Samsung is the reigning champion in the market for foldable phones, but many other brands are joining the race with better offerings, more features, and competitive pricing. The latest additions are from Xiaomi, which is extending its lineup of foldable phones with two new models, including its first clamshell-style flip phone.
Earlier today, Xiaomi’s founder and CEO Lei Jun posted a string of teasers about the company’s first flip phone — the Xiaomi Mix Flip. Like the Motorola Razr Plus 2024, the cover screen on the Mix Flip occupies the majority of the outside area and even wraps around the cameras. The bigger highlight of the flip phone, however, is not its crown jewel cover display, but its cameras, which were designed in partnership with German camera brand Leica.
Xiaomi has a long-standing partnership with Leica, which has helped the former improve the design of lenses, choose the most fitting camera sensors, and optimize image output. The roster includes Xiaomi’s previous flagship number and Ultra series, as well as the previous generations of book-style folding phones, which have been limited to China.
The teasers don’t divulge the specifics of this partnership, but they do reveal the design, including the orientation of the cameras. However, a trusted leaker who goes by the alias Digital Chat Station (DCS) on Chinese social media site Weibo revealed that the primary camera will be a 50MP camera. The secondary camera will be equipped with a 2x telephoto lens. This trumps the Galaxy Z Flip series — including the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 — which has been persevering with unimpressive cameras since the beginning of the lineup.
Another set of specifications was confirmed earlier this month when the phone visited the Taiwanese certification body, NCC. As per the records (via MySmartPrice), the Xiaomi Mix Flip comes with a 4780mAh battery and supports 67-watt fast charging. More importantly, the Flip has two different model names, one of which hints at global availability. If that’s true, this will be Xiaomi’s first foldable to launch outside the mainland. The CEO’s decision to post these teasers on X (previously Twitter) further fuels the speculation.
Additionally, the official teaser confirms that the Xiaomi Mix Flip is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. Another video showcases the cover screen, which will come with animated wallpapers (similar to those of the freshly announced Galaxy Z Flip 6) and support multiple first and third-party applications, including WeChat.
Other rumors about the phone hint at an 8-inch inner display with a 2K resolution and a massive 6.5-inch cover display, both running at a 120Hz refresh rate. The flip phone is also expected to support 50W fast wireless charging and come with satellite calling capabilities, which may be limited to China only.
The flip phone will be announced at Xiaomi’s event in China on July 19. Alongside the Flip, Xiaomi will also unveil its next sideways-folding phone — the Mix Fold 4. We also expect announcements for the Xiaomi Band 9 fitness band, a smartwatch, a Redmi flagship, and many smart home appliances. For now, these are likely to be limited to China.
With many more brands arriving on the global turf, this should be a wake-up call for Samsung to innovate better instead of relying on meager upgrades with each new generation of flagship phones.
