Xiaomi Mix Flip The First Foldable In Spain
I’ve spent the last week testing the Xiaomi Mix Flip, the brand’s first foldable phone launched outside of China. Its high-end performance, large external screen, and Leica camera are so impressive that, despite some software improvements needed, I believe the three-year wait has been worth it.
Xiaomi has had foldable phones for more than three years, but only now has it launched its first foldable model on the international market.
When the brand announced the first Mix Fold in March 2021, it decided it would only be available in the Chinese market. Many of us thought it would soon be released outside China, but this decision held firm, even with the arrival of three subsequent book-style foldable generations.
Now, along with the debut of its first clamshell foldable, the Xiaomi Mix Flip, the world’s third-largest manufacturer has finally decided to sell a foldable phone outside of China, allowing Spanish consumers to buy it directly for the first time, with a high-end starting price of 1,299 euros.
Design and Connectivity: A Familiar Look with an Improved External Screen
Seeing the Xiaomi Mix Flip, it’s interesting that a brand’s first product feels so familiar, but here it’s because Xiaomi has clearly drawn inspiration from the leader in this market: Samsung.
The similarities between the Xiaomi Mix Flip and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 are undeniable, although the Chinese brand has managed to set itself apart and improve on a few of the weaknesses of the South Korean company’s clamshell foldable.
The first Xiaomi foldable in Spain joins the current trend of phones with flat edges and metallic materials, which provides a great feeling of solidity in hand, especially when closed.
This design choice does have its downside, as the Xiaomi Mix Flip doesn’t feel particularly thin—at 16mm, it’s one millimeter thicker than Samsung’s model and as thick as two bar-style phones—but it’s lightweight at 190 grams.
When open, and viewing the main screen, you’d have to look closely to notice it isn’t a regular phone, a detail that shows Xiaomi’s experience and past work. However, the camera area could be improved.
As for colors, the Xiaomi Mix Flip is only available in two versions: black and purple. I’ve tested the purple one, which is actually a lilac color reminiscent of previous Samsung generations. The back has a pleasant texture and doesn’t show fingerprints, although the outer and inner screens will naturally show fingerprints all the time.
The big difference from Samsung lies in the external screen, where Xiaomi has followed the lead of the most advanced phone on the market right now: the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra, utilizing the entire surface, without bezels, and with cameras embedded in it.
Another feature I liked is that the outer screen ends in a very slight curve on all four sides, integrating seamlessly with the body and reducing the bezels.
Xiaomi opted for a rear camera aligned vertically with two sensors housed in circular rings, which also hold the flash. This is a solution similar to what Motorola has done, making better use of the space.
In terms of connectivity, Xiaomi leaves nothing out in a phone positioned as high-end, performing perfectly thanks to WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, the most advanced standards available at the moment.
Screens and Sound: Xiaomi Mix Flip Meets High-End Standards with an Outstanding Outer Panel
Screens are the crown jewel of any respected foldable phone, and Xiaomi has met the high expectations with this first model after a three-year wait.
The Xiaomi Mix Flip has an internal 6.86-inch screen that meets the standards of today’s high-end traditional phones. In fact, it shares aspect ratio and AMOLED technology with regular phones, so you won’t notice any difference.
This foldable panel is so advanced that it doesn’t lag behind even in demanding tasks, thanks to advanced features such as LTPO technology, HDR10+, and a smooth 120 Hz refresh rate. It remains clearly visible even on sunny days, thanks to a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits, among the best for a foldable today.
The million-dollar question: is the crease noticeable? Yes, but it’s among the best out there.
The Xiaomi Mix Flip has a slight crease above its hinge, as do all foldables. In this respect, I found it better than the Motorola Razr but not better than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
This crease isn’t noticeable at all when you look at the phone straight on. You only feel a slight indentation when running your finger over the hinge. In terms of looseness, meaning that slight screen movement when you press on it, I haven’t noticed any in the first week of use, which is a good sign.
Where there are no issues is with an external screen that becomes one of the Xiaomi Mix Flip’s main attractions. At 4 inches, it’s one of the largest out there alongside the Motorola Razr.
The screen panel is so good that at times, I didn’t miss having to open the phone, thanks to the great AMOLED colors, the 120 Hz refresh rate that makes scrolling smoother, and the 3,000 nits brightness, which keeps it perfectly visible even outdoors in sunny conditions.
As for sound, I appreciate that Xiaomi has included Dolby Atmos certification and that the quality is good overall. However, it’s not among the best in this regard, as it loses clarity at maximum volumes, and the main speaker is located at the bottom, making it easy to block while gaming.
Performance and Software: A Powerhouse, Though It Tends to Heat Up
The Xiaomi Mix Flip is a foldable phone, but its compact format conceals as much power as the highest-end phones of 2024.
Xiaomi has equipped its first foldable in Spain with Qualcomm’s most powerful processor for the first half of the year, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, used by most Android flagships. This chip needs no introduction and makes the Mix Flip incredibly fast in everyday use.
Along with the processor, the brand has also ensured that this compact design includes 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512 GB UFS 4.0 storage. It’s a phone with ample power that never lagged, opened apps instantly, and ran well with dozens of apps open.
The static performance tests were a pleasant surprise, positioning the Xiaomi Mix Flip as one of the most powerful foldables, even surpassing several book-style models like the Honor Magic V3 or OnePlus Open, which are often associated with superior performance.
This great internal power does have a downside: when gaming or recording videos for extended periods, the Xiaomi Mix Flip tends to overheat.
Interestingly, it heats up at the rear but not at the bottom, where the battery is. I never noticed any rise in temperature there; instead, it’s near the external screen where the processor is. Although this isn’t common, at times, I found the heat excessive.
HyperOS, Xiaomi’s interface based on Android, keeps advancing and is increasingly appealing in terms of design, transitions, and smoothness. However, despite moving closer to Android AOSP in some respects, it still suffers from excessive pre-installed apps, an issue Xiaomi has yet to fully address.
The system includes basic foldable mode adaptations, with a split screen and customizable floating windows. Clamshell models tend to have fewer unique elements.
But if there’s one area where I found the software somewhat lacking, it’s with the outer screen. Xiaomi allows you to add any application to the secondary panel’s home screen, enabling you to use any app, which is a big plus.
I found the screen space utilization somewhat lacking, as there’s always a strip that goes unused because of the punch-hole camera. Xiaomi addresses this with widgets that initially seemed somewhat limited but can at least serve as shortcuts.
When watching videos on YouTube in full screen, there’s a black bar, showing that Xiaomi has worked on this aspect, though I still feel that this hardware could do more.
The Xiaomi Mix Flip comes with Xiaomi’s own AI features, also found in the high-end Xiaomi 14T models, which I have thoroughly tested. These features were already present in the HyperOS 1.0.2 update and require an activated Xiaomi account.
I think it’s a positive step that these AI features arrived on this foldable without much delay, but I still believe Xiaomi has a lot of work to do if it wants its AI to be on par with brands like Samsung or Google, both in terms of feature variety and, especially, in utility.
Cameras: Leica and Xiaomi Create the Best Camera on a Foldable of Its Kind
Until now, although no current mobile can beat them in compact form, clamshell foldables had weaknesses such as the camera. However, the Xiaomi Mix Flip represents a significant step forward in terms of the camera.
As with the rest of Xiaomi’s high-end phones, the Mix Flip has partnered with professional photography brand Leica. The improvement over clamshell foldables from a few years ago is clear, and I believe it becomes the best camera on a foldable of its kind this year.
Before getting into details, here are all the camera lenses on the Xiaomi Mix Flip:
- Leica Light Fusion 800 main camera with 50 megapixels, f/1.7, 23mm.
- 50-megapixel telephoto lens, f/2.0, 47mm, macro at 9cm.
- 32-megapixel selfie camera, f/2.0.
As with Xiaomi’s high-end range, this Mix Flip lets you choose between two camera modes: Leica Vibrant, for more vivid and colorful images, and Leica Authentic, which has a more realistic aesthetic.
In this case, the difference between the two modes is minimal, and only in minor details in the sky can you see that the Vibrant mode is more saturated. Even in the green of the trees, there are no noticeable differences.
Xiaomi has opted to omit the ultra-wide-angle lens on this Mix Flip in favor of a telephoto lens. While a questionable decision, I think it’s a good one, though I’m sure it will have its detractors.
The absence of the ultra-wide-angle lens won’t allow you to widen the frame in certain situations, but in return, the telephoto lens provides a better portrait mode and a more capable zoom than usual.
The consistency between the main and telephoto sensors isn’t the best on the market, but it’s better than average and outperforms many traditional high-end phones.
