-
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2. Yes, it is thin.
Xiaomi
-
The front and back.
Xiaomi
-
According to the specs, the device can’t fold flat, but it’s close.
Xiaomi
-
The back.
Xiaomi
-
Finally a shot with the front screen well lit.
-
Why is everyone making this X shape with their foldables?
Xiaomi
If you’re disappointed by Samsung’s relatively slow progress on foldable devices, say hello to the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, which looks significantly more advanced than what we saw in this week’s announcement from Samsung. But of course it’s only for China. Sorry.
The Mix Fold 2 closely follows the layout of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 – it’s a phone-style foldable book with a front screen that resembles a phone and a flexible inner screen that resembles a tablet. The kicker is that the device is 40 percent thinner when folded. We’re not usually on board with the craze for the thinness of smartphones, but the thickness of foldable devices is a major concern. The 16mm thick Galaxy Z Fold really fills your pocket compared to a normal smartphone, so Xiaomi is making progress here.
When folded, the Mix Fold 2 is just 11.2mm thick, with each half measuring just 5.4mm. Xiaomi’s phone is significantly thinner than Samsung’s, and Xiaomi also fits a slightly larger 4500 mAh battery (Samsung’s is 4400 mAh). The trick here – aside from the fact that Samsung hasn’t changed the thickness or battery capacity of the Fold for four years – is that the foldable Xiaomi is a bit bigger than Samsung’s. When folded, the Z Fold 4 measures 155.1mm x 67.1mm x 15.8mm, while Xiaomi’s device measures 161.6mm x 73.9mm x 11.2mm. That 161.6mm x 73.9mm size is still smaller than a top-end smartphone, with an S22 Ultra measuring 163.3mm x 77.9mm x 8.9mm.
On the front you get a 120Hz, 6.56-inch, 2520×1080 OLED display, while the inner foldable display is a 120Hz, 8.02-inch, 2160×1914 OLED. Both screens are directly from Samsung Display and the flexible display is made of the “Flexible Ultra Thin Glass” that Samsung pioneered. Flexible glass gives some rigidity to the otherwise squishy plastic display. However, the outer layer should still be plastic that you can dent with a fingernail.
For specifications, you have a fairly normal high-end equipment: a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, 12 GB RAM and generous storage tiers of 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB. The cameras start with a 1/1.56-inch 50MP Sony IMX 766, then there’s a 13MP ultrawide, an 8MP 2x telephoto and a 20MP front camera. The 4500 mAh battery supports 67 W charging.
Starting at RMB 8,999, or about $1,335, the bigger, more foldable Xiaomi is also cheaper than Samsung’s. The phone will go on sale in China on August 16.
List image by Xiaomi
