Weekly poll results: Xiaomi Mix Fold3 sparks excitement at a distance

Is the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 the best horizontal foldable yet? According to the results from last week’s poll, the answer seems to be a firm “yes”, but with a big catch – so far, Xiaomi has made no plans to bring the Fold 3 to the global market, leaving it as a China exclusive.

And that’s a problem for all those would-be buyers that live elsewhere. Some like the foldable well enough that they will try to import a unit, accepting the risks that come with buying a pricey device that has no official support (software and hardware) nearby.

The phone’s camera setup – 50MP main, 5x and 3.2x tele (both 10MP) and a 12MP ultra wide, all with Leica tuning – are compelling, the 4,800mAh battery with 67W wired and 50W wireless charging are standout features a well.

But they are not enough to be worth the hassle of a gray market import for one third of voters. And unless Xiaomi changes its foldables strategy, the Mix Fold 3 will remain just a curiosity for a large part of the market.

Then there are those who are not convinced that the Mix Fold 3 is worth it, even if it was widely available. Some still have durability concerns (Xiaomi is still lagging behind and offers no IP rating), some want extra features like expandable storage, others think that 6.56” (21:9) folded and 8.03” unfolded is just too big, and others still just think that the competition has better horizontal foldables.

Price is a concern too – the Chinese pricing is lower than what the Mix Fold 3 would cost in other regions, due to local taxes and such. But we won’t know how much it would actually cost until Xiaomi decides to try and sell it elsewhere.

Until then, this latest Mix remains a cool phone that is only accessible to our Chinese readers and a few brave souls elsewhere.