Xiaomi Mix Flip: Everything you need to know
XiaomiThe Xiaomi Mix Flip will take on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Moto Razr Plus 2024 when launched. Here’s everything you need to know about Xiaomi’s upcoming flippable, foldable phone.
Xiaomi is not new to foldable smartphones. The Chinese smartphone maker is selling a Galaxy Z Fold rival in China already, and now it’s getting ready to release a Galaxy Z Flip rival.
The Mix Flip is Xiaomi’s first attempt at a flip-style phone. Moreover, looking at how Xiaomi’s founder and CEO Lei Jun is teasing the device and its features on Twitter/X, this could be the first Xiaomi foldable phone to see an international release.
Release window
The Xiaomi Mix Flip is expected to be released around mid-August, according to a report from NixanBal. The phone is expected to be released in Bulgaria and four other countries. However, there are no details on a specific release date.
The phone was released on July 19 in China. The Mix Flip will be one of the several products the company is slated to announce – including a super thin Mix Fold 4.
That said, the details about the global release are murky right now. Xiaomi might reveal its plans during the launch event, so we might not have to wait long.
Reports claim that the Mix Flip, with a codename Ruyi, is headed for the global markets instead of the Mix Fold. However, there was no timeline attached to these leaks.
Price expectations
XiaomiThe Xiaomi Mix Flip will be priced at approximately $1440 in European territories. According to NixanBal, which cites Xiaomi’s head of country operations, Nikolay Nankov, Xiaomi’s first Flip phone will be priced at 2,600 Bulgarian Lev when it launches.
However, contradicting this release, a normally reliable leaker Chun suggested that the Mix Flip will be $100 cheaper than the Galaxy Z Flip 6. If his report is to be believed, the Mix Flip will likely launch with a price tag of $999 in the international regions.
That said, Xiaomi is known for its aggressive pricing strategy. A large part of its success can be attributed to its policy of undercutting the price of leading brands. This has helped Xiaomi gain a foothold in highly competitive and price-sensitive markets like Brazil and India.
If we look at the Mix Fold’s rivals – Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Motorola Razr Plus 2024, they are priced at $1100 and $1000, respectively. Looking at the rumored specifications and competition products, it’s safe to assume that the Mix Flip could be priced from $900 to $1100.
Pricing the phone too low may suggest that the phone is “cheap” and may go against Xiaomi’s policy of affordable premium devices. At the same time, a higher pricing than the established brands would mean that the handset could be dead on arrival.
Rumored specifications, design, & features
XiaomiThanks to the recent flurry of tweets from Lei Jun, we have a fair idea of the specifications and know what the phone might look like.
In one of his posts on X, Jun said that the phone will have a “highly functional flagship outer screen that lets you do more without even flipping it open,” suggesting that the cover display will be more feature-rich and will not force you to “open” the phone frequently.
A vertically aligned dual camera setup can also be seen on the cover display, which fully covers the outer flap. A report from GizmoChina says that the phone will have a 4.01-inch cover display. Coupled with thin and uniform bezels, this display is already making the 3.4-inch cover screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 outdated.
XiaomiThe report further says that the Mix Flip’s dual camera setup will include a 50-megapixel primary and a 60-megapixel 2x telephoto, and the phone will be sold in three color options – black, white, and purple. Xiaomi is expected to continue offering its Leica-partnered camera optics, which are present on most other premium Xiaomi devices.
Lei Jun has already revealed that the Mix Flip will have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC under the hood with a vapor chamber for cooling to keep the thermals in check.
TechRadar claims that the 6.9-inch primary AMOLED display on the Mix Flip will be slightly bigger than the 6.7-inch display of the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Xiaomi has confirmed that the device will house a 4,780mAh battery with 67W rapid charging. According to GizmoChina, the Mix Flip will be available with 12GB and 16GB of RAM options and up to 1TB of storage options.
Analysis: It’s not all in the hardware
We are used to seeing aggressively priced premium devices from Xiaomi; we expect the same tradition to continue with the Mix Flip. However, the availability and software support leaves much to be desired.
Most Xiaomi devices are only available in limited regions. Though you may be able to import these phones from various e-commerce stores, you may never get any after-sales support.
Additionally, the recent switch from MIUI to HyperOS has been challenging, with various users expressing disappointment over buggy software. We hope that these issues are ironed out as powerful hardware and a beautiful design are a job only half done.