© Xiaomi
Xiaomi has just presented its new folding smartphone, the Mix Fold 2. A direct competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 which will have to spend the second not to be eaten by the Chinese ogre.
Like the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the Mix Fold 2 is a folding smartphone. The difference ? Xiaomi’s phone seems to go a little further in several areas such as design, the screen or even fast charging. What to shake up the hegemony of Samsung?
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 hits hard
Let’s start with the introductions. Xiaomi has done a lot of work on the design of its phone compared to the first model released more than a year ago. The phone is only 5.4mm thick when unfolded and 11.2mm when folded. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is 6.3mm and 15.8mm respectively. The Mix Fold 2 weighs 262 grams on the scale, compared to 263 grams for Samsung’s phone. A coincidence ? Probably not. Xiaomi has also placed the fingerprint reader on the power button which is on the right side.
The largest screen of the Mix Fold 2 is an 8-inch LTPO2 120 Hz AMOLED panel with a definition of 2150 x 1914 pixels (compared to 7.6 inches at Samsung). The “small” screen of Xiaomi’s folding phone is 6.56 inches (6.2 for its competitor), still with 120 Hz AMOLED technology, and a definition of 1914 x 2160 pixels. You guessed it, to integrate larger screens, Xiaomi has chosen a slightly longer format for its Mix Fold 2.
Xiaomi also specifies that its screen uses Eco² OLED technology which removes the polarizing layer for better display transparency and energy consumption announced as 25% lower than conventional OLED.
Inside, we find the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen1 processor from Qualcomm, accompanied by 12 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of storage. The battery is 4500 mAh and Xiaomi says it can charge its new folding phone in just 40 minutes thanks to 67W fast charging. Again, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 with its 4400 mAh battery and 25W fast recharge is left behind.
A new partnership with Leica and lower prices
After a first photo partnership with Leica on the impressive Xiaomi 12S Ultra, the two brands are collaborating again on this Mix Fold 2. Thus, we find a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 main sensor with optical stabilization. The second sensor is a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle and the third an 8-megapixel telephoto lens capable of x2 optical zoom. On this point, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 takes the advantage thanks to its 10 megapixel telephoto sensor which offers an optical zoom x3.
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SamsungThe partnership with Leica is essentially found at the software level. Xiaomi has worked with the German camera maker to improve image processing and offer filters that give that “Leica touch” recognized by photography enthusiasts.
On the price side, the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is cheaper than its predecessor. This year, prices start at 8999 yuan (1297 € HT) for the version with 256 GB of storage, 9999 yuan (1441 € HT) for the 512 GB version and 11 999 yuan (1729 € HT) for the 1 TB version. Prices much more aggressive than those of its direct competitor.
Unfortunately for us Europeans, no announcement has been made from Xiaomi about its intention to market the Mix Fold 2 outside of China’s borders. If Xiaomi went international, it would challenge Samsung on its land and see prices drop.
GSMArena