Next week, Samsung will unveil its lineup of smartphones for the rest of the year, following the impressive launch of the S24 series in early 2024. The spotlight is on the Fold and Flip handsets, along with new accessories and upgrades. However, another smartphone manufacturer might steal the limelight from Samsung.
With the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event starting next week, we expect to finally get details on the Galaxy Ring and the Samsung Buds 3 Pro. These earbuds will offer a new iteration of some of the best earbuds for music right now. But the main focus will undoubtedly be on the Fold and Flip lineup.
As Samsung plans to reveal the latest generation of its upcoming foldable phones, many people are looking to Apple to deliver the rumored foldable iPhone as a rival. However, it seems Xiaomi is preparing to challenge Samsung by releasing a new foldable phone next week, right after Samsung's event.
According to leaker ICE UNIVERSE on Twitter, Xiaomi plans to release the Mix Fold 4 around July 12, 2024. The phone, which is launching around the same time as the foldable Honor Magic V3, will be Xiaomi’s slimmest folding phone ever, at just 9mm thick when folded. In comparison, the Fold 6 is expected to be 12.1mm, according to the same leaker. This would also make it slimmer than Honor’s Magic V2, which is 9.9mm when folded, potentially making it one of the thinnest foldable phones on the market.
Even better, Xiaomi is expected to release the Mix Fold 4 on a global scale. Both the Mix Fold 2 and 3 were exclusive to China, but if the price is right, Xiaomi could undercut Samsung and deliver a competitive foldable smartphone, especially since a cheaper Samsung Fold isn't expected anytime soon.
While foldable phones remain niche compared to standard handsets, innovation in the market could make folding smartphones more accessible and exciting than ever. Competition is always thrilling, and we are also eagerly anticipating Apple's foldable iPhone with its rumored superhero healing powers.