What you need to know:
- Xiaomi's second foldable phone is now official in China, and is unlikely to launch outside the region.
- The Mix Fold 2 has a sleeker design than last year and is lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
- The device is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and has a 50MP Sony IMX766 lens at the back.
I've always been a fan of the Mi Mix series; the first two models in the series pioneered thin bezels, and the Mi Mix 3 had a unique design with the entire screen mounted on sliding rails, with the camera hidden underneath.
In recent years, Xiaomi has used the Mix series to showcase its latest tech. Last year saw the introduction of the Mix Fold — Xiaomi's first foldable — and the Chinese manufacturer is building on that with the Mix Fold 2.
Xiaomi hasn't changed the overall design too much, but made key tweaks to the structure of the Mix Fold 2 to make it lighter and thinner than its predecessor. As a result, it is just 5.4mm thin with the screen unfurled, and 11.mm when closed. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 only manages to be 14.2-15.8mm when closed, and 6.3mm unfolded.
Xiaomi says it made alternations to the chassis and the hinge to make the phone that much more sleek, and that much is clear when looking at the design. The Mix Fold 2 has a 6.56-inch outer AMOLED screen that unfurls into an 8.02-inch Eco OLED panel, with both screens featuring 120Hz refresh, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision.
Under the hood, you'll find Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 — same as the best Android phones — along with a 4500mAh battery that charges at 67W. Xiaomi is offering the Mix Fold 2 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for the base variant, and there are 512GB and even a 1TB model available.
There's a 50MP Sony IMX766 lens at the back joined by a 13MP wide-angle lens and 8MP zoom module, the outer screen has a 20MP lens within a camera cutout, while the larger screen features Xiaomi's latest under-screen camera module. Samsung hasn't made much way with its in-screen modules, and it will be interesting to see how Xiaomi fares in this area.
With the 12GB/256GB version debuting for RMB 8,999 ($1,345), the Mix Fold 2 undercuts the Z Fold 4 by a significant amount, but Xiaomi's foldable is unlikely to debut outside China. Xiaomi didn't launch the Mix Fold outside the country last year, and it hasn't said anything about a global launch for the Mix Fold 2.
