
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual band 2.4GHz/5GHz
- USB Type-C, supports OT function
- Bluetooth v4.1
- Sensor: fingerprint, accelerometer, light, proximity, sound magnetic, 3D facial recognition
- Battery: 4060mAh Lithium Ion, non-removable
- Price: PhP12,995