Xiaomi Mi Mix launches next week with a liquid lens camera

Xiaomi is going all out with an experimental new liquid lens.

We already know the company is launching new flagships on March 29: the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra.

Now, however, Xiaomi has announced it will also unveil the new Mi Mix smartphone next week.

The Mi Mix moniker is typically reserved for Xiaomi's more experimental smartphones — the Mi Mix Alpha, for example, was essentially a large display wrapped around a phone.

We don't know what the new Mi Mix will look like, but Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun revealed on Weibo that it will be the first smartphone to come with a camera that has a liquid lens.

Xiaomi says the liquid lens is the first of its kind in a smartphone. Credit: xiaomi

According to Jun, the liquid lens, which Xiaomi developed itself, can "precisely control the shape of the liquid spherical surface through a motor to achieve precise and rapid focusing. At the same time, it has the characteristics of high light transmittance, ultra-low dispersion and resistance to extreme environments." In practical terms, such a lens can be both a macro and a telephoto lens, depending on use case.

According to Android Central, the Mi Mix will likely be a foldable smartphone, and will sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, just like the Xiaomi Mi 11 series. There's no word on other features, though the Mi Mix will almost certainly be a powerful phone.

The launch event for the Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra, and the new Mi Mix smartphone will be streamed online, and kicks off on March 29 at 7:30 p.m. Beijing time (7:30 a.m. ET).