Aside from venturing into the electric vehicle business, Xiaomi has set foot onto the flip phone arena. It launched its first-ever flip phone, the MIX Flip, last July 19 this year. Local and international media were invited to witness this event, and fortunately, PhilSTAR Tech was one of the two invited media representatives from the Philippines.
And while there are whispers of extending this launch onto the global stage, it remains exclusive to China.
Moreover, one might wonder why Xiaomi decided to join the flip phone game much later than the big players like Samsung, Motorola, HONOR, Huawei, and OPPO. The popular guess would be Xiaomi’s trying to gauge the competition and how it can offer something “better” and “substantially cheaper.”
So this begs the question: How does the newly-launched Xiaomi MIX Flip stand a chance against the other ones already in the market?
The first thing people could not stop talking about was its 4.01” multi-functional cover display. Just by the size of it, the MIX Flip undermines Samsung Galaxy Z Flip’s 3.4” outer screen. Meanwhile, this size is closest to Honor Magic V Flip’s four-inch cover display.
In terms of outer screen brightness though, Xiaomi beats both with its 3,000 nits.
There are two 50MP cameras planted on the same outer screen, which are both (wide and telephoto) equipped with Leica Summilux lenses. Xiaomi opted to have the telephoto instead of an ultrawide camera for this phone. There are speculations that Xiaomi is going to “discontinue ” ultrawide cameras from the certain series of their flagship phones. Until that is confirmed from the brand itself, we have to wait.
Moreover, it also has a 32MP selfie camera that can shoot up to 4K at 60fps videos.
Here are some sample shots I was able to take during our hotpot dinner.
One of the things I learned from this trip is that the cheapest way to get your hands on a Leica camera is to get your hands on a Xiaomi device. Apparently, there’s a big group out there that prefers Leica over big players like Sony and Canon. Some testify to using their Xiaomi 13 devices as a backup or secondary camera.
And based on what I’ve seen so far, it’s a good point to use Leica lenses on a flip phone. Flip phones are all the rage these days as it brings nostalgia and pop culture trendiness. With the MIX Flip coming in with these hot topic lenses, not only does it intensify the mobile photography playing field, but also democratizes access to professional camera lenses.
This somehow drives me to look forward to the next generation Xiaomi phones with the Summilux lenses.
The MIX Flip can be bought in Black, White, Purple. But in all of them, you would have to deal with the glass back. One thing I noticed is that it is prone to leaving smudges and fingerprint marks. On the hinge design, it seems pretty tough. Nothing much is said about the dual-link hinge’s mechanism, except that it is what they also used in the MIX Fold 4. This mechanism, which is SGS-certified, has a fold and unfolding lifespan of 500,000 times.
But unfolding it to use it will seem unnecessary. The 1240p resolution outer display can already give you access to most of your apps, take pictures, write texts and make calls even in its folded state. Moreover, Xiaomi seems to want its flip to have simultaneous display abilities for it has made its AI offline translation functional in both inner and outer displays.
It has protected the outer screen with its Xiaomi Shield Glass, which is what they also used in protecting the inner one. They have also protected it with its own nylon fiber technology that is meant to keep it resistant to abrasion and other stains.
When it comes to thickness, however, the MIX Flip is beaten by the Z Flip 6. Folded, the MIX Flip is 15.99mm thick, while the other is only 14.9mm thick. Not that much of a difference. However, flips are usually considered for how compactable they are. And this is something you might want to consider when choosing between the two.
Looking at the performance, the MIX Flip might have something similar with its competitor. Xiaomi’s flip is also powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This chipset is already used by the Samsung S24 series, the Motorola Razr, and the OnePlus 12 series.
However, just when we thought the MIX Flip has already reached the standards to be on the same ranks with other flagship phones, it takes one step ahead of the Z Flip 6.
Its 5100mAh battery undercuts Z Flip 6’s 4000mAh. It did the same thing with Motorola Razr Plus, Huawei P50 Pocket, and the Oppo Find N2 Flip. Larger batteries are not common in foldables. However, with the MIX Flip showing that it can be its advantage, there’s a new sight in the flip phone arena that warrants exploration.
So, to end, the MIX Flip has something over its competitors. Another question is, however, are these enough?
The arrival of another competitor does not only add another product that consumers may consider, but it also sets the bar higher for the next generation of foldables. As we wait for the Xiaomi MIX Flip to go global, it is interesting to see what else is yet to come into the game and how it will challenge those who came in first.
