Xiaomi Mix Flip review: Brilliant but limited

Although it is made 4 generations of book-style foldables, Xiaomi has steered clear of constructing a foldable flip cellphone. However now now we have the Xiaomi Combine Flip, and it’s right here to subvert your flip fold expectations for each good and dangerous.

The advantage of getting into a smartphone area of interest late is you’ll be able to crib out of your rivals’ earlier fashions. The Combine Flip has actually completed that. It has components you’ll be able to spot as originating with the Galaxy Z Flip line or the reborn Moto Razrs, together with Xiaomi staples like a stylishly restrained design, sturdy efficiency and high-quality pictures {hardware}.

However selections just like the weirdly chunky hinge and worst-of-all-worlds cowl display screen format design simply do not make sense, even when there’s some underlying logic to Xiaomi doing issues this manner with the Combine Flip. Plus you’ll be able to’t ignore the very fact you will not discover the Xiaomi in the event you store for telephones at many wi-fi carriers. It is also unlikely to be accessible to U.S. customers..

Though I believe most flip cellphone patrons are higher off wanting elsewhere, I promise this Xiaomi Combine Flip evaluate continues to be optimistic in regards to the cellphone general. If telephones just like the Z Flip and Razr have not appealed to you earlier than, I hope to indicate you ways you may lastly get your flip repair with the Combine Flip.

Xiaomi Combine Flip: Specs

Xiaomi Combine Flip evaluate: Worth and availability

Xiaomi’s promoting the Combine Flip for £1,099, now that the cellphone formally launched within the U.Okay. on September 26.. That simply so occurs to be the identical worth because the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 within the U.Okay. (That cellphone prices $1,099 within the U.S. to offer you some thought of what a Combine Flip may cost a little ought to Xiaomi ever develop its markets.) The Moto Razr 50 Extremely — or Moto Razr Plus 2024 because it’s recognized within the U.S. — prices £100 lower than the Combine Flip

Xiaomi telephones aren’t bought within the U.S. by way of your typical shops and carriers, however decided customers can import one by way of varied on-line retailers. At all times test the appropriate cell bands although, as telephones not supposed for sure markets might not work with the frequencies accessible there.

Xiaomi Combine Flip evaluate: Design and show

With a 4.01-inch outer display screen and a 6.86-inch interior show, the Combine Flip has quite a lot of show even for a flip foldable. Bezels are on par with its Samsung and Moto rivals, whereas the outer display screen’s curved edges on all 4 sides give the Combine Flip some further persona whereas additionally making it really feel higher when attempting to make use of it closed up.

The rounded sq. form of each halves of the Combine Flip imply it feels good when unfolded too, nevertheless it additionally leaves an enormous hole between the halves when open. That is a distinction to different foldables, which maintain that hole as small as attainable. Additionally, the Combine Flip’s rounded hinge protectors that sit at both finish of the mechanism appear outstanding, and I caught my fingers on them a good quantity.

In any other case, what you are getting with the Combine Flip is a well-built, classically understated Xiaomi design, save for some Leica branding on the hinge. You additionally get your decide of black, white and purple colorways, that are moderately tame for a flip foldable, however in all probability sufficient selection for many customers.

In comparison with the Motorola Razr, the Xiaomi’s display screen is brighter and cooler-colored, whereas providing barely greater resolutions. Although the Razr has the bigger shows in and out, I want utilizing apps and watching video on the Xiaomi.

Nonetheless that may change if I needed to take a flip foldable exterior into the weather. The Razr and Galaxy Z Flip 6 are each IP-rated for water resistance, however the Xiaomi just isn’t, that means you could possibly be in bother if it begins raining closely exterior.

Xiaomi Combine Flip evaluate: Cameras

The Combine Flip gives Leica-tuned lenses similar to Xiaomi’s common flagship telephones. You solely get two rear cameras — a 50MP primary digital camera and 50MP 2x zoom telephoto — plus the 32MP selfie digital camera inside, however that is in keeping with different flip foldables.

We will see how effectively these cameras carry out within the under comparisons in opposition to the Razr 50 Extremely/Razr Plus. Beginning with a primary digital camera shot of Sheffield’s Castlegate bridge, the Xiaomi’s shot is much brighter, serving to carry out the colours of the bridge and making the gray sky just a little extra interesting.

As for this 2x shot of a fish sculpture close to the town’s prepare station, issues are reversed. The Moto’s picture is way livelier and filled with element, though it additionally has a redder shade forged that appears just a little too synthetic. Whereas it may’t reproduce the intricacy of the sculpture’s scales so effectively, the Xiaomi gives extra sincere coloring this time.

Lastly, now we have a pair of portrait selfies. I look brighter however flatter within the Razr shot, whereas the Xiaomi captures the dynamic vary in additional element. The Combine Flip has completed a a lot better job with the portrait impact too, reducing out my glasses cleanly.

Xiaomi Combine Flip evaluate: Efficiency

A top-flight Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip powers the Combine Flip’s actions, together with a single reminiscence spec of 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. That is beneficiant even for the standard cellphone, not to mention a flip foldable.

Armed with the identical chip because the Galaxy Z Flip 6 (and the larger sibling of the one within the Razr Plus), we see some huge scores within the CPU and GPU exams from the Xiaomi Combine Flip. The one areas it falls down in comparison with the Z Flip 6 are within the multi-core part of the Geekbench benchmark and in its time to transcode a 4K video right into a 1080p one.

One different boast the Combine Flip could make is that it is WiFi 7 prepared. That is the most recent Wi-Fi normal, and one you are unlikely to seek out on a router you usually use for a number of years, so it is a good little bit of futureproofing from Xiaomi.

Xiaomi Combine Flip evaluate: Battery and charging

Xiaomi’s method forward of the competitors in the case of the Combine Flip’s battery specs. The 4,780 mAh battery is bigger than a number of regular-sized non-foldable units, and 67W wired charging is much speedier than all however a choose few telephones available on the market at this time.

In our personal testing, the Xiaomi Combine crammed as much as 33% from empty in quarter-hour, to 64% in half-hour and to full in 59 minutes. The Galaxy Z Flip will get to 55% in half an hour, which isn’t solely a smaller proportion however is fewer mAh crammed general too. Motorola gives as much as 45W charging with the Razr Plus, nevertheless it would not bundle the cellphone with a charger like Xiaomi does.

The Combine Flip’s capacious battery dropped 18% over 3 hours of Wi-Fi YouTube playback at 50% brightness. The Moto Razr misplaced 21% in the identical time, which does present the additional milliamp-hours are making a distinction for the Xiaomi. I had hoped for a wider margin contemplating the just about 20% dimension distinction in these telephones’ batteries although.

Xiaomi Combine Flip evaluate: Software program and particular options

Android 14, mixed with Xiaomi HyperOS, runs operations on the Combine Flip.The fundamentals are recognizably Android, however Xiaomi continues to closely modify the look of the interface, together with including components like cut up notifications/fast settings and customized app icons.

Xiaomi presently gives 4 years of Android updates for its telephones, and 5 years of safety updates, which beats the three years full /4 years safety updates supplied by Motorola for its Razrs. Samsung guarantees 7 years of full updates for the Z Flip 6, besting Xiaomi.

Xiaomi’s paid consideration to how different folding telephones have used their flexibility and their cowl shows, however its try and synthesize what’s come earlier than hasn’t had one of the best end result. The Combine Flip’s outer display screen is large, even accounting for the cameras taking on house inside it, which is a superb begin. It gives a widget stack within the high proper nook to shortly swipe between just a few pre-determined widgets and the choice to make use of just a few pre-selected apps on the principle grid that you could then use considerably as regular in a slim window to the aspect of the display screen, with the widget stack and cameras taking on the remainder of the house.

This technique’s kinda intelligent, nevertheless it’s splitting the distinction between the Moto Razr’s capacity to position or use something on its cowl display screen or the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s extra tailor-made widget expertise with its residence display screen possibility. The end result on the Combine Flip looks like an unsatisfying compromise.

The Combine Flip features a hover mode, which holds the hinge open at 90 levels or sharper angles for particular app modes. That is not so distinctive, nevertheless it proves simply as helpful as the opposite foldables’ model of the identical function. Nonetheless, Xiaomi’s model bugs out in apps like YouTube, stopping you seeing half the video you are watching till you restart the app. This might after all be mounted down the street, nevertheless it’s a difficulty I skilled a number of instances throughout my testing.

Xiaomi’s benefitted from a few of Google‘s unique AI options turning into overtly accessible. The Gemini assistant and Circle to Search are yours to make use of on the Combine Flip, and so are Xiaomi’s takes on AI stay and textual content translation, notes summarizing and organizing, recording and generative picture enhancing. You will discover extra, and extra polished, options on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, however the Combine Flip’s model is a lot serviceable for the everyday consumer.

Xiaomi Combine Flip evaluate: Verdict

I just like the Xiaomi Combine Flip rather a lot, even when it would not take as a lot benefit of its foldable standing as rival handsets do. When you think about the Combine Flip as a well-specced common smartphone that occurs to fold in half, you will higher recognize its strengths. However there are sturdy foldable choices on the market.

Even with the massive outer display screen, the best way Xiaomi desires you to make use of the Combine Flip is not well-optimized, and since flip foldables have a regular-sized interior show, you’ll be able to’t reap the benefits of tablet-style multitasking in the identical method you could possibly on a largeable foldable. However having entry to some key apps even with the cellphone shut and with the ability to use them with that wonderful interior show, fast chipset and frugal battery life, means you’ll be able to simply get one of the best out of the Combine Flip in additional mundane methods.

Customers wanting one of the best flip foldable expertise are going to be higher served by the Moto Razr 50 Extremely/Plus 2024 or the Galaxy Z Flip 6. And if you’d like the very best worth for the Combine Flips £1,099 asking worth, going with a Galaxy S24 Plus, Pixel 9 Pro or OnePlus 12 gives you one of the best general expertise. However regardless of itemizing a handful of different nice telephones you could possibly get for the cash, I am nonetheless going to overlook the Combine Flip as soon as I am completed with testing. What the Combine Flip does, it does effectively, even when I want it may do extra.