Xiaomi Mix Fold 2: Unfolding a powertool

Foldable devices are not the handiest products out there. They bend, they break, and they have a lot of moving parts which makes them susceptible to external forces. But this problem comes with some juicy trade-off: The screen real estate. As we continually move toward bigger screens, the only logical approach is to fold the screen without impacting the form factor. The big names in the smartphone industry are now trying the adopt the fold philosophy and trying the improve the user experience in every iteration. The output of this same approach is the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2. We got to play with the device for a while, and here's our take:

The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold 2 is a premium foldable smartphone designed with a focus on camera and performance. The device boasts a triple rear camera setup, including a 50MP primary camera, a 13MP ultra-wide camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera.  The camera app offers a wide range of shooting modes, including Night, Pro, and Video, which allow users to take high-quality photos and videos in a variety of lighting conditions. The photos are crisp, and the colour renditions are neat. Although we were having a hard time with the autofocus, that might be because this was a review unit.

The selfie camera of the phone comes with a 20 MP, 27mm lens. This allows for high-quality photos and videos with a wide range of features such as optical zoom, night mode, and portrait mode. Honestly, not the biggest fan of the selfie camera of the device, and you don't need to; most of the time, you are hooked with the rear camera.

In terms of performance, the Mix Fold 2 is powered by a Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm). This is the industry-leading processor commercially available in the market right now. It also comes paired with high-speed 12GB of RAM. Our review unit had 1TB of internal storage. On paper, this makes it an excellent choice for gaming, video editing, and multitasking. The device also features a large 4,500mAh, which provides above-average day battery life if you are only sometimes on YouTube. But it can be charged quickly with the (included in the box) 67W fast charger.

The star of the show is, as expected, a gorgeous foldable 8.02-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1914 x 2160 pixels, which makes for an immersive viewing experience. The foldable design also allows for a more compact form factor when the device is closed, making it more pocketable than the competition's foldable phones. All the other refinements, i.e. HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 120Hz refresh rate etc, are also there. The cover screen, which gets most of the work done without opening the foldable one, comes in a 21:9 aspect ratio. The display is good enough for you to send text, emails and other non-multimedia activities.

One of the most notable things about the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold 2 is that it does not run on Android OS. Instead, it runs on MIUI 12, Xiaomi's custom operating system. This may be a drawback for some users who are used to the Android interface and may need to be more comfortable with the learning curve of a new OS. Even we had a tough time navigating using the keyboard of the review unit as it did not have any of the popular English Keyboards. The Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold 2 will not be officially available in Bangladesh. Even if was, it would come with a steep price tag.

In conclusion, the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold 2 is a powerful and feature-packed device that offers a great camera and top-of-the-line performance. The slim foldable design is a nice touch and, undoubtedly, makes the device more pocketable. But the lack of Android support is a significant downside, which may be a dealbreaker for some users. Overall, it is a good choice for Xiaomi fans or those looking for an affordable foldable device but for others, there may be better options.