In 2022, Xiaomi took the lead in introducing the concept of thinness and lightness in folding screens. The second-generation folding flagship MIX Fold 2 released showed an impressive 112mm ultra-thin body with its unique micro-water drop hinge and excellent stacking technology.
This innovative breakthrough makes the folding screen mobile phone feel close to a candy bar mobile phone, thus opening the era of thin and light folding mobile phones.
Since then, thin and light folding has gradually become the mainstream trend in the market, and folding-screen mobile phones have officially entered the “thin and light era. After three years of R&D and innovation, Xiaomi’s folding mobile phone is gradually seeking breakthroughs.
Xiaomi believes that the lightness and thinness of folding mobile phones is only a gradual evolution process, and folding mobile phones have always represented a brand’s most cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements. It requires a smooth and easy-to-use system interaction and a comprehensive and balanced Configuration and experience; if the flagship configuration and experience are sacrificed because of thinness, it is not a successful product.
Having figured this out, a brand-new horizontally folding flagship phone that breaks the industry standard, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, emerged. While further reducing weight, the configuration and experience of the flagship have not dropped but improved.
Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 introduced a new self-developed keel hinge to achieve further thinness. This subversive hinge design frees up 17% of the space inside the folding screen. While achieving thinness, the three-link hinge design can protect the screen from the source from damage due to external force.
To achieve the most balanced experience in the industry while taking into account the lightness and thinness of the MIX Fold 3, the super-wide-angle, primary camera, sub-telephoto, and super-telephoto lenses are equipped with four cameras at all focal lengths for the first time in a thin and light folding flagship machine. The focal lens supports 5x optical zoom.
With them, no one will say that folding screen mobile phones castrate images to achieve thinness and lightness.
Secondly, compared with the previous generation of MIX Fold 2, the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has continued the 67W wired fast charging of the exact specification and added 50W wireless charging support. It tested the hardware stacking capabilities of mobile phone manufacturers.
Finally, MIX Fold 3 is the first to introduce three self-developed surging chips into the folding machine, namely 2 Xiaomi surging G1 power management chips and one surging P2 fast charging chip, which brings robust security.
Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 Design
The external screen of Mi MIX Fold 3 uses a 6.56-inch AMOLED screen, Samsung E6 substrate, a resolution of 2520×1080, a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, and supports 360-degree light and color temperature sensing.
The outer screen glass of the mobile phone uses the brand-new Corning Victus2 Gorilla Glass, which improves its drop resistance by 50%. A 20-megapixel front-facing camera is integrated into the center of the top of the outer screen. The sensor is OmniVision’s OV20B.
The most significant difference between the body of MIX Fold 3 and the previous generation is that it abandons the previous technical integrated material and uses a unique dragon scale fiber back cover, a brand new composite laminated material developed by Xiaomi. , and introduce fiber inside for the first time so the back shell has excellent strength support.
The surface of the back shell of the mobile phone is covered with a layer of aramid fiber to form a micro-arc four-curved glass. Its touch is between plain leather and glass, creating a delicate feeling.
The rear camera module of the Mi MIX Fold 3 is similar to the layout of the Mi 13 digital series. It is the first time introducing a full-focus periscope four-camera in a horizontal folding mobile phone. The Leica logo is on the right, and the monochrome flash and laser focus module are on the bottom.
The lens cover is made of ceramic material, which brings a sense of neat texture. Three-section lines separate the camera, Leica logo, and sensor.
MIX Fold 3 has a SIM card slot, an infrared remote control sensor, a noise-canceling microphone on the top, a Type-C headphone 2-in-1 interface, and a microphone on the bottom. The top and bottom have 1115 super-linear speaker units to form a stereo field.
Unfolding Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, the internal screen uses an 8.03-inch Samsung Eco² Plus OLED screen with a resolution of 2520×1080 and supports a dynamic adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz.
The MIX Fold3 mobile phone uses a new shaft material – the keel shaft. This material has higher space requirements. It is narrower and thinner and fits the screen better than before. The thickness of the post is reduced from 3.0mm in the previous generation. 2.7mm, the thickness is reduced from 8.8mm to 7.7mm, and the width is reduced by 8%, which also releases up to 17% of the space in the shaft area.
We measured the weight of the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, and the net weight Dragon Dragon scale fiber version is 264.7g, 9.6g lighter than the previous generation MIX Fold 2.
A perforated front camera is integrated into the upper left corner of the inner screen of the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3. However, the distance between its position and the upper and left frames is not uniform. For patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, it may look awkward. But get used to it.
The front-facing sensor of the inner screen is consistent with the outer screen, which is a 20-megapixel OV20B.
In this generation of MIX Fold 3, in addition to the thinner and lighter mobile phone, the most significant change from the previous generation is that it can finally hover from multiple angles.
Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 supports up to 67W wired fast charging and has a 67W fast charging adapter with an A port.
The package includes a stand-type mobile phone case, fast charging adapter set, product instruction manual, and warranty cards.
Screen Appearance
The folding hinge used by Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 is officially called the keel hinge. Its innovation is changing its hinge from the traditional two-stage link to the three-link design. The internal movable joints have changed from the previous generation’s 8. The nu. member has increased to 14. The bending of the screen is closer to the perfect curvature, so it can better protect the screen when folded and reduce the risk of damage caused by the screen falling.
When the mobile phone is unfolded, the screen is off, and the screen is on, the gaps generated by folding are tiny. If it is not in the case of direct light, we will not notice the existence of creases at all. Although we can feel the crease wrinkles touch them, There are tiny creases, but there is no obstacle to the touch experience.
Mi MIX Fold 3 is the first foldable mobile phone in the history of Xiaomi that supports multi-angle hovering. The damping feeling when hovering is more than twice that of the previous generation MIX Fold 2. BasicalYoutomatically hover wflowou bend it to any angle. Stop.
WStopso tried hovering at a minor slight (about 30°) and a large angle (about 160°). The Mi MIX Fold 3 can pass the test, but when hovering at a large angle, the tip will tend to spread out, but This is also a common problem with all horizontal folding phones.
The external screen of Mi MIX Fold 3 is upgraded to the latest Samsung E6 substrate, which supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
The external screen of the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 is consistent with the previous generation. It uses a Samsung Eco² Plus OLED screen and LTPO substrate to achieve a dynamic adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz. From the moment the finger touches the screen until it leaves, the screen change from low to low. The dyactiveefresh rate from high to high and high to low is presented. In the state of the battery screen, the minimum refresh rate can be achieved at 10Hz.
In the state of the always-on display, it will be presented at the lowest 1Hz (the upper 30Hz is the highest refresh rate that can be displayed in the current scene).
Xiaomi MIX Fold3 provides users with an intelligent window function for large-screen interaction.
When we frequently switch between two apps, the system automatically perceives and actively recommends a split-screen display. When the user clicks “Enable split-screen,” the two apps will be directly split-screen to improve usage efficiency.
Same screen display
In the 8.03-inch large screen, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has made corresponding optimizations for the same screen display of multiple applications.
Like mainstream shopping platforms, MIX Fold 3 has been adapted to parallel windows.
Secondly, we can drag the app to the upper right corner and release it in the call background interface, and then the app can be quickly displayed in a floating form, and we can continue to use other apps without affecting each other.
For floating applications, we can directly click to present the application in the form of a small window and, at the same time, adjust the size and position of the window in real time.
Press the application on the background interface to call the shortcut split-screen function.
After splitting the screen, drag the horizontal bar at the top of the application to present the application in the form of a floating window. The size and position of the window can be adjusted by yourself. Drag it to the upper right corner to suspend the application in a small window. Go to the right sidebar to hide the app and call it anytime.
App hover
In terms of adaptation for folding applications, Mi MIX Fold 3 has been deeply adapted and optimized for mainstream video software.
When the software is turned on, we fold the phone inside, and the upper half of the screen can be used as a display, while the lower half immediately turns into an operation panel.
For example, when watching a video, you can adjust the volume by sliding up the right side of the panel.
Slide up the left side of the panel to adjust the brightness. Drag the board back and forth to rewind and fast fast-forward duo.
Performance and Games
Mi MIX Fold 3, as its top flagship phone, undoubtedly uses the industry’s most robust processor in terms of performance – the leading version of the second-generation Snapdragon 8 mobile platform, and its large-core central frequency has been increased from 3.19GHz to 3.36GHz. The 680MHz Adreno 740 GPU is boosted to 719MHz, bringing a double boost in performance and graphics.
The version we got is a 16GB + 512GB storage version, LPDDR5X 8400MHz memory and UFS 4.0 flash memory, and the leading version of the second-generation Snapdragon 8 to form the strongest performance iron triangle today.
Next, we will conduct theoretical performance tests to see how this chip works in Xiaomi’s horizontal folding mobile phone.
In the comprehensive test of the latest version of AnTuTu V10, the total score exceeded 1.597 million, one of the few flagship phones with horizontal folding. Compared with last year’s Mi MIX Fold 2, equipped with Snapdragon 8+, the comprehensive performance has improved by about 48.1%.
Among them, the CPU score is 339,000, the GPU score is 557,000, the memory score is 298,000, and the UX human-computer interaction score is 274,000.
GeekBench6 has a single-core score of 1977 and a multi-core score of 5251, which is at the mainstream level among folding-screen phones.
In the flash memory test, the sequential read speed of 3.56GB/s and the sequential write speed of 2.7GB/s meet the UFS 4.0 standard.
Game testing
In the game test project, we conducted it in an office environment with a room temperature of 24 degrees Celsius. We selected three representative mobile games, Ki, ng of Glory, Peace Elite, and Yuanshen, and used an 8.03-inch internal screen for testing. During the test, We adjusted the brightness of the mobile phone to 50%, turned off the automatic brightness, turned on the performance mode, and recorded the mobile phone’s frame rate, power consumption, and heating performance in the game.
1. Glory of Kings
The first is the King of Glory mobile game test. The game can run at a maximum of 120 frames under high-definition image quality + highly high frame rate. After a round of fierce team battles, the frame rate has no fluctuations and is as stable as a straight line, with an average stability of 120.1 FPS. , the average change is only 0.2.
Regarding power consumption, it is close to 3.22W, the frame energy consumption is 26.8mW, and the energy efficiency ratio reaches 37.3 frames/W, the same as other horizontal folding flagship phones without a considerable gap.
Regarding temperature control, the highest temperature on the front of the fuselage is 41.2 degrees Celsius, and the highest temperature on the back is 40.5 degrees Celsius. When tested in a space with a room temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, it is slightly higher than that of a bar machine. Not that hot.
2. Call of Duty
Call of Duty mobile game, smooth picture quality + 90 frame mode, the average frame rate of a single game is 89 frames; the average fluctuation is 4.3, and the game is stable and smooth throughout the game.
The average power consumption is about 3.1W, the frame energy consumption is 34.8mW, and the energy efficiency ratio reaches 28.7 frames/W. Compared with other high-frequency 8 Gen2 mobile phones, the power consumption and enter,gy efficiency ratio are lower.
In terms of temperature, the front of the fuselage is 39.4 degrees Celsius, and the back is 38.6 degrees Celsius. The temperature is moderate during the test, and there is no undeniable sense of heat.
3. Original God
Yuanshen mobile game, in the extremely high image quality + 60 frame mode, while running the map while killing monsters, the frame rate is relatively stable in the first four and a half minutes, with a maximum output of 60 frames, and the frame rate starts after four and a half minutes There were relatively frequent fluctuations and a slight decline trend. Finally, there was an apparent fluctuation at 6 minutes, and then the frame rate began to decline very obviously, and the final frame rate was stable at 45 frame output.
In the end, the overall average frame rate of the game was stable at 54.8 FPS. We also checked the resolution of the game, 1920×1704, 3.27 million pixels, which is twice as much as other horizontal folding phones, so during the game, It is not surprising that the frame rate drops in the middle of the game, and the frame rate can be kept close to 55 frames, which is also a relatively good level.
We checked the power consumption of the mobile phone, the average power consumption of 5.7W is high, and the energy efficiency ratio is only 9.6 frames/W. Still, the picture quality of the game is higher, and the performance scheduling is also more aggressive, so this cannot be regarded as a weakness. After all, low power consumption and high frame rate cannot have both.
Finally, let’s take a look at the temperature. The front of the fuselage is 46 degrees Celsius, and the back of the fuselage is 45.3 degrees Celsius. At this time, holding the phone with both hands is already hot, and you need to keep changing the holding position to continue the game.
Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 Cameras
Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 uses a full-focus four-camera module on the premise of taking into account the lightness and thinness, which is extremely rare in horizontal folding mobile phones, especially the 5x periscope telephoto lens, which will test the mobile phone manufacturers’ internal hardware—stackability at high densities.
The primary camera of Mi MIX Fold 3 uses the same 54-megapixel Sony IMX800 sensor as Mi 13, with a sensor size of 16:9. Heyi has an output of 12.5 million pixels, an equivalent focal length of 23mm, and is equipped with the same SMA OIS optical image stabilization as the previous generation.
The two telephoto lenses use the 10-megapixel Samsung S5K3K1, with an equivalent focal length of 75mm, and support 3.2X lossless zoom (native 71mm 3.0X optical zoom) and 115mm 5X optical zoom.
The ultra-wide-angle lens uses a 12-megapixel OV13B10, 120° FOV, and 15mm equivalent focal length. Then, according to the lens type, we showed the strength of the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 in terms of imaging.
The ultra-wide-angle lens of the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has distortion correction turned on by default. The sides of the captured picture are correct, the sky still shows a transparent texture, and the color and white balance adjustment is not much different from that of the primary camera. Facing the sun In the direct scene, the glare problem is handled very well.
On a sunny day, the images captured by the primary camera have a wide dynamic range, further highlighting the layering and three-dimensionality of the proofs, presenting a natural environment close to what the human eye sees.
Because the two sensors are the same, the two telephoto lenses of 3.2X and 5X will show a higher dynamic range in a highlight ratio environment. The lossless zoom makes the picture look very clear without smearing, and it can also effectively Avoid the messy objects around and take a purer picture.
However, the 75mm and 115mm focal lengths have very similar viewing angles and depth of field effects when shooting, and there may not be a pronounced difference in perception for users. The significance of the 5x periscope telephoto is that It will play a very significant role when shooting distant objects.
Overall, the color tone of the four lenses of Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 maintains a high degree of unity. Although the stacking is not as exaggerated as that of Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the image effect is not outdated. Taking pictures can be superior to others.
In the night scene, we turn on the night scene mode to shoot, the mobile phone does not need a long exposure, and the film is released within 1 second of pressing the shutter button.
Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 can eliminate glare by facing the light boards with direct downlights, making the picture look clean and straightforward. The highlight suppression is relatively in place for multi-color and bright neon lights. The background of mixed colors can accurately restore the original color of the morning.
Battery
Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has two Xiaomi surging batteries with an equivalent capacity of 4800mAh. It has three built-in Xiaomi surging chips. Each battery integrates a Xiaomi surging G1 battery management chip and a Xiaomi surging P2 fast charging chip.
The Xiaomi Surging G1 battery management chip can effectively improve power utilization efficiency. The Xiaomi Surging P2 fast charging chip can monitor the battery’s health status in real time, optimize the charging and discharging strategy, and ensure the battery’s health.
Therefore, this is also Xiaomi’s first folding machine that introduces three surging chips.
Then, we did a series of tests on the charging of MIX Fold3 and the battery life of the internal and external dual screens.
Charging Test
We drained the power of the Xiaomi MIX Fold3 to 1% and conducted a screen-off charging test. With a fast charging power of 67W, it can be charged to 28% in 10 minutes, 49% in 20 minutes, nearly half, and 71% in 30 minutes. %, 40 minutes to charge to 92%, has entered the trickle charging mode and is finally fully charged in 45 minutes.
Regarding charging speed alone, it is still relatively normal, and there is not much difference from the ordinary previous generation Xiaomi MIX Fold2.
Endurance test
For the battery life, we use a professional battery life test tool – the battery dog produced by Kuai Technology.
In terms of test items, we chose the limit battery life test. We checked all the test items, including CPU high voltage, CPU multi-threading, AI recognition, picture browsing, video playback, and web browsing, to simulate realistic usage scenarios and restore the actual load to the greatest extent. Infinitely close to the actual power consumption.
Before the test, to ensure the accuracy of the trial, we first adjusted the screen brightness of the Xiaomi MIX Fold3 to precisely 50%, turned off the automatic brightness, changed the refresh rate to the default, and then started to test the internal and external dual screens from 100% power—navigation ability.
1. External screen battery life
The external screen measured 20% of the remaining power, and the battery dog gave a life of 8 hours, 16 minutes, and 23 seconds. According to the speed of power consumption, the comprehensive battery life of the internal screen of Xiaomi MIX Fold3 is about 10.5 hours, compared to The previous generation of MIX Fold2 has nearly an hour more battery life.
2. Internal screen battery life
Then came the battery life test of the internal screen. With an 8.03-inch internal screen, it took 7 hours and 56 minutes for the battery to go from 100% to 20%, translating to nearly 10 hours of battery life.
The battery life of this internal screen is the best in the industry for horizontal folding screen mobile phones. Among all the flat folding mobile phones we tested, the battery life is mostly about 6~8 hours, and it can reach 10 hours of battery life. There are very few, so how does Xiaomi MIX Fold3 achieve a large screen and long battery life?
We have also mentioned before that the internal screen of Xiaomi MIX Fold3 uses an LTPO substrate, supports a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and dynamic adjustment can further save power consumption.
At the same time, the mobile phone also introduces Samsung’s latest Eco²OLED Plus (Pol-Less Plus) ultra-low-power screen technology, which combines low-power Panel design and DDIC upgrade to achieve excellent energy consumption control. Under the limited battery capacity, this innovative design has dramatically improved the unit capacity usage efficiency, and the internal screen’s battery life has increased by 52%.
Read Also: Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 Released: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Starting at $1,239
Verdict of Xiaomi MIX Fold 3
As Xiaomi’s third-generation folding flagship machine, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 can be said to be absorbing the manufacturing experience of the previous two generations and seeking breakthroughs on this basis. Angle hovering, wireless charging, the introduction of three surging chips, and the deployment of the leading version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 mobile platform, it can be seen that Xiaomi is also paying more and more attention to user experience while achieving the ultimate stacking of hardware.
The change in the shape of the folding hinge allows Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 to have a multi-angle hovering body for the first time, which is a giant leap forward for Xiaomi folding phones.
In our experience, the hinge of MIbodyd 3 is very flexible. It does not rebound when folded at any angle. It has a strong sense of damping and is very stable during folding. It eliminates the previous generation’s unsteady feeling and reduces the risk of damage to the screen.
n folding mobile phones, it is not uncommon to have four cameras at all focal lengths, but it is unheard of before that can take into account thinness and lightness.
Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 introduces a full-focus four-camera into the thin and light folding screen for the first time, another giant leap in history. The memory alloy OIS and telephoto dual OIS optical image stabilization are equipped with it, which is unique in the folding screen mobile phone, plus Leica’s exclusive image Adjustment, the picture taken by the four cameras has high saturation and uniform color. This is Xiaomi’s uncompromising image.
Equipped with the leading version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 mobile platform, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has been squeezed into the first echelon in terms of performance, and all kinds of mainstream mobile games can be played smoothly. The frame rate while fighting monsters is still a bit poor, but its resolution is the highest among all the horizontally folded flagship phones we tested. It can only be said that high image quality and frame rate cannot be combined.
Finally, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 introduces an X-axis horizontal linear motor (MIX Fold 2 is a Z-axis vertical linear motor) in the flat folding mobile phone with every inch of land, and the vibration feedback brought to us during the game is more accurate.
To sum up, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 pioneered the keel-shape hinge, the multi-angle hovering shape, and the depth-adapted UI, bringing us a skinny, light body and perfect ecological interaction. What we see It is Xiaomi’s ultimate spirit of exploration; full-focus periscope four-camera, the leading version of Snapdragon 8 Gen2 and Eco² Plus OLED ultra-low power consumption screen technology; in it, we see Xiaomi’s ultimate pursuit of top-level hardware and strong battery life.
However, it is a bit; printable that the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 lacks specifications such as high-frequency PWM dimming and adaptive refresh rate of the external screen. I believe that Xiaomi will fully make up for the shortcomings in the next-generation flagship model.
For now, the stockpiling of Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has reached an unprecedented height, and its imaging and performance capabilities are second to none. It can be called the most vital flagship in the history of Xiaomi folding screens.
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