What you need to know
- Xiaomi's Mix Fold 2 was a successful handset launched only in China last year.
- The successor, Mix Fold 3, is coming this August, confirms Lu Weibing.
- The global president unveils new manufacturing system in China that first produces Mix Fold 3.
Xiaomi is gearing up to launch the Mix Fold 3 in August 2023, the company's global president Lu Weibing confirmed in a Weibo post (via GSMArena).
The announcement came in from Weibing as part of an unveiling of Xiaomi's new smart manufacturing digital intelligence system 2.0, which launched in the company's Beijing Yizhuang smart factory. It will mass-produce the Mix Fold 3.
The upgraded manufacturing system claims to be smarter and more precise, making the upcoming Mix Fold 3 and the next-generation foldables thinner and more substantial. Weibing has further responded in the comments for the announcement post, hinting at the launch of Mix Fold 3, aiming for an August release, which is supposedly right after the Galaxy Z Fold 5 launch that is already scheduled to launch on July 26.
With a lot of stiff competition amongst the foldables this year, like the Pixel Fold, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Moto Razr+, and the upcoming OnePlus Open, it would be interesting to see if Xiaomi's approach to launching the Mix Fold 3 goes global. However, rumors imply the launch will likely be confined to China again this year.
The rumored specifications of the alleged Mix Fold 3 (via Gizmochina) include a 6.56-inch outer screen offering Full HD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rates. The inner foldable screen will measure 8.02 inches with Quad HD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Both displays will use bright AMOLED displays, and the inner screen will embed an in-display selfie shooter similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
The other specs include a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset underneath the foldable coupled with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB storage. For optics, the foldable phone from Xiaomi will rely on Leica-powered cameras featuring four cameras, of which a Sony IMX 989 1-inch sensor is likely to act as a primary sensor, aided by an ultra-wide lens, a telephoto sensor, and a periscopic zoom camera. The device could see a 4800mAh battery with 67W wired and 50W wireless charging support.
Lastly, according to tipster Digital Chat Station, alongside the Mix Fold 3, Xiaomi has plans to release the Redmi K60U, Redmi Pad 2, and Xiaomi Mi Pad 6 Max — an ultra-large screen tablet shipping in the third quarter of 2023.
