Xiaomi launches its sleeker, cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 4 rival

Not to be outdone by yesterday’s Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 launch, Xiaomi today unveiled its latest flagship — the Mix Fold 2.

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 comes more than a year after the original Xiaomi foldable phone made its mark. It seems Xiaomi made good use of this time. The second edition packs a more refined inward-folding setup than its predecessor.

So, what’s new? The Mix Fold 2’s slimmer body is the most apparent change, with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor on its right flank. Xiaomi notes the device measures just 5.4 mm thick when unfolded, increasing to 11.2 mm when folded. That’s pretty compact, at least compared to its Samsung contemporary, and should make for easier one-handed use. Its other big party piece is a 120Hz 8.02-inch 2,160 x 1,914 LTPO main screen. There’s also a 120Hz 6.56-inch AMOLED panel on the exterior slathered in Gorilla Glass Victus.

Internally, the Mix Fold 2 gains a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 at the help, mated to 12GB of RAM and a 4,500mAh battery that can accept 67W top-ups. Xiaomi’s touting a 100% charge in 40 minutes.

Regarding camera hardware, the Mix Fold 2 displays its Leica-tuned triple sensor rear setup mounted in a prominent horizontal hump. The main upgrade here is the adoption of the 50MP Sony IMX766 in the main camera slot. A 13MP ultrawide and an 8MP 2x telephoto shooters play support.

As for software, the Mix Fold 2 runs Xiaomi’s MIUI Fold 13 based on Android 12. Changes include a Galaxy Z Fold 4-like taskbar at the bottom of the display and more window management options with additional keyboard and gesture improvements.

Xiaomi Mix Fold 2: Pricing and availability

The original Mix Fold was anything but cheap, but it was the first of its kind. That meant a price tag of 9,999 yuan (~$1,445) for the base 256GB storage option. This time around, you’ll also get a choice between 512GB and 1TB storage options, and the base model is much cheaper.

Prices start at 8,999 yuan (~$1,336) for the 256GB option, jumping to 9,999 yuan (~$1,445) and 11,999 yuan (~$1,782) for the larger storage options. Preorders start today, while official availability begins on August 16. Colorways on offer include black and gold.

As with the original Mix Fold, there’s no indication that Xiaomi’s launching its foldable to markets beyond China. However, if it launches globally and keeps that price, it could give Samsung’s foldable a run for its money.