A day after Samsung announced a pair of foldable devices, Xiaomi launched its second-generation foldable, Mix Fold 2, in China. The new phone sports a 6.56-inch exterior display, an 8.02-inch interior display and a Leica-powered camera system. The phone is only available in China at the moment at a base price of RMB 8,999 (~$1,335) for a version with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage – much cheaper than the Samsung Fold 4 priced at 1 $800.
Xiaomi outperforms Samsung’s foldable in a number of key specs. For example, the outer display (6.56-inch v 6.2-inch) and inner display (8.02-inch v 7.6-inch display) are larger than that of the Fold 4.
The Chinese tech company has included a Leica-powered 50-megapixel main sensor, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. The setup can record footage in 8K resolution with support for the Dolby Vision HDR standard. Xiaomi said the Leica partnership extends to photographic styles – vibrant looks and authentic looks – which are more like branded exercises than anything else.
The company managed to pack the internals into a sleek 5.4mm unfolded and 11.2mm folded frame. For comparison, the Samsung Fold 4 measures 6.3mm unfolded and 15.8mm folded. Although Xiaomi also has an extreme camera bump to show off. Like the Galaxy Fold, the Mix Fold 2 is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
Although the phone looks exciting on paper, it’s limited to the Chinese market for now, so it won’t pose a threat to other players like Samsung. As the broader global smartphone market sees a decline in growth, analysts predict an upward curve for foldables. A Counterpoint report predicts companies will ship 16 million foldables this year, and that number will jump to 26 million next year. Xiaomi has the opportunity to establish itself in the market, but in the short term, Samsung still has a significant head start.
“Samsung has led the market since the beginning, and we expect its dominance to continue for some time. Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo are all introducing new foldables, but they’re mostly limited to the Chinese market. Motorola may be to be the only competitor in markets like the United States at the moment,” said Jene Park, senior analyst at Counterpoint.
The Mix Fold 2 is up for pre-order in China starting today and will ship on October 16.
A day after Samsung announced a pair of foldable devices, Xiaomi launched its second-generation foldable, Mix Fold 2, in China. The new phone sports a 6.56-inch exterior display, an 8.02-inch interior display and a Leica-powered camera system. The phone is only available in China at the moment at a base price of RMB 8,999 (~$1,335) for a version with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage – much cheaper than the Samsung Fold 4 priced at 1 $800.
Xiaomi outperforms Samsung’s foldable in a number of key specs. For example, the outer display (6.56-inch v 6.2-inch) and inner display (8.02-inch v 7.6-inch display) are larger than that of the Fold 4.
The Chinese tech company has included a Leica-powered 50-megapixel main sensor, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. The setup can record footage in 8K resolution with support for the Dolby Vision HDR standard. Xiaomi said the Leica partnership extends to photographic styles – vibrant looks and authentic looks – which are more like branded exercises than anything else.
The company managed to pack the internals into a sleek 5.4mm unfolded and 11.2mm folded frame. For comparison, the Samsung Fold 4 measures 6.3mm unfolded and 15.8mm folded. Although Xiaomi also has an extreme camera bump to show off. Like the Galaxy Fold, the Mix Fold 2 is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
Although the phone looks exciting on paper, it’s limited to the Chinese market for now, so it won’t pose a threat to other players like Samsung. As the broader global smartphone market sees a decline in growth, analysts predict an upward curve for foldables. A Counterpoint report predicts companies will ship 16 million foldables this year, and that number will jump to 26 million next year. Xiaomi has the opportunity to establish itself in the market, but in the short term, Samsung still has a significant head start.
“Samsung has led the market since the beginning, and we expect its dominance to continue for some time. Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo are all introducing new foldables, but they’re mostly limited to the Chinese market. Motorola may be to be the only competitor in markets like the United States at the moment,” said Jene Park, senior analyst at Counterpoint.
The Mix Fold 2 is up for pre-order in China starting today and will ship on October 16.
