The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 has launched in China just days after Samsung announced its next generation of foldable phones, with Xiaomi looking to gain an edge over its competition with a slimmer design, bigger screens and a more affordable price .
The Mix Fold 2 has several improvements over the original Mi Mix Fold launched last year that go beyond dropping the Mi branding. The Fold 2 is powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC chipset, with 12GB of RAM and various storage options ranging from 256GB to 1TB. It also features an improved hinge and comes in gold or black.
In case you want to know if the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 looks good in black. Image: Xiaomi
As a foldable, you get a 6.56-inch (2520 x 1080) OLED exterior display with a tall 21:9 aspect ratio and an 8.02-inch (2160 x 1914) LTPO 2.0 interior display, which are slightly bigger than Samsung’s. 6.2-inch (2316 x 904) OLED exterior display and 7.6-inch (2176 x 1812) OLED interior display found on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Both Mix Fold 2 displays run at 120Hz with a brightness of 1,000 nights. The outer screen is protected by the latest (and toughest) Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, while the main folding screen uses ultra-thin Schott glass as Samsung has become known for.
Xiaomi’s foldable features a triple camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide and an eight-megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. There’s also a 20-megapixel punch-hole camera on the front for selfies.
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 seen from the back when folded open. Image: Xiaomi
Xiaomi’s announcement comes after Samsung launched two foldable devices of its own on Wednesday – the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 – which will create some much-needed competition in the foldable market if the Mix Fold 2 ships to markets outside of china One of the ways Xiaomi is trying to outdo its Korean rivals is its claim that the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is “the world’s thinnest foldable phone”. At just 5.4mm, it shaves almost 15 percent off the thickness of the 6.3mm Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
It’s not all sun and device measurement contests, however, as Samsung’s flagship offering includes a useful Flex Mode (Samsung’s terminology for apps that automatically reorient to fit a folded screen) and the IPX8 water resistance, two features that the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 lacks. However, Xiaomi’s 4,500mAh battery capacity is still slightly larger than the 4,400mAh battery found inside the Z Fold 4 from Samsung. The Mix Fold 2 also supports 67W fast wired charging, with the brand claiming a full charge can be achieved in 40 minutes. while the Z Fold 4 only supports up to 25W fast charging in comparison, with Samsung claiming the phone can reach up to 50 percent of its battery capacity in 30 minutes.
Given the lack of a competitor for Samsung’s Flex Mode, you probably don’t want to keep the phone half-open like this. Image: Xiaomi
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is currently only available for purchase in China, with no announcements about when the phone might hit other markets. The price of the 256GB base model is set at CNY 8,999 (around USD 1,300), which is significantly lower than the CNY 13,999 (over USD 2,000) Samsung is asking for the 256GB version of its Z Fold 4 in the country.
If these prices hold for an international launch, Samsung could finally face some serious competition in foldables, especially in price-sensitive markets like India, where Xiaomi is already No. 1 by market share and Samsung just fall to fourth place, according to IDC.