There have been reports that Xiaomi will return to launching a book-style foldable phone in 2026 after taking a break last year. A new leak that surfaced today reveals a key detail about the upcoming Xiaomi foldable.
Xiaomi’s next foldable to have magnetic modular capabilities
Tipster Smart Pikachu suggests that Xiaomi may be testing a foldable smartphone with magnetic modular capabilities. The device is said to feature a magnetic attachment system, possibly allowing modular accessories to connect to the phone. According to the leak, the handset involves a high level of in-house development, and prototypes are currently being tested with flat, right-angled frames, hinting at a new design direction.
The hashtag used by the tipster refers to this phone as the Xiaomi Mix Fold 5. If the above device exists for real, it may not be called Mix Fold 5, since the company was expected to use this moniker for its 2025 foldable phone. As is known, it did not release a book-style foldable phone last year.
Therefore, it is likely that the said device may carry a different moniker. Supporting this claim, a device with the model number 26023PN08C was spotted in the IMEI database back in September last year. The use of the letters “PN”, which the brand uses for its numeric flagship series instead of the usual “PX” used for the MIX series, suggests that it could end up as a Xiaomi 17 series device. The publication that reported it speculated that it could be called the Xiaomi 17 Fold.
The publication also revealed that Xiaomi’s foldable phone may feature a 16-megapixel front camera and a 50-megapixel secondary front camera. It also stated that its rear camera setup may include a 200-megapixel Samsung HP5 main camera and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens. Under the hood, it may feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.
