Xiaomi Mix 5 is coming back — five years after the last one
Xiaomi is reviving its Mix flagship line after a five-year gap. Internal company code spotted by XiaomiTime references a device codenamed "hongkong" with model number Q5 — the Q prefix consistent with a 2026 release window in Xiaomi's internal naming scheme, and the 5 pointing directly at the Mix series. No official announcement has been made, but the code entry hasn't been contradicted by Xiaomi either.
The phone
The Mix 5 is expected to run Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, which would make it Xiaomi's first flagship built around that chip. Under-display camera (UDC) technology — which hides the selfie lens beneath the screen for a completely clean front panel — is set to return from the Mix 4, and Xiaomi is claiming the tech has finally reached mass-production maturity. That claim deserves some skepticism: the Mix 4's UDC still showed visible graininess in independent reviews, and "production ready" doesn't automatically mean on par with a conventional punch-hole camera. Proof will come from post-launch testing.
Also tipped: a magnetic interchangeable lens system for the rear camera, reportedly entering mass production in February 2026. The concept was shown off by Xiaomi previously but never shipped on a retail device. Out of the box, the Mix 5 is expected to run HyperOS 4, due to launch in August 2026 — placing it among the first phones to ship with Xiaomi's next major software platform, per Gizchina.
Availability
The Mix series went global with the Mix 4 only in China. This time, internal data confirms an international rollout covering global markets, India, and the EEA — Japan is explicitly excluded. For UK buyers, Xiaomi already sells the 17 Ultra through Currys and John Lewis, so a Mix 5 retail path exists. A Q4 2026 arrival looks plausible, though no date or pricing has been confirmed.
The competition
The timing isn't accidental. Samsung has leaned heavily into foldables, leaving the flat-screen flagship space less crowded than it has been in years. Neither the OnePlus 15 nor the Oppo Find X9 Pro uses under-display cameras, so Mix 5 has a genuine hardware differentiator — if the UDC quality holds up. Whether that's enough to justify a premium price tag against the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra will depend on exactly what Xiaomi charges and when it actually ships.
