Official: Xiaomi’s next foldable smartphone launches in August

Previous rumors indicate that Xiaomi’s next foldable smartphone, the Mix Fold 3, is launching in Q2 2023, but until today there was no official statement pointing to a release window for the flagship. Early this week, Xiaomi’s President Lu Weibing finally confirmed that the Mix Fold 3 is slated for an August launch.

According to his comments on Weibo (via GSMArena), the Mix Fold 3 will be the first smartphone to be mass produced by the new Smart Factory. One other important piece of information revealed by the Xiaomi official is the fact that the Mix Fold 3 will be equipped with cameras manufactured by Leica.

The partnership between Xiaomi and Leica goes way back to the 12S Ultra, the Chinese manufacturer’s first phone to feature Leica lens. Meanwhile, Xiaomi released a couple of other smartphones that feature Leica lens, so Mix Fold 3 packing Leica-branded cameras doesn’t come as a surprise.

As far as the other specs go, little else is known about Xiaomi’s upcoming foldable smartphone. Rumor has it that the Mix Fold 3 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and it will feature a 5x periscope zoom lens on the back. Design-wise, the Mix Fold 3 is expected to be thinner and lighter than the previous model.

Unfortunately, the Mix Fold 3 is likely to follow the same pattern as the Mix Fold 2 and remain exclusively available in China. We don’t expect Xiaomi to release the Mix Fold 3 globally, although surprises may happen.