Four months after its debut, the OnePlus 5 remains one of the best affordable flagships. With the OnePlus 5, you're getting a phone with high-end specs, a clean software experience, and dual cameras. The design itself is reminiscent of the iPhone 7 Plus from the back, and features large bezels up front. If you're looking for something that's more differentiated, then the Mi Mix 2 should be right up your alley. The Mi Mix 2 shares a lot of the design principles of its predecessor, which includes a striking design with narrow bezels on three sides of the phone coupled with high-end internals.

What's the same

The common theme between the Mi Mix 2 and the OnePlus 5 is affordability. Both Xiaomi and OnePlus have built their businesses around devices that offer excellent value for money, and that holds true for the OnePlus 5 and the Mi Mi 2. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines Both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 835, and offer 6GB of RAM with the base variants. You also get 64GB storage (128GB in India), global LTE connectivity, Wi-Fi ac, NFC, and batteries that last all day. Both devices are also running Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Category OnePlus 5 Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Operating System OxygenOS 4.5.8, Android 7.1.1 Nougat MIUI 9, Android 7.1.1 Nougat Display 5.5-inch 1920x1080 AMOLED panel

Gorilla Glass 5

401ppi pixel density 5.9-inch 18:9 IPS LCD 2160 x 1080

403ppi pixel density Chipset Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

Four Kryo 280 cores at 2.45GHz

Four Kryo 280 cores at 1.90GHz

10nm Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

Four Kryo 280 cores at 2.45GHz

Four Kryo 280 cores at 1.90GHz

10nm GPU Adreno 540 Adreno 540 RAM 6/8GB LPDDR4X 6GB LPDDR4X (8GB LPDDR4X special edition) Storage 64/128GB UFS 2.1 64GB/128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 (128GB special edition) Expandable No No Battery 3300mAh 3400mAh Charging USB-C

Dash Charge USB-C

Quick Charge 3.0 (9V/2A) Water resistance No No Rear Camera 16MP (IMX398), f/1.7, 1.12-micron pixels, EIS

20MP (IMX350), f/2.6, 1-micron pixels

Dual LED flash, 4K 30 fps 12MP (Sony IMX 386) f/2.0, 1.25-micron pixels

4-axis OIS, two-tone flash, PDAF, 4K@30fps Front Camera 16MP 5MP Connectivity LTE 3xCA, 256QAM, Cat 12

Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, dual band, 2x2 MIMO

Bluetooth 5.0, aptX HD

GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, NFC

USB 2.0, USB OTG Wi-Fi 802.11 ac MU MIMO, 2x2 MIMO LTE with VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0

GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou Security One-touch fingerprint sensor (front) One-touch fingerprint sensor (back) SIM Dual Nano SIM Dual Nano SIM Network FDD-LTE: Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/18/19/20/25/26/28/29/30/66

TDD-LTE: Band 38/39/40/41

HSPA: Band 1/2/4/5/8

TD-SCDMA: Band 34/39

GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

CDMA: BC0 FDD-LTE: Band 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/27/28/29/30

TDD-LTE: Band 34/38/39/40/41

TD-SCDMA: Band 34/39

WCDMA: Band 1/2/3/4/5/6/8/9/19

CDMA EVDO: BC0, BC1, BC6, BC10

GSM: Band 2/3/5/8 Dimensions 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.25 mm 151.8 x 75.5 x 7.7mm Weight 153g 185g Colors Slate Grey, Midnight Black Black

As you'd imagine from phones powered by the latest hardware, both the Mi Mix 2 and OnePlus 5 breeze through everyday tasks without breaking a sweat. There wasn't a point where I noticed any slowdowns on either phone, and with 6GB of RAM as standard, both devices are future-proof in this regard. That's where the similarities end. Although both phones have near-identical innards, the overall experience is vastly different. Where the Mi Mix 2 wins

The standout feature on the Mi Mix 2 is the display. Xiaomi moved the front camera to the bottom bar, and the result is that three sides of the phone feature razor-thin bezels. Even though bezel-less designs are commonplace, Xiaomi's implementation is striking to behold. Meanwhile, OnePlus hasn't altered the design too much from last year's OnePlus 3 and 3T, and as such the OnePlus 5 feels outdated when seen next to the Mi Mix 2.

The Mi Mix 2 has a ceramic back with an aluminum frame, and the back itself is highly reflective. It looks great, but the glossy finish means it constantly attracts fingerprints. The gold accent around the camera give it a certain design flair, and the position of the fingerprint sensor is ideal. It's located just underneath the camera sensor, and the minor indent lets you find it easily with your finger. The front of the Mi Mix 2 is where the magic happens. The 5.99-inch display isn't an OLED panel like the OnePlus 5, but it is one of the best LCDs available today. Colors are vivid, overall brightness levels are excellent, and it's a delight to read text on the display. That said, videos aren't nearly as enjoyable as you'll still see letterboxing in YouTube and Netflix. With 18:9 becoming more and more common, this particular issue should be fixed shortly. If you want a device that'll turn heads, get the Mi Mix 2. With the first-generation Mi Mix, Xiaomi just used the camera sensor from another device (the Mi Max) and slotted it into the device. The company is doing the same this time around, but it's using the 12MP imaging sensor from the primary camera of the Mi 6, or the Sony IMX 386. There's also 4-axis OIS, which we saw for the first time in last year's Mi 5. The Mi Mix 2 doesn't have dual cameras like the OnePlus 5, so you'll miss out on features like Portrait Mode, but when it comes to the primary sensor, the phone outshines OnePlus' offering. Photos taken with the Mi Mix 2 have more dynamic range, and the colors are true-to-life. The OnePlus 5 still isn't quite there yet when it comes to software processing, with a few outdoor shots over-processed.

Mi Mix 2 on the left, OnePlus 5 on the right.

The Mi Mix 2 also wins out when it comes to battery life. A slightly larger 3400mAh battery combined with MIUI's very aggressive memory management allows the phone to last a day without breaking a sweat, delivering a screen-on-time of four to five hours on average. And when you do need to top up the phone, you can use Quick Charge 3.0. Where the OnePlus 5 wins