Chinese smartphone powerhouse Xiaomi has announced a new foldable display smartphone, the Mi Mix Fold.  The first folding display smartphone from the company, it uses a Samsung-style foldable form-factor, offers an 8.01 inch OLED folding display, and will go on sale in China starting at 9,999 yuan (a bit more than $1,500). 

The Mi Mix Fold is not the first folding device that Xiaomi has shown off, but it’s the first commercial foldable smartphone that the company has offered for sale. 

The Mi Mix Fold comes equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 SoC, a 5,020 mAh battery (actually two batteries that combined supply 5K mAh) and 67W charging which will power the phone to a full charge in less than 40 minutes.  It has a 108MP primary camera, a 13MP ultra-wide camera and an 8MP lens using liquid lens technology (a smartphone first) to support up to 3X telephoto and 30X digital zoom, plus macro capabilities.  The phone also comes equipped with a number of other top-notch features that are typically found only in premium devices.

What could make the Mi Mix Fold a huge hit in the US is its price.  At a retail price of around $1,500, Xiaomi’s foldable is $500 less than Samsung’s flagship folder.  In China the Mi Mix Fold will almost certainly be the best-selling foldable display smartphone.  It could also be a top seller in the USA and in Europe.  Here’s hoping Xiaomi doesn’t restrict it just to China.