Xiaomi entered the clamshell foldable smartphone market, with the Xiaomi Mix Flip, set to compete with other established models that are currently considered the cream of the crop in the market, with a modest price tag of RM4,999. It boasts the likes of AMOLED display, stainless steel construction, a Snapdragon processor, 50MP camera lens, and up to 16GB RAM.
One quip is that the Xiaomi Mix Flip does not have any water and dust proof rating, making it a little more fragile than its competitors. Let's take a look further down to explore more of what this foldable smartphone offers and whether it's worth getting.
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
Xiaomi MIX Flip Specifications
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- RAM: 12GB, 16GB
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Inner Display: 6.86-inch OLED (inner), 4.01-inch OLED (cover), 120Hz
- Main Camera: Dual, 50MP, f/1.7 (wide) and f/2.0 (telephoto) aperture
- Front Camera: 32 MP, f/2.0, 21mm (wide)
- Battery: 4,780mAh, 67W fast charging (wired)
- Operating System: Android 14 with Xiaomi's HyperOS
Design and Display
The Xiaomi MIX Flip, like most clamshell flip smartphones in the market, has a cover (front) and inner display that users can fully utilise the convenience and functions of it while reducing unwanted screentime. MIX Flip features a 6.86-inch OLED inner display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which offers vibrant and stunning visuals complete with smooth scrolling.
When folded, you may use the phone's 4.01-inch OLED cover display, which is also the largest among flip phones in the current market. True to its promise, you can do a lot without unfolding the device, such as checking and answering messages.
The smartphone's hinge beneath the screen also folds down completely, and opens up just as flat with a slightl bump at the hinge, allowing one to enjoy its clamshell aesthetics even more.
Probably the only, if not, sole physical trait that's unfavourable for many is that Xiaomi MIX Flip does not have any water and dust proof protection; something that most flip smartphones have and would pick on all phone owners' annoyance as it would require more babysitting.
Performance & Battery
Future-proof hardware
The Xiaomi MIX Flip employs the sleek Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which is geared for high performance especially for multitasking and demanding applications. Keeping it simple, the MIX Flip comes with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage, the RAM lending its prowess to accmmodate multiple apps and media processing at once.
Standard battery capacity
Meanwhile, the Xiaomi MIX Flip houses a 4,780mAh battery, which is just slightly larger than its competitors. Should you need to rush, the 67W wired charging is sufficient to rapidly replenish the battery.
On a typical day's use, there's 2 hours worth of doomscrolling on Facebook and Instagram, 1 hour of music listening, 30 minutes of playing Ragnarok Mobile as well as as messaging and snapping a few photos.
Multitasking experience is good but not if they are all demanding apps
With that, in our experience the phone is capable of lasting a whole day, but not without some shortcomings. Due to the fact that it has two screens, power is very dependent on one side of the phone. When taking photos or playing games with a few apps in the background, we felt that the top half of the phone warms up much more than the bottom half, which isn't good on the palms for extended handling of the phone.
Other than the phone getting warm too fast, the battery still holds up, with battery depleting at an acceptable rate, whereby we experiened a 10% drop when gaming for approximately 20 minutes. And of course, if you constantly fold and unfold the phone, surely that'll cause your phone to be very reactive, further accelrating its battery usage.
Overall, in a day, casual use and multimedia consumption will do fine with the amount of battery the MIX Flip offer, whereas heavy usage will require multiple charges.
Camera & Photo Samples
Dual 50MP rear lenses
The Xiaomi MIX Flip utilises not just any average camera sensor, but leader status imaging company Leica's. Its main camera is a 50MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture for detailed photos, complemented with a telephoto lens of 50MP with 2x optical zoom. This is a unique feature when comparing to other flip phones without it, since you can now take semi-quality close-up shots.
Aside from manual settings, the Xiaomi MIX Flip also has dedicated telephoto settings in 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and even 90mm. These presets are made to take instant professional shots with good focus and brightness.
Sharpness in photos are also acceptable though they can look oversharpened at times. Othwerise, this phone is capable of taking lovely portraiture photos. Separation of fine lines by the AI is still not perfect though.
One thing that feels limiting, at least for a phone that plays its cards hevaily on camera, is the fact that you cannot do wide-angle shots of this. Therefore, the set up is highly human/subject focused.
Colour spectrum
Sharpness and brightness are good in photos even when handled in dim settings, and enough saturation as well as depth in daylight photos. We did notice that colour accuracy on the MIX Flip can cause images to look a bit unnatural, especially on the green hue spectrum. Otherwise, colours for self portraits with the 32MP are good though slightly muted.
Besides, self portraits with the Xiaomi MIX Flip are further complemented by the cover screen.
Cover screen & selfie uses
The cover screen on the Xiaomi MIX Flip can be used as a viewfinder for subjects, as well as for self portraits when you fold the phone down completely, which is good news since it'll utilise the 50MP sensor rather than the 32MP front camera.
Additionally, the hinge allows us to fold the phone up at certain angles for ease of use, though it has a little bit more bounce and resistance when trying to stay at an angle, compared to other phones. Overall, great for casual photography use. Those who want it for natural, studio-quality photos would need to do post-editing and colour grading for best results.
Verdict - Pricing & Value
Xiaomi MIX Flip costs RM4,999, which is quite the premium price tag for a Xiaomi phone. Still, if you are interested, the Xiaomi MIX Flip presents a compelling package with its premium features such as the attractive display screen and design.
Camera is also a good shooter with its 50mp Leica lens. Although colour reproduction in photos can be a tad inaccurate especially on the green hues, they can be easily modified. Moreover, it has satisfactory battery life and fast charging.
However, the absence of water and dust resistance is a notable drawback. Overall, Xiaomi MIX Flip is best for mid-usage consumers who desire a compact, foldable smartphone without compromising on performance, and that they can appreciate its camera capabilities.
Pros:
- Large cover display - Easy access to certain apps quickly without unfolding.
- Nice high-quality camera setup - Telephoto lens offers versatility and high quality results, uncommon in clamshell flip smartphones.
- Fast charging with 67W charging support.
- Has support for Wi-Fi 7 (future-proof connectivity)
Cons:
- Unlike some competitors, it doesn't offer official water resistance.
- Camera does not have wide-angled features, despite phone promoting it heavily for its camera capabilities.
- Gets warm too fast when using very demanding apps for a long time.
- End of review -