Smartphone Xiaomi Mi Mix Flex (Mi DualFlex) – advantages and disadvantages

Xiaomi Corporation adheres to a characteristic strict style in its own phones. Experiments in this regard, by the way, include the release of the “frameless” Xiaomi Mi Mix and the slider Mi Mix 3. This year, the brand is trying to transform the traditional style and wants to release a device that will be based on a folding screen and the ability to fold in half.

Not so long ago it became known that LG will provide a matrix for the phone, and now other sources have shared more extensive information about the new Xiaomi Mi Mix Flex (Mi DualFlex) smartphone, the advantages and disadvantages of which are discussed in this article.

Positioning

Phones with widescreen displays, full frameless devices, sliders and folding gadgets. The mobile device market is actively moving forward, and despite the decline in sales, it is still far from “retirement”. Just a couple of years ago, it was said that the phone industry was “dead”, and manufacturers would not be able to impress users with something else, however, as practice shows, there are still a lot of ideas.

At the end of last year, the world was a little stunned by the unique FlexPai device that can be folded in half. Of course, FlexPai is far from ideal and it has many drawbacks, but it is really possible to buy it, since all its disadvantages are mainly in the software. Simply put, this is a finished product that transforms from a phone to a tablet PC and vice versa. Despite the fact that such a “trick” was expected for a long time, the release of a bending phone caused a lot of excitement.

The rest of the corporations are also aware that such devices have potential, in connection with which, not so long ago, the Xiaomi brand demonstrated on a video a phone of its manufacture that functions in a similar way. On the technical side, the device is more advanced, since it folds not 2, but 3 times. In addition, there is information that Xiaomi will launch the device very soon. And now in more detail.

What will it be called?

As for the name of the device, there is no reliable data for today, and some call it Mi Mix Flex, and others Mi DualFlex (probably due to the two curving halves). This phone from Xiaomi Corporation has been discussed for a long time, but from now on, all speculation and rumors have been formally supported by representatives of the brand.For example, the president of Xiaomi Corporation Lin Bin recently showed the functioning of the device in a video:

The video is truly mind-boggling, as the phone captured on it is fundamentally different from what FlexPai provides and what will be offered in the foldable Galaxy F, which Samsung will showcase at the end of the month. Xiaomi Corporation has chosen a different path, and this is good, because for the first time the brand does not imitate anyone at all. It is clear that the president of the corporation bends the engineering model in the video, and it must be admitted that the device looks and even functions perfectly.

One way or another, Xiaomi Corporation decided not to limit itself to one video, because after a while the president of the corporation published a post on the Chinese social network Weibo, where he shared a few more details regarding Mi Mix Flex. Lin Bin pointed out that there were a lot of difficulties with the manufacture of the device, as the developers had to solve difficult problems that are associated with the protective layer of the display, the screen itself, and the device for transforming the phone into a tablet PC.

In addition, the programmers of the corporation had to work on adapting the MIUI OS for this device. However, all the difficulties are almost solved, and Xiaomi Mi Mix Flex (Mi DualFlex) in any case will be the first phone on the planet that works on both sides.

Xiaomi Mi Mix Flex (Mi Dual Flex) Preview

Most phone companies have gone into the trend of flexible devices. Xiaomi Corporation has decided to keep up with its rivals and from now on, more and more information is published on the Internet regarding what it is preparing to provide the market with a similar solution.

Appearance

Xiaomi Corporation has designed its idea of ​​a foldable smartphone, and it is completely different from the concept that is proposed by Samsung and described in the demonstration by Google employees. It is worth recalling that these 2 titans of electronics represent promising folding mobile phones in the form of clamshells. In fact, they should be tablet PCs, folded in half, like a paper sheet, transforming into a smartphone.

Xiaomi Corporation came up with a different idea. There are 2 “joints” in their device, and the tablet PC is divided into 3 zones:

• Central - it works as a display in telephone mode;
• 2 sides, which are parts of the same dimensions that can be folded back to switch from tablet to phone mode.

It looks more exciting. The smartphone feels more familiar in the hand, reminiscent of the Galaxy S7 Edge with a distinct 3D display curvature.

The shell material will be protected by glass. The power button is on the top. The location of other buttons, as well as card slots, speaker and slots is still hidden. They are not seen in the video.

Preliminary Specifications

Almost nothing has been said about the hardware, but some information is still there.

Screen

The video shows how the president of the corporation holds the device between his thumb and little finger. This indicates that the concept of a display diagonal can be up to 7 inches.

The matrix will be made using AMOLED technology, since it is unrealistic to turn off the backlight and bend the edges on IPS.

Interface

For the help of Google Corporation, the Xiaomi brand should not be hoped for in terms of creating software. Except for the smallest, since the search engine regularly introduces some kind of "zest" with a delay.

Xiaomi programmers themselves adapt MIUI, and the video shows that it already functions tolerably.

But the main difficulty lies not in the adaptation of the shell, but in the programs. They should be the least partly redesigned for similar displays. And this is necessary for all foldable devices, not only from Xiaomi Corporation.

Users rely heavily on the advanced functionality of the device as they transition to tablet mode. It is worth recalling that the interface in Mi Pad is similar to the phone one. It is not fitted to a large diagonal, deprived of good features that would fit in a tablet PC. In general, albeit not immediately, but Xiaomi Corporation and other manufacturers should work on the Tablet mode.

cameras

Alas, there is no information about the photographic module, even speculation and rumors. But it is worth noting that for such a unique device, you can choose an expensive, advanced camera. This is reasonable considering that even Redmi Note 7 will be released with a 48 MP IMX586 sensor from Sony. It would be paradoxical to see anything worse in Dual Flex (Mix) when compared with a budget model.

Architecture

According to rumors, the device will be equipped with an 8-core 855 chip from Snapdragon, which is built on an innovative project for Qualcomm, namely:

• 4 energy-saving Kryo 485 Silver clocked at 1.8 GHz;
• 3 productive Kryo 485 Gold clocked at 2.42 GHz;
• 1 Alpha core Kryo 485 Gold Prime clocked at 2.84 GHz.

It will be complemented by the Adreno 640 graphics accelerator, which, without much difficulty, opens any game. The RAM will presumably be no less than 8 GB.

This would be a good “stuffing” for Xiaomi DualFlex, because a large display needs an increased format and, of course, increased architecture performance.

The fact is that he will have to draw more pixels, in particular, this applies to games. Such a "combine" of multimedia capabilities simply must be smart, easily solve any problems. Therefore, it is unlikely that Xiaomi will choose last year's processor for these purposes.

Mistakes Xiaomi DualFlex

It’s worth mentioning right away that the video shows a preliminary model, which does not exclude a lot of shortcomings. However, there are some very significant ones. It is worth noting that they are relevant not only for this device, but also for its "relatives" from other manufacturers.

Back light

Most likely, attentive users noticed in the video the backlight that did not go out on the sides when Lin Bin bent them back. This should not happen in continuous operation. The fact is that the “wings” remain sensitive to touch, and the backlight consumes a lot of energy.

Neutralization of accidental clicks

The first minus leads to the second. The developers of Xiaomi Corporation literally have to use such an advanced algorithm that would not identify accidental touches on the sides. At one time, Samsung had difficulty with this when they released the first smartphones with rounded screens.

Placement of photo modules

I wonder where they put the rear camera, and whether there will be a front camera, because they were not visible on the video.There are suggestions that it will be possible to use it exclusively in tablet mode, and the camera itself is on the panel, since there are no holes or protrusions on the display, and when the “wings” hide back, they hide everything, leaving no room for the lens.

Wholeness

In some parts of the video, which was filmed from behind the president of Xiaomi Corporation, the unevenness of the engineering model is striking. The developers have not yet succeeded in adjusting the device in such a way that the fastening takes place qualitatively and completely evenly.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Unique design concept;
• Incredibly powerful architecture.

• It's unclear how and when apps and games will be adapted;
• The shortcomings mentioned in the review.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the estimated average price of the new model will be approximately 85,500 rubles. If this really turns out to be true, then Xiaomi Mix Flex will be the most expensive phone for the entire period of work of Xiaomi Corporation. The release of the phone is expected in the second quarter of 2019.