I tested Xiaomi MIX 3 Fold and now it’s clear to me: this is a turning point.

There is no doubt that in the smartphone sector, foldable phones have been the protagonists of the last two summer months. Recently with Honor and two new offerings; in August with Samsung and its Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5. Also Xiaomi with a new MIX Fold 3a foldable variant designed to eliminate some of the shortcomings of the previous generation and to bet on a somewhat forgotten section in this type of mobile device.

IN hypertext We have been able to test this Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 first hand, and despite the fact that foldable devices have been between us for many years and I have personally tried a large number of them, this is so far the only option that It showed me that this is the turning pointand that now the foldable phone can easily compete with traditional mobile phones.

In particular, this happens for various reasons, one of which is its design and reliability. This MIX Fold 2 stands out because it is thin when folded: its thickness is only 10.09mm; as in the fully open state, when its thickness is reduced to 5.5 mm. And also because of how light and comfortable it is; both because of its format and the carbon fiber finish on the back.

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 also stands out with an improved hinge that allows you to fold the screen of the device in different positions, since Able to maintain an angle from 45 to 135 degrees without closing the screen or turn around completely on your own.

This is exactly one of the shortcomings of the previous generation, which the company has solved in this model, and it provides various advantages. Among them is the possibility that some applications, such as the camera, adapt to the corner of the device to display, for example, a preview at the top of the screen and a menu with buttons and controls at the bottom. Smartphone Xiaomi, by the way, It can withstand up to 500,000 folds, more quantity than other folding ones.

without losing good manners

On the other hand, Xiaomi MIX 3 Fold also shows that flexible screens are not what they used to be. In this case we find flexible interior panel with 8.03″ OLED technology – slightly larger than its predecessor – has a QHD + resolution and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. It’s a great screen; is actually very bright, its maximum brightness is 2600 nits.

It is also very sharp and has very good color calibration. Of course, the crease, although not too pronounced, is somewhat more noticeable than, for example, on the Oppo Find N2.

The Xiaomi folding model also includes 6.65 inch outdoor screen. In this case, with Full HD + resolution, although the refresh rate of 120 Hz is maintained. This is especially useful for using the device, let’s say, in a more compact form.

On a hardware level, it manages to match the rest of the competition. Thanks in part to this Snapdragon 8 Gen2 which includes already those 12 or 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of internal memory. It also comes with a battery 4800 mAhwhich is compatible with 67W fast charging and, for the first time in a Xiaomi foldable device, with wireless charging, which in this case is up to 50W.

So are the cameras of the latest folding Xiaomi

However, there is a section where the MIX Fold 3 showed me the maturity of foldable mobile phones. This is a camera.

I explain. Manufacturers they usually don’t pay much attention to the cameras of their foldable mobile phones. In a way, this makes sense. These are smartphones with a lot of technology and expensive components, so it makes some sense to prioritize the multimedia area and the flexible screen over the photographic area. However, Xiaomi seems unwilling to prioritize in any particular section.

The MIX Fold 3 camera is basically It is very similar to the one the company includes on its regular premium smartphones.like Xiaomi 13 Pro. Thus, we have a main sensor with a resolution of 50 megapixels and f / 1.77 aperture. The MIX Fold 3 also features a 50MP ultra wide-angle sensor and two more telephoto lenses. On the one hand, a 50-megapixel camera capable of taking pictures with a 3.5x optical zoom. On the other hand, the same resolution, with the ability to take pictures with 5x optical zoom.

Xiaomi has also kept its partnership with Leica for this MIX Fold 3 with the aim of improving the results by going beyond the hardware. This is achieved through participation in processing, as well as some features of the software, such as a mode in which you can choose the tones of photos.

On the other hand, Xiaomi MIX 3 has some software modifications to make the camera more versatile. For example, we can use the external screen as a preview and take selfies with the ultra-wide camera. This, moreover, is an important advantage over conventional mobile phones.

The biggest drawback of the MIX Fold 3 is that it won’t leave China.

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 unfortunately It will not be available in Europe. The terminal, in fact, will not leave China, although it could become a very interesting – and compelling – alternative to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 or the new Honor Magic V2.

Its zero availability in Spain, namely, the biggest inconvenience we found on first contact with the device. Mainly – and in the absence of in-depth testing of sections such as the camera or autonomy – because the terminal has almost no weaknesses to highlight. Its design is almost superb, the cameras are very promising, and on paper it looks good in terms of performance and battery life.

MIX Fold 3 competes not only with other folding devices on the market. This also applies to some mobile traditions. that companies like Apple or Samsung released this year. First of all, because of how light it is, but also because of its promising photographic part.

Of course, the price would be a deciding factor when deciding whether this MIX Fold 3 is foldable, but there is no doubt that its specifications show that it is one of the best in its segment, as well as in the more traditional smartphone market.