Mivi One 5G Review: Camera, Performance, Battery and Price in India

Mivi is best known in India for its earbuds, speakers and other audio products. Now, the Hyderabad-based company has entered the smartphone market with the Mivi One 5G. I spent some time using the Blue colour variant, checking its design, camera, performance, software and battery life.

But with a new smartphone brand, specifications are only half the story. Software updates, service centres and availability of spare parts are equally important. So, let’s see what the Mivi One 5G offers and whether it makes sense at its price.

Mivi One 5G: Can Buyers Trust a New Phone Brand?

Mivi itself is not a new company. Its earbuds, neckbands and speakers have been available in India for years. This means the company already has customers as well as an established service network.

Another interesting point is the presence of Himanshu Tandon, who is now Chief Business Officer at Mivi. He has previous experience with Poco and also worked with CMF by Nothing.

That smartphone industry experience could help Mivi as it enters a completely new product category.

For buyers, however, the real test will come after the sale. A good phone is important, but reliable service and software support matter just as much.

Mivi One 5G Unboxing

The packaging is simple and clean. Open the box and you first see a small thank-you card before getting to the smartphone.

The box clearly highlights 5G connectivity and the Snapdragon processor.

It is good to see that Mivi still includes the charger in the box.

However, 18W charging isn’t particularly fast, especially when the phone has a large 6000mAh battery. Charging from low battery levels to full will take some time.

Mivi One 5G Design and Build Quality

The Blue Mivi One 5G has a simple and clean appearance. Branding on the back is minimal, while the camera module does not stick out too much.

The blue finish continues around the frame, giving the phone a more uniform look.

The body is made from plastic, but it doesn’t immediately come across as cheap. The phone weighs around 210 grams and measures about 9.15mm thick. That extra weight is understandable considering the 6000mAh battery inside.

You also get a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, 3.5mm headphone jack and USB Type-C port.

There is only a single bottom-firing speaker, which is one area where Mivi has clearly tried to keep costs under control.

The phone comes with an IP64 rating, offering protection against dust and light water splashes. Don’t mistake this for waterproofing, though.

Mivi offers five colour choices: Blue, Pink, Green, Burgundy and Navy Blue.

Mivi One 5G Specifications

Mivi One 5G Display: HD+ With 90Hz Refresh Rate

The Mivi One 5G features a 6.74-inch HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate.

HD+ resolution is lower than the Full HD+ displays available on some competing smartphones. On paper, that certainly looks like a compromise.

During regular use, however, the difference isn’t as dramatic as the specifications might make it seem. Text, social media, YouTube videos and other everyday content look fine.

The 90Hz refresh rate also helps. Scrolling through menus, apps and websites feels smoother compared with a basic 60Hz display.

Mivi has clearly made a couple of compromises to control the price: HD+ resolution and a single speaker.

A Full HD+ display and stereo speakers would certainly have been better, but they could also have pushed up the price.

Clean Android 16 With No Bloatware

Software is actually one of the more interesting things about the Mivi One 5G.

It runs Pure Android 16, with an experience that is close to stock Android.

More importantly, Mivi hasn’t filled the phone with unwanted apps and games. There is no unnecessary bloatware, which makes the interface feel cleaner.

Mivi is promising software support up to Android 18, which means buyers should receive two major Android OS upgrades.

That’s a useful commitment, especially for a budget smartphone.

Even the default wallpaper follows the phone’s simple and minimal design approach.

Mivi One 5G Camera Review

The Mivi One 5G comes with a 50MP primary rear camera with PDAF, along with a secondary sensor.

PDAF, or Phase Detection Auto Focus, helps the camera focus on subjects more quickly.

For selfies and video calls, there is an 8MP front camera.

The camera interface is fairly simple. In Photo mode, you get 1x and 2x zoom, while Portrait mode keeps the controls basic.

Image quality is surprisingly decent for this segment.

The camera tends to produce slightly cinematic-looking colours, giving some photos a moodier appearance. Whether you like this style will come down to personal preference.

Photos are generally ready for social media without much editing. Selfies also turn out nicely.

Low-light performance is acceptable for the price, though don’t expect miracles.

Video recording goes up to 1080p.

The camera software still has room for improvement, and future updates could potentially make the experience better.

Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 Performance and AnTuTu Score

Powering the phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, manufactured using a 4nm process.

This is a 5G chipset designed mainly for affordable smartphones, with a focus on everyday performance and power efficiency.

In my testing, the Mivi One 5G managed an AnTuTu score of around 6,75,000.

For this price category, performance is quite good.

Regular activities such as WhatsApp, social media, web browsing, streaming and switching between everyday apps work comfortably.

Gaming is also possible, although this isn’t really a phone aimed at serious or long gaming sessions.

The phone uses LPDDR4X RAM.

Storage performance is okay rather than outstanding. You may notice this when installing large apps or moving bigger files, but it shouldn’t be a major issue during normal use.

Mivi One 5G Battery Life

Battery capacity is one of the biggest highlights.

The 6000mAh battery should comfortably handle a full day of normal mixed usage for most people.

Lighter users could potentially stretch it into the second day before reaching for the charger.

The downside is charging speed.

You get an 18W charger, so filling a 6000mAh battery isn’t going to be particularly quick. Charging overnight or while you’re sitting at your desk will probably be more convenient.

Mivi One 5G Price in India

The Mivi One 5G price in India starts at Rs 14,999, but Big Billion Days offers bring the effective price down.

These effective prices include the temporary sale discount along with applicable bank offers.

The first sale starts on Flipkart on October 8 at midnight.

You can check the Mivi One 5G on Flipkart for current pricing and available colours.

There are additional benefits for Jio users, including a 12-month Canva Pro subscription, 18 months of Google Gemini Pro with cloud storage, and extra JioAICloud storage.

Mivi One 5G After-Sales Service

For a company launching its first smartphone, after-sales support is going to be extremely important.

Mivi appears to understand this.

During the first seven days, Mivi is following a “replaced, not repaired” policy.

If an eligible problem develops during this period, the company says the handset will be replaced instead of repaired.

This could give buyers some extra confidence when trying a smartphone from a new entrant.

For more details about the phone and its ClearTalk calling feature, check out the Mivi One 5G launch coverage.

Useful Accessories for Mivi One 5G

The single speaker may be a limitation if you regularly watch videos without headphones. Thankfully, the phone supports both wireless audio and traditional wired earphones.

For wireless listening, the Mivi SuperPods Halo ANC earbuds offer active noise cancellation and long battery life.

You can also browse Mivi earbuds on Amazon if you’re looking for other options.

Since Mivi has kept the 3.5mm headphone jack, you can use wired Mivi earphones for calls, music and gaming without worrying about Bluetooth latency.

For basic protection, you can check Mivi One 5G back covers and Mivi One 5G tempered glass screen protectors.

You can also check out my Mivi product collection.

Mivi One 5G Pros and Cons

Mivi One 5G Review: Final Thoughts

For its first smartphone, Mivi has managed to get many of the basics right.

The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, 5G support, large 6000mAh battery and clean Android 16 experience make a good combination for everyday users. The promise of updates up to Android 18 is another positive point.

More importantly, Mivi is trying to address one of the biggest concerns people have with a new smartphone brand: after-sales support.

There are compromises.

The HD+ display isn’t as sharp as Full HD+, there’s only one speaker, and 18W charging is slow for a 6000mAh battery. The camera software is also fairly basic.

But pricing changes the equation considerably, especially during the Big Billion Days sale.

For Mivi’s first attempt at making a smartphone, the Mivi One 5G looks like a promising start. The bigger test will be how well Mivi handles software updates, service and customer support over the next couple of years.