Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 Review: Flagship Phone with Slim Foldable Design

November 08, 2023, 09:25 AM
by Shahriar Rabab

UNB News
Publish- November 08, 2023, 09:25 AM
Shahriar Rabab
Update- November 08, 2023, 09:42 AM

Xiaomi Mix Fold 3

Ever since the launch of the Mi Mix back in 2016, the Mix lineup has been all about cutting-edge features from Xiaomi. From a completely flush display with an under-display front camera to some of the thinnest foldables in the market, every Mix release was marked with Xiaomi’s technical prowess. Xiaomi recently launched its newest model in the Mix lineup, the Mix Fold 3 on 14 August 2023. The smartphone is China-exclusive for the time being. Let’s look at what’s changed from the Mix Fold 2 and more importantly, whether it takes on the Samsung Z Fold 5.

Key Specifications of the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3

Design and Build Quality

The Mix Fold 3 with its design feels like an incremental update to the Mix Fold 2. The triple camera on the back of the Fold 2 has been replaced with a quad sensor on the Fold 3. As a result, there is a larger camera housing on the back.

The unfolded dimension of the smartphone is 161.2 mm by 143.3 mm by 5.3 mm while the folded dimension comes at around 161.2 mm by 73.5 mm by 10.9 mm. The device weighs 255 g or 259 g depending on whether the user goes for the glass back or the aramid fiber back.

At just 5.3 mm, the device is one of the slimmest foldable smartphones out there. It's impressive considering the Galaxy Z Fold5 comes at 6.1 mm. Though its back panel may feel like it's made of leather but it’s a textured glass design.

The folded screen has a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection while the unfolded inner screen has a plastic front. The rounded edges and the easy positioning of the power and volume rockers make it easy to use with dexterity.

Xiaomi has also updated the hinge mechanism which now allows the smartphone to be unfolded at different positions based on the user preferences. They have also calibrated the OS to support certain split-screen functionalities.

Furthermore, the Aluminum frame makes the device strong and elegant.

Overall, the Mix Fold 3 exudes a premium look and feel all around. It’s compact, lightweight, and functional with an eye-catching design that is sure to appeal to the fans of the foldables.

The Display

There are two displays on the Mix Fold 3 like all other foldable smartphones. The cover display is a 6.56-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and 2600 nits of peak brightness. The 1080 by 2520 pixels are arranged in a 21:9 aspect ratio.

On the other hand, the folded screen comes with 8.03 inches LTPO OLED+ with 1B colors, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 1300 nits HBM and Dolby Vision onboard. The inner panel has a 1916 by 2160 pixels distribution with 360 ppi density. the inner panel even with its size bezels comes in at 89.4% screen-to-body ratio.

Both the panels are exactly as one would expect from a flagship foldable smartphone. They are bright and crisp. The HBM on the cover display alleviates it to a new level with ultra-high brightness under direct sunlight. One thing to note is that there is still a noticeable ridge on the inner folding of the display. Users won’t feel it much while touching but it is visible while looking at the panel sideways.

The Camera

There is a Leica quad camera setup on the Fold 3 with the main camera being a 50 MP f/1.8 aperture 23 mm wide angle shooter. The additional sensors are a 10 MP (f/2.0) telephoto with 3.2x optical zoom, another 10 MP (f/2.9) telephoto with 5x optical zoom and the fourth one is a 12 MP (f/2.2) ultrawide sensor. The cover selfie camera is a 20 MP (f/2.3) one with the inner camera being another 20 MP (f/2.3) shooter as well.

Coming to the picture quality, the pictures can be best described as having the right amount of color pop, dynamic range, and perfect details in each shot. The texture rendering on images also looked pretty good. Users would be able to use the back camera as selfie shooters by using the cover screen as a viewfinder. However, the selfie cameras themselves did a pretty good job of capturing casual shots.

The nighttime pictures also came out excellent. The shaded areas of low-light images are not over-processed or overexposed, leaving the pictures looking natural. A lot is going on with the videography on the Fold 3. It can capture 8K@24fps, 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960/1920fps. Beyond that, there’s EIS and Dolby Vision HDR support as well. The videos came out great from the main camera with good details, exposure, and stabilization. Whether it’s the pictures or video quality, the Fold 3 definitely outweighs the Z Fold 5 here.

Processor and Performance

The processor on the Mix Fold 3 is Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 based on 4 Nm architecture. The octa-core processor has a 1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510 chip design for a combination of efficiency and performance-based output. The processor is coupled with an Adreno 740 GPU. With a flagship-grade processor, users can expect to get superior performance out of the smartphone.

The expectation is also corroborated in usage as games like PUBG and Genshin Impact ran on the highest settings without any issues. Playing games on the large display really brings an immersive experience regardless of the title.

Coming to the OS, the China-exclusive variant lacks Google support. The MIUI has been updated as MIUI Fold 14 for the foldable smartphone. It brings features like a split screen, floating screen, and an array of app-based split control options which really come in handy. The stock dock is also useful for storing commonly used apps in one place.

In addition to the raw performance, the Type-C 3.2, UFS 4.0 storage, LPDDRX5 RAM, and the Harman Kardon tuning, all work together to further enhance the already great performance of the device.

Battery and Charge Time

The battery on the Mix Fold 3 is 4800 mAh. While it might not seem much for a large inner panel, the highly efficient processor aids the Fold 3 in having a solid battery life. users can expect to get around 7 to 9 hours of continued usage out of the Fold 3 in a single full charge.

The battery supports 67W wired fast charging with the charger coming in the box. It can fully charge the device in 40 minutes. There is also 50W wireless fast charging which can recharge the device in 55 minutes.

Pros and Cons of Xiaomi Mix Fold 3

Pros:

- A rich retail bundle with premium accessories
- Industry-leading design
- Great speakers
- Excellent camera setup
- Dolby Vision support.

Cons:

- Exclusive China release
- No waterproof certification.

Price of Xiaomi Mix Fold 3

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 comes in 12/256 GB, 16/512 GB, and 16 GB/1 TB configuration. The price of each of the variants is 8,999, 9,999, and 10,999 Yuan. The price roughly amounts to around 1,36,494 BDT, 1,51,661 BDT, and 1,66,829 BDT respectively (1 RMB = 15.17 BDT). However, the price would grossly differ if it becomes officially available in Bangladesh.

Final Words

Xiaomi offers a bunch of trendy features in its latest flagship device Mix Fold 3. The Z Fold from Samsung got a huge reputation as a competent foldable device. But with an excellent display and camera setup, Mix Fold 3 may have beat Samsung in its own game. The price is still on the higher spectrum considering the cutting-edge technology provided here. On the whole, the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 is a flagship smartphone offering a premium look and foldable design.