On Friday, the Chinese tech giant Xiaomi entered the foldable phone arena by introducing its first-ever flip phone alongside an updated version of its foldable device.
The Mix Flip, priced at 5,999 yuan ($825), comes with the added feature of instantly printing pictures through a separately available portable printer.
Initial orders for the Mix Flip kick off on Friday, with deliveries slated to commence next Tuesday.
Accompanying the foldable phone, Xiaomi also launched the newest iteration of its folding device, the Mix Fold 4, maintaining a price point of 8,999 yuan.
During the product launch event, Xiaomi’s founder Lei Jun showcased the Mix Fold 4’s capability to facilitate simultaneous translation with distinct languages displayed on each side of the screen, without extensive emphasis on the device’s AI attributes.
Lei Jun cautioned about limited stock availability for the portable printer.
In late March, Xiaomi ventured into the electric vehicle market with the release of its SU7 sedan, pricing it competitively against Tesla’s Model 3.
Lei Jun disclosed that over 30,000 SU7 vehicles have been delivered thus far, setting a target of 100,000 deliveries by November, a month earlier than initially projected.
To meet escalating demand, Xiaomi has extended its factory operations in southern Beijing to 16-hour shifts daily, manned by a workforce of approximately 2,000 individuals alongside 700 robots.
Upcoming enhancements to the SU7 in August will enable external voice control functionality.
Lei Jun commenced the event with his fifth annual address, highlighting how U.S. sanctions in January 2021 prompted strategic diversification into an automotive venture as a potential alternate revenue stream to smartphone sales.
Xiaomi successfully contested the U.S. sanctions and was delisted in May 2021.
Lei Jun outlined Xiaomi’s ambition to develop the fastest four-door electric car to tackle the Nurburgring race track in Germany within the next decade, with on-ground trials of a new SU7 racing variant commencing in October.
In a contrasting move, Zeekr, under the ownership of Geely, unveiled a limited F1-inspired iteration of its 001 electric vehicle in October 2023.
