A day after Samsung announced a pair of foldable devices, Xiaomi launched its second-generation foldable, the Mix Fold 2, in China. The new phone has a 6.56-inch outer screen, an 8.02-inch inner screen and a Leica-powered camera system. The phone is China-only for now at a base price of RMB 8,999 (~$1,335) for a version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, between the $1,800 Samsung Fold 4 and the $890 Motorola Razr flip.
Xiaomi beats Samsung’s foldable in several key specifications. For example, both the outer screen (6.56 inches vs. 6.2 inches) and the inner screen (8.02 inches vs. 7.6 inches) are larger than the Fold 4’s.
The Chinese tech company has included a Leica-powered 50-megapixel main sensor, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom. The setup can record images in 8K resolution with support for the Dolby Vision HDR standard. Xiaomi said the Leica partnership extends to the photographic styles: Vibrant Look and Authentic Look, which sound more like branding exercises than anything.
The company has managed to fit the internal components into a sleek frame that measures 5.4mm unfolded and 11.2mm folded. In comparison, the Samsung Fold 4 is 6.3mm unfolded and 15.8mm folded. Although Xiaomi also has an extreme camera punch to show for it. Like the Galaxy Fold, the Mix Fold 2 is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
While the phone sounds exciting on paper, it’s limited to the Chinese market for now, so it won’t be a threat to other players like Samsung. While the broader global smartphone market is experiencing declining growth, analysts project an upward curve for foldables. A report from Counterpoint predicts that companies will ship 16 million foldables this year, and that number will rise to 26 million next year. Xiaomi has the opportunity to make a mark in the market, but in the short term, Samsung still has a significant advantage.
“Samsung has led the market since the beginning, and we think its dominance will continue for some time. Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo are introducing new foldables, but they are mainly limited to the Chinese market. Motorola may be the only competitor in markets like the US at the moment,” said Jene Park, senior analyst at Counterpoint.
The Mix Fold 2 is available for pre-order in China starting today and will begin shipping on October 16.