Xiaomi’s new foldable wants to take on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 with a cheaper price tag

• The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is the latest foldable smartphone on the market.
• The device was launched a day after Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
• In this post, we compare the two foldable devices to see which device comes out on top.

Samsung recently introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the company’s latest foldable device at the Galaxy Unpacked event. A day later, Xiaomi revealed the Mix Fold 2, it’s second gen foldable device in China.

While Xiaomi is yet to announce a global launch for the Mix Fold 2, the company’s device offers a slightly cheaper (as per global prices) alternative to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. So we compared the devices to see how the two fare against each other on paper.

Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 vs Galaxy Z Fold 4 pricing

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is priced at CNY 8,999 (approx. ₹1,06,430) for the 256GB variant, CNY 9,999 (approx. ₹1,18,250) for the 512GB variant and CNY 11,999 (approx. ₹1,41,970) for the 1TB variant.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is priced at $1,799 (approx. ₹1,43,310 for the 256GB variant, $2009.98 (approx. ₹1,60,100) for the 512GB variant and $2249.98 (approx. ₹1,79,210) for the 1TB variant.

This means that the 256GB variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is costlier than the 1TB variant of the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2.

Let’s look at what the two devices offer.

Design

Design and form factor is the most important aspect when it comes to foldable phones.


Starting with the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, the device features the company’s Micro Waterdrop hinge, which includes just 87 components. The device is 11.2mm when folded and just 5.4mm when unfolded. Xiaomi has claimed that the device’s weight is 35% less than other foldable phones, and the space utilization is 20% higher.

Samsung has also upgraded its hinge system to make it more lightweight. The device is 15.8mm when folded and 6.3mm when unfolded. This means that the device is considerably thicker when compared to the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2.

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 are similar in weight. While Xiaomi’s foldable phone weighs 262 grams, Samsung’s foldable device weighs 263 grams. While anything for a phone over 250 grams is heavy, these foldables are narrower when folded, making up for the extra weight regarding one-hand usage.

Display

The display is another important area that we need to look at.

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 features an 8.02-inch 2K+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 1400 nits, and supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

On the outside, the device features a 6.56-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 1300 nits peak brightness and Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 feature a slightly smaller inner 7.6-inch QXGA+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 1200 nits, and HDR10+ support.

On the outside, it features a 6.2-inch HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Both devices offer large inner displays with a high refresh rate and excellent brightness. The outer display of the Mix Fold 2 offers a higher resolution than the Galaxy Z Fold 4, so it seems superior on paper. In reality, Samsung has been making better displays for a long time, but the annoying crease has remained constant.

Performance

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset coupled with 12GB RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage.

The performance on the two devices should be identical, and as it’s the most powerful processor from Qualcomm, it should be able to handle power-intensive tasks easily. At the end of the day, the performance will boil down to how well the companies have optimized the performance, which requires a lot more than just a flagship chip.

Camera

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 features a triple camera setup at the back consisting of a 50MP primary camera, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and an 8MP telephoto sensor. It features a 20MP selfie camera on the outer display.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 features a triple camera setup at the back consisting of a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 10MP telephoto sensor. The device comes with two selfie cameras – a 4MP under-display camera on the inner display, and a 10MP camera on the outer display.

Battery

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is powered by a 4,500mAh battery with 67W fast charging support.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4, on the other hand, is powered by a slightly smaller 4,400mAh battery with 25W wired charging support and 15W wireless charging support.

Samsung has once again skipped on fast charging support for its flagship device. This comes when the Galaxy S22 Ultra offers 45W fast charging support. The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 not only features a slightly larger battery, but it also offers nearly three times faster charging. Samsung has not upgraded charging input power this year, which could have added hefty value to the overall product.

Wrapping up

Foldable devices have a very niche market, and the exorbitant prices make them impractical for a common user. Although the use case is suited to a very selective kind of users. However, if you are looking for a foldable phone, the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 are excellent options.

While the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 offers a slightly bigger display, faster charging, and a thinner device, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes with four generations of experience and improvements making it a much more reliable option that comes with a proven design and Samsung’s user-friendly and feature-rich OneUI.

You are already paying a premium to purchase a foldable device, and you need to consider if you are willing to pay an additional amount for the assurance that Samsung offers.

Samsung dominates the foldable market

Samsung was one of the first companies to introduce a foldable phone, and it is no surprise that the phones dominate the foldable segment. According to a Counterpoint Research report, Samsung accounted for over 60% of foldable devices shipped in the first half of 2022, and this is expected to increase to 80% in the second half due to the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4.


The second and third positions are currently occupied by Huawei and Oppo, with a 16% and 3% share, respectively. Xiaomi, Vivo, Motorola, and other companies together command an 18% market share.

One of the issues that are holding back companies like Oppo and Xiaomi is that their foldable offerings are relatively new and mostly limited to the Chinese market at the moment. In my opinion, consumers have a higher consumer trust in the premium market, so consumers might be willing to pay a premium to Samsung over Xiaomi, which is mostly known for its rather affordable offerings.

Other foldable devices

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 are not the only players in the market. Oppo Find N, Vivo X Fold and Huawei Mate Xs are among the other foldable phones that have been launched. However, these devices are currently limited to the Chinese market.
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