Xiaomi's Smartphone Selfies Make Old People Feel Young

Xiaomi's Mi Note has a built-in algorithm that attempts to figure out a selfie-taker's age and gender. It's not as flattering for young people.

Today in San Francisco, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi had a press event and gave me their new Mi Note to try out. Later today, the internet connection in the Buzzfeed San Francisco office went out. So, I had everyone try out Xiaomi's selfie camera, which tries to ascertain your gender and age, and then edits your photos (it calls this effect Beautify) completely automatically. We wanted to see how close it got.

Mat Honan, Bureau Chief

Jessica Misener, Deputy Editorial Director

Ellen Cushing, Articles Editor

Brendan Klinkenberg, Reporter

Mathew Guiver, Staff Writer

Unfortunately, the Mi Note (and all Xiaomi phones) are not available in the U.S. They announced today that they will be launching here soon, but that expansion will just include products like headphones and other accessories, not smartphones or tablets.

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