It seems that the summer is also the season for foldable phones. The Honor Magic V2, which is incredibly thin, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (along with more compact versions from Motorola and Samsung) came right after. Now it’s Xiaomi’s turn to introduce its yearly update. The Mix Fold 3 is aptly named and provides several anticipated improvements in terms of folded thickness (5.26mm), unfolded thickness (10.86mm), and weight (255 grams).
Honor still has nothing to worry about when it comes to thinness and lightness, but Xiaomi’s latest contender has gained a 5x periscopic zoom camera and, at last, a selfie camera, all of which would seem to address some of the last-gen model’s more obvious pain points.
Along with the original 67W wired option, 50W wireless charging is another noteworthy improvement. The slightly denser 4,800mAh battery can be fully charged in 55 minutes or 40 minutes, depending on the charging method you use, according to the manufacturer.
(In order to meet its aggressive thickness target, Honor gave up wireless charging on the Magic V2 if you’re doing comparison shopping.) The Mix Fold 3’s wireless charging should pair well with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 “Leading Version” processor, with its primary core capable of up to 3.36GHz of clock speed — handy for video editing on the larger screen.
The Mix Fold 3 has four Leica-enhanced cameras on the back, including a 50-megapixel main camera (Sony IMX800, 23mm equivalent) with optical stabilization, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 10-megapixel telephoto camera, and a convenient new 10-megapixel f/2.92 periscope camera.
Like before, you can always toggle the external screen to leverage any of these rear-facing cameras for better selfies, but for general video conferencing, you now have the option to toggle between the 20-megapixel front cameras on both the 6.56-inch external screen (2,520 x 1,080, 120Hz) and 8.025-inch flexible screen (2,160 x 1,916, 120Hz).
Here, the screen sizes are nearly identical to those of the previous generation, with the exception that both have been upgraded to use Samsung’s E6 OLED display technology for better efficiency and outdoor visibility; the external panel can be as bright as 2,600 nits at its brightest.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi has announced a durability figure of 500,000 folds (certified by TÜV Rheinland) thanks to an improved hinge. As an added bonus, the Mix Fold 3 now supports hover mode, which allows you to prop up the rear cameras to try out more creative angles or timelapse shots. Just be careful not to accidentally scratch the external screen.
The Mix Fold 3 is currently available for pre-order from Xiaomi, with prices ranging from 8,999 yuan, or roughly $1,240 (12GB LPDDR5X with 256GB UFS 4.0 storage), to 10,999 yuan, or roughly $1,515 (16GB RAM and 1TB storage). You can pick between a more traditional glass finish in black or gold and a 5-layer composite material body (available in black only). Like last year, all versions come with a familiar-looking kickstand back cover in the box. This year, however, there is also an added bonus protection frame for the foldable’s upper portion.
Engadget has learned that Xiaomi will once more only release its newest product in the Chinese market, which is likely a relief for competitors like Samsung and perhaps Honor in other markets.
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Source: engadget
