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Xiaomi’s high-end Mix 3 joins the sliding camera craze

The company did the unusual in response to the Honor Magic 2's announcement.

"Sorry, they look alike. We're launching in October." That's the cheeky Weibo message posted alongside a never-before-seen Xiaomi smartphone, courtesy of president Lin Bin right after Huawei's Honor Magic 2 teaser at IFA. And boy do they look alike. Similar to the Oppo Find X, both devices here feature a slide-out camera at the top to achieve an all-screen design, except for one major difference: the Xiaomi uses the full body for sliding. Given Xiaomi's track record with its near-bezel-less designs, it's safe to assume that Lin is prematurely showing off the upcoming Mix 3, which is a rather unusual move for Xiaomi, but one that would no doubt annoy the folks over at Huawei.

The exec hasn't shared any further info, but judging by the photo, this will be the first device in the Mix series to finally rid the chin thanks to the relocated front camera. In fact, there are two front cameras for some extra selfie fun, along with what appears to be a front-facing flash. Like the Find X, this Xiaomi device's earpiece also sits on the sliding camera module, and the audio appears to pass through the slit above the screen.

That's pretty much all we can tell from this photo; it's unclear whether the main camera(s) on the back is also part of the sliding module, nor do we know if the sliding mechanism is automatic or manual. We'll have to stay tuned for the October announcement to see what other tricks Xiaomi may have up its sleeve -- CEO Lei Jun added that he's aiming to go "large-scale retail" by end of that month.