For a long time, there have been rumors around Xiaomi working on its first foldable phone, and today the company put them all to rest with the Mi Mix Fold. Xiaomi has finally entered the ‘foldable’ scene with its latest smartphone that looks like a cheaper alternative to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold. Xiaomi launched the device at a virtual event today that was also live-streamed.
Taking After Galaxy Fold With OLED Screens
The Mi Mix Fold seems heavily inspired by the Galaxy Fold when it comes to design and form-factor. The phone comes with an in-folding design featuring an 8.01-inch OLED primary screen (when unfolded) with a 60Hz refresh rate, HDR 10+, and Dolby Vision. The phone has a secondary 6.52-inch 90Hz OLED display (when folded) with HDR10+. There is Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the rear and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. On the software front, the phone runs Android 10-based MIUI 12 out-of-the-box.
When unfolded, the phone also features a punch-hole cutout that houses the front camera. Xiaomi claims that the main screen can fold and unfold for up to 1 million times.
Under the hood, a Snapdragon 888 chipset powers the Mi Mix Fold with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. The phone packs two sets of batteries that make for 5,020mAh battery power together. It supports 67W of charging power that’s claimed to charge the phone in just 37 minutes.
Concerning optics, the phone has a triple camera setup with a 108MP Samsung HM2 primary lens, a 13MP ultra-wide sensor, and an 8MP lens. The Mi Mix Fold boasts liquid lens technology that enables it to deliver 3X telephoto abilities (and up to 30X digital zoom) and macro shots. Xiaomi has also incorporated its proprietory Surge C1 image signal processing chipset inside the Mi Mix Fold. The chip enhances low-light performance, autofocus, auto-exposure, and auto white balance abilities.
Although the primary screen (unfolded screen) lacks a selfie camera, the secondary display (folded screen) does show a punch-hole cutout housing a 20MP selfie shooter.
PC Mode For Desktop-like UI On Wide Screen
Interestingly, Xiaomi is also offering PC mode with the Mi Mix Fold smartphone. Users will be able to access it with a single swipe, and it will show them a desktop-like UI on the unfolded screen. Under this model, it will be easier to navigate on the big screen. For now, it remains unclear whether this feature could also double as the Samsung DeX feature, as seen on Samsung flagships.
The Mi Mix Fold has launched in China for now, wherein it is priced at CNY 999 (approx. $1,521) for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model and CNY 10,999 (approx. $1,674) 12GB RAM + 512GB storage model. Xiaomi has also included a special Ceramic edition with 16GB RAM + 512GB storage, priced at CNY 12,999 (approx. $1,977).
As excited as we are to try it in our country, Xiaomi has confirmed in reply to AndroidAuthority that the Mi Mix Fld won’t be launched outside China. A Xiaomi representative confirmed that the latest foldable “won’t be coming to global markets.”
