Xiaomi's next foldable ditches the tall book style for a squarer screen
Xiaomi is preparing a foldable phone with a near-square inner display, moving away from the tall, narrow screens that defined its previous Mix Fold lineup. Leaked images posted to Weibo show the front panel of what appears to be a passport-format device — wider and squarer than a standard book-style foldable. If the specs hold, it could land well below the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide on price.
The format shift
The inner display is reported to measure around 7.6 inches at a 4:3 aspect ratio — roughly the same footprint as Samsung's upcoming Z Fold 8 Wide, which is expected in July 2026. That proportion makes a real difference in daily use: web pages, documents, and split-screen apps feel far less cramped than on the elongated panels Xiaomi has shipped since the Mix Fold 4 in mid-2024. The camera cutout sits in the top-right corner of the inner screen, a placement Huawei also uses and one that tends to stay out of the way during video playback. Xiaomi has also increased the corner radius significantly compared to earlier models, giving the device a softer, more rounded silhouette.
Comparison with devices of a similar format. Illustration: Digital Chat Station
The chip and the competition
Reports pair the new foldable with Xiaomi's in-house XRing O3 processor and a 6,000mAh battery — a generous cell for a device this thin. The XRing O3 is unproven in benchmarks against Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, so real-world performance remains an open question until official data arrives.
The competitive picture is crowded. Samsung's Z Fold 8 Wide targets the same 7.6-inch 4:3 territory, and Apple's rumoured iPhone Ultra — also expected to adopt a passport format — could arrive in September 2026. Xiaomi's pricing history suggests it could undercut Samsung significantly: the Mix Fold 4 launched in Europe at around €1,140, and the Mix Flip is confirmed for European markets at €1,300–€1,400. A US or UK launch for the new passport-format model has not been announced, and Xiaomi typically takes six months to a year longer to bring foldables to Western markets after their China debut.
What's still unknown
No official name, release date, or confirmed specs exist yet — everything here comes from leaked panel images and supply-chain reports. Hinge durability, display brightness, and camera quality are all unknowns. Xiaomi has not commented on the device publicly. Worth keeping an eye on, but nothing to pre-order excitement over just yet.
