Xiaomi has shown how limited edition smartphones should be done, with the announcement of the Xiaomi Mi 6X Hatsune Miku Special Edition, the second collaboration between the Chinese smartphone brand and the virtual pop star. It’s a follow up to 2017’s Mi 4X Hatsune Miku edition, and like all sequels, it’s bigger, better, and yes, cuter than ever before.
What do you get? The Xiaomi Mi 6X for a start. Announced in April, the midrange phone is a great example of the type of device the company does well. It starts at around $225 and has an 18:9 aspect ratio, 6-inch screen with a 2160 x 1080 pixel count, all for that slim-bezel look. A Snapdragon 660 processor and — in the case of the Hatsune Miku model — 6GB of RAM provides the power, along with 64GB of storage space. A 4GB/32GB and a 6GB/128GB are also available without the Hatsune Miku goodies.
The design is highly reminiscent of the iPhone X, due to the vertically mounted camera lenses — 20-megapixel and 12-megapixel sensors — on the back. However, you will be queuing to buy this not because it’s a bit like the most expensive iPhone, but because of the Hatsune Miku tie-in package.
The phone comes in Miku’s signature teal color, which Xiaomi calls Hatsune green, complete with a specially commissioned image of Hatsune Miku on the back, with a limited edition number and logo. It comes in a stunning presentation box, which also contains a case for the phone and a custom battery pack. These both feature the same artwork as the phone, but the box itself is decorated with other images and looks simply fantastic. Artists Mame no Moto and ZYre drew the superb artwork for the special edition phone and packaging, according to mikufan.com, and are well-respected within the Vocaloid community.
No special edition phone would be complete without custom themes, and sure enough, the Mi 6X comes with Miku-centric images, and we’d expect sounds and ringtones to also be part of the package. Xiaomi’s official page for the phone also shows a CD, which presumably contains Hatsune Miku songs, and may come with the device.
If you’re a Hatsune Miku fan, you’ll want this — but it’s not going to be easy to get one. For a start, it’ll only be officially available in China, and only 5,000 of them will be made. Xiaomi wants those interested in buying one to register interest ahead of the July 3 launch, at which time invitations will be randomly given out. At the time of writing more than 105,000 people have registered. Should you be lucky enough to be invited to buy one, it will cost 2,100 yuan, or about $316. The phone will be shipped out on July 10.
