The Xiaomi Combine Flip is Xiaomi’s first foldable clamshell smartphone to hit the market. It is also the one credible competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (assessment). On this assessment, I’ll let whether or not Xiaomi’s breakthrough star stepping on Samsung’s turf is successful or not.
Good
- Lovely end
- Giant, shiny, and practical cowl display screen
- Good photograph high quality
- Superb battery life and environment friendly quick charging
Unhealthy
- The place are the AI features?
- Overheating issues
- No IP score
- No wi-fi charging
Xiaomi Combine Flip: All offers
The Xiaomi Combine Flip in a nutshell
The Xiaomi Combine Flip has been out there throughout varied components of the world since late September 2024. It arrives in a single 12/512 GB configuration with an asking value of €1,299. It isn’t out there within the US on an official foundation, therefore there is no such thing as a MSRP in US$. These residing within the US who’re would possibly need to take a look at gray or parallel imports at your personal danger.
Design and shows
The Xiaomi Combine Flip boasts a neat design with a matte glass end on the again and a big cowl display screen in entrance. Nevertheless, the smartphone lacks an IP score. It is a main sin that the majority of its rivals now not commit.
Execs:
- Lovely end.
- Strong hinge.
- 120 Hz refresh fee for the principle display screen.
- 120 Hz refresh fee for the quilt show.
Cons:
- No IP score.
- A fingerprint magnet.
- No safety specified for the glass again.
Design
The Xiaomi Combine Flip boasts an aluminum body, a matte glass again with no particular safety, and a 4-inch cowl show protected by Xiaomi Protect Glass. Xiaomi’s foldable smartphone is available in two colours: black and purple. The smartphone has no IP score for defense towards water and dirt. Its hinge can stay opened at any angle, so the smartphone would not shut by itself.
I discovered the design of the Xiaomi Combine Flip to be very neat. The matte again is nice to the contact. The rounded corners make it snug to carry. The bodily buttons on the left are simple to entry, whether or not the smartphone is folded or totally opened. The absence of an IP score is regrettable contemplating how the Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes with an IP48 certification. The Motorola Razr 40 (assessment) and Razr 40 Extremely (assessment) characteristic IP52 certification. As for the metal hinge mechanism, it proved to be stable sufficient and supplied adequate resistance.
Shows
The Xiaomi Combine Flip’s cowl show is a 4-inch AMOLED. Decision stands at 2912 x 1224 with a pixel density of 460 dpi. The refresh fee stands at 120 Hz (not LTPO) and brightness can hit 3,000 nits at peak.
The interior, foldable display screen is a 6.86″ OLED panel with flat edges and a 22:9 facet ratio. Decision and pixel density stay the identical because the exterior show. The refresh fee varies between 1 and 120 Hz (LTPO) and most brightness can also be 3,000 nits at peak.
I actually loved utilizing the Xiaomi Combine Flip’s cowl show. It is larger than that of the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s 3.4 inches. The consumer interface additionally tailored properly to stop the 2 top-left digital camera lenses from getting in the best way. The power to make use of precise functions and never simply widgets can also be a giant plus level.
The interior display screen can also be very massive. Colorimetry is somewhat vivid and I fairly appreciated it. This foldable display screen can also be very shiny. The crease is visually discreet, however it may possibly nonetheless be felt when touched. Lastly, I’d have appreciated the bezels of the display screen to be just a little thinner.
Interface and OS
The Xiaomi Combine Flip runs on
HyperOS, Xiaomi’s pores and skin which is predicated on
Android 14. The smartphone ought to obtain 4 Android updates and 5 years of safety updates. Sadly, Xiaomi adopted Apple’s unhappy instance by overselling AI options in a very sloppy method, bordering on false promoting.
Execs:
- 4 Android updates + 5 years of safety updates.
- Extremely customizable cowl show.
- HyperOS continues to be nice for multitasking.
Cons:
- AI features, the place the hell are they?!
AI Notes, AI Interpreter, AI Portrait, and so forth… On Xiaomi’s official web site, the suite of AI options regarded very cool. Sadly, nearly none of those options can be found on the Xiaomi Combine Flip. Similar to Apple, Xiaomi appeared to have improvised just a little an excessive amount of and resembles a modern-day online game developer who sells an incomplete product on the again of a promise of future updates that can arrive who is aware of when.
Fortuitously, I used to be capable of find these features on the Xiaomi 14T Professional (assessment) which was mendacity across the editorial workplace. I will be again with a full-length article on the topic, however I am not going to dwell on it on this assessment. I am properly conscious that not everybody considers AI features to be indispensable. Nevertheless, Xiaomi is actually capturing itself within the foot with such opaque communication. It is so difficult to make a listing of which features shall be out there on which mannequin, and when!
Other than that, the first new characteristic of HyperOS (assessment) is the customization menu for the Combine Flip’s cowl show: you may select between a number of lock display screen types with varied wallpapers and clock designs. The identical goes for the All the time-on Show mode.
The out there widgets are somewhat restricted however I discovered them good. There’s climate, clock, calendar, well being, and music. These widgets are displayed under the digital camera lenses and they don’t take up an excessive amount of house.
Better of all, you need to use sure functions of their “full” model, and never simply as widgets. The record of supported apps shouldn’t be very lengthy although. Xiaomi as soon as once more promised so as to add extra help by way of…you’ve got guessed it — future updates. Here is a hopefully exhaustive record of suitable apps:
- YouTube / Digicam / Messages / Cellphone / Calendar / Calculator / Music / Climate / Voice recorder / Clock / Google / Chrome / Mi Health
I feel this makes the Xiaomi Combine Flip’s foldable clamshell format all of the extra related. The quilt show would not simply operate as an additional display screen. It is practical and permits me to learn insults within the feedback of my articles with out having to unfold my smartphone and waste my vitality.
Efficiency and SoC
The SoC of the Xiaomi Combine Flip is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The smartphone comes with 512 GB of UFS 4.0 storage and 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Regardless of such firepower, Xiaomi’s clamshell smartphone struggles to deal with the uncooked efficiency of its chip.
Execs:
- Highly effective graphics efficiency with 60 FPS for gaming.
Cons:
Within the 3D Mark graphics banchmarks used for this assessment, the Xiaomi Combine Flip had main overheating points. I could not receive a rating as a result of the smartphone would shut down when it overheated.
This can’t be attributed to Xiaomi’s lack of know-how in optimizing temperature management. It has to do with the Combine Flip’s design. The chassis of a clamshell smartphone could be very slender, and warmth diffusion is poor. Even the Galaxy Z Flip 6, with the identical SoC, solely achieved 38% stability on the 20-minute 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Check Excessive. That is already a fairly unhealthy rating.
In distinction, a “common” smartphone just like the Xiaomi 14T Professional, powered by an equal chip, achieved 88% stability.
| Xiaomi Combine Flip (Snapdragon 8 Gen 3) |
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (Snapdragon 8 Gen 3) |
Xiaomi 14T Professional (Dimensity 9300+) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Mark Wild Life Excessive | 4,477 | 4,892 | 5,088 |
| 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Check Excessive | Overheated | Finest loop: 4,735 Worst loop: 1,815 Stability: 38.33 |
Finest loop: 2,983 Worst loop: 2,633 Stability: 88.3% |
| AnTuTu | 1,819,590 | 1,456,322 | 2,013,101 |
| Geekbench 6 | Single: 2,134 Multi: 6,828 |
Single: 2,259 Multi: 6,915 |
Single: 2,188 Multi: 7,158 |
In sensible use, I used to be capable of run demanding video games like Enviornment Breakout at 120 FPS with out too many issues. With regards to longer gaming classes, count on some framerate loss.
The smartphone tends to warmth up across the cowl show, particularly across the cameras. Be aware that it by no means actually acquired too scorching, both.
Picture high quality
The Xiaomi Combine Flip incorporates a twin digital camera module on its cowl display screen. There is a essential lens and a 50 MP telephoto lens every, lacking out on an extremely wide-angle lens. The interior display screen homes a 32 MP selfie lens. Regardless of a generally fickle focus and common selfie high quality, I used to be pleasantly stunned by the photograph high quality of the Xiaomi Combine Flip.
Execs:
- Efficient essential lens for each day and night time pictures.
- Portrait mode gives a wealth of prospects.
- Versatile digital camera module regardless of the shortage of an extremely wide-angle lens.
Cons:
- The telephoto lens’ digital zoom shouldn’t be very efficient.
- Redundant selfie digital camera.
Principal lens high quality
In daylight, and regardless of unhealthy climate, I discovered the pictures captured to be very detailed. So long as you do not activate the “AI digital camera” mode, colorimetry stays somewhat pure. You may all the time select between the Leica Vibrant or Leica Genuine impact. I a lot desire the Vibrant model. The Leica Genuine mode darkens pictures an excessive amount of and creates a vignette impact that dulls colours and accentuates sure contrasts an excessive amount of.
Personally, the absence of an extremely wide-angle lens did not hassle me in any respect. I might a lot somewhat have a devoted telephoto lens than an extremely extensive angle.
Zoom high quality
The Xiaomi Combine Flip’s 50 MP telephoto lens can function a 2x optical zoom, a 4x hybrid zoom, and 5x, 10x, and 20x digital zooms. The 2x optical zoom is all the time efficient. The 4x hybrid zoom smoothened the picture just a little an excessive amount of to restrict digital noise. In consequence, pictures lose a good quantity of sharpness.
With digital zoom, artifacts spoiled the rendering an excessive amount of. At 10x and 20x, we’ve main sharpening issues, with the sides of topics highlighted as a result of the algorithm accentuated the micro-contrasts of the sides to make the topic extra seen regardless of the blur created by digital noise.
Selfie and portrait mode high quality
The selfie digital camera is ineffective for pictures. That is not an issue in any respect. The selfies I took by turning the smartphone the other way up and utilizing the principle lens had been all excellent. The portrait mode additionally labored very properly. You may change the depth of discipline manually, in addition to the zoom stage.
Focal lengths of 23 and 35 mm are lined by the principle lens, and people of fifty and 75 mm by the telephoto lens. There’s loads of option to create stunning bokeh results. The power to make use of the quilt display screen as a viewfinder can also be very sensible.
Night time-time high quality
At night time, Xiaomi all the time pleasantly stunned me. I’ve had a couple of worries about lens flare, as a result of I am completely garbage at composition and do not suppose to be careful for avenue lamps mendacity round. Nevertheless, the extent of element and legibility of the scene are nonetheless top-notch, with out sacrificing the pure look of the night time atmosphere. Nevertheless, these remarks solely apply to the principle lens. The opposite two lenses are much less helpful at night time, particularly the 32 MP selfie digital camera.
As for video, the Xiaomi Combine Flip can document in 4K at 60 FPS with all its lenses. That is glorious as the principle lens may even do 8K at 24 FPS, however that is of little curiosity to me.
Battery and charging
The Xiaomi Combine Flip’s 4,780 mAh battery proved itself very sturdy. The 67W quick charging could be very respectable. In contrast to the Galaxy Z Flip 6, the Xiaomi Combine Flip doesn’t help wi-fi charging however at the least it contains the charger within the field.
Execs:
- Glorious battery life.
- Environment friendly 67W charging.
- Charger is included.
Cons:
- No wi-fi charging help
On the PC Mark benchmark, the Xiaomi Combine Flip lasted 15h 32 earlier than dropping under the 20% battery mark. That is an excellent rating. For this check, I left the smartphone totally opened. In on a regular basis use, the smartphone will spend most of its time folded. There isn’t any doubt that it will lengthen its battery, because the cowl show is sure to devour much less vitality.
As for charging, it took me simply over 50 minutes to go from 0 to 100% with the official 67W charger. In 20 minutes, the smartphone had recovered greater than half its capability.
| Charging pace | Xiaomi Combine Flip (4780 mAh | 67 W ) |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | |
| 10 minutes | |
| 20 minutes | |
| half-hour | |
| Full cost |
Technical knowledge
| Technical knowledge | ||
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| System | Xiaomi Combine Flip | |
| Picture |  |
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Exterior display screen:
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Inner display screen:
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| SoC |
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| Reminiscence |
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| OS |
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| Digicam module |
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| Selfie digital camera |
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| Battery |
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| Connectivity |
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| IP certification | ||
| Dimensions and weight |
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Conclusion
Would I like to recommend you purchase the Xiaomi Combine Flip? Sure and no.
For my part, the Xiaomi Combine Flip is extra fascinating and cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, its direct competitor. Its photograph high quality is best and its digital camera module is extra versatile.
It additionally has a slight edge when it comes to battery life as properly, to not point out a sooner charging fee. The quilt show can also be rather more practical than Samsung’s.
However the absence of an IP score on such an costly smartphone actually bothered me. Throughout my photograph session within the rain, I used to be actually burdened about subjecting the Xiaomi Combine Flip to the slightest drop of water.
Overheating issues had been additionally a severe flaw in my eyes. And that is not even coming into the half-baked makes an attempt of together with AI features which nonetheless remained in my thoughts. Samsung’s foldable clamshell smartphone additionally gives a greater software program improve coverage than Xiaomi.
Nevertheless, I felt the Xiaomi Combine Flip managed to take higher benefit of the clamshell format than its Samsung rival. In that sense, it is a extra related smartphone. And, sorry to repeat myself, it’s cheaper.
What do you consider the Xiaomi Combine Flip after this complete assessment? Do you suppose it is extra fascinating than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6? Can Xiaomi dislodge Samsung from its throne on the high of the foldable smartphone market?