• Xiaomi unveiled a foldable smartphone, and a humanoid robot and plans for $490 million in R&D for autonomous driving.
• CEO Lei Jun said the company will be a leader in the smart electric car market by 2024.
• Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is 11.2mm thin when closed, it has a 50MP main camera and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

At a products update, Xiaomi unveiled a foldable smartphone, a humanoid robot, and plans for $490 million in R&D for autonomous driving.

At the event, CEO Lei Jun explained Xiaomi’s intention to become a leader in the smart electric car market by 2024. Xiaomi first announced its entry into the area in March 2021, when it said it would invest CNY10 billion in it over ten years.

Jun said Xiaomi has hired 500 people for the area and is exploring automated driving technology. It plans to add 100 local workers.

The Chinese automaker has already acquired vehicle companies.

Jun said Xiaomi will utilise 140 test vehicles to develop autonomous driving technologies.

Unfolding challenge

Xiaomi introduced the Mix Fold 2 a day after Samsung’s latest foldables.

The Mi Mix Fold successor is initially available only in mainland China.

Xiaomi’s latest foldable device is 11.2 mm thin when closed, the company says.

Both the 6.56-inch and 8.02-inch screens feature Samsung components.

It has a 50MP main camera and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 CPU. 4500 mAh.

The tablet and Redmi smartphone announced will be available in mainland China on August 16. The 256GB model costs CNY9,000, while the 1TB model costs CNY11,699.

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