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By Ifthakaar Shaik, Co-founder of Vitruvian Medical Diagnostics

The African healthcare industry faces an immediate challenge: a dire shortage of skilled professionals, leading to alarmingly low doctor and nurse-to-population ratios in many countries. Training medical professionals, especially specialists like pathologists or oncologists, is a multi-year long process. Moreover, foundational education at the primary and secondary levels is crucial to supply tertiary institutions with a stream of candidates equipped with the necessary aptitude, literacy, and numeracy skills to pursue medicine.

Recent technological leaps catalysed by the COVID-19 pandemic and expanding telecommunications infrastructure, including ventures like Starlink, have bridged some of the distance between communities in need of medical services. Telemedicine offers those with limited physical access to healthcare professionals a chance to benefit from their expertise. Still, the scope of what can be accomplished via a video call is limited. Accurate diagnoses are particularly challenging. Medical professionals rely heavily on information relayed by patients or, in the best-case scenarios, by lesser-skilled colleagues following instructions remotely.

Compounding these issues, Africa grapples with a healthcare brain drain. To shore up shortages in their own healthcare systems, “developed” markets actively poach African healthcare workers, further depleting the continent’s medical resources.

It’s within this landscape that artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a revolutionary force in healthcare. Its precise deployment can literally mean the difference between life and death in underserved areas and can dramatically reduce healthcare costs in the neediest markets.

Creating an onramp for usage before reaching the AI tipping point

AI’s promise in healthcare is undeniable. However, this potential can be wasted if we fail to bridge the divide between the digital realm and real-world applications. The most groundbreaking healthcare software becomes moot if not pragmatically integrated into devices used on the ground.

Our journey at VitruvianMD illustrates this challenge. Though our primary focus is healthcare, AI remains our foundational tool. One significant motivation behind our company’s inception was to address the skill shortage in pathology, an essential but understaffed field in Africa.

Our initial target was malaria. In 2021, malaria claimed around 593,000 lives in Sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 96% of global malaria deaths. Initially, it seemed that AI could assist in addressing this problem, however, as our company development progressed, it became evident that we needed tangible means to bridge the gap between AI’s theoretical benefits and practical implementation. Collaborating with experts, we merged AI with biomedical engineering, creating a universal-fit microscope camera. Equipped with cutting-edge software, this camera provides users with detailed analyses of their samples.

Taking this integrated approach, and by working in partnership with the medical community, we were able to develop tools addressing not only malaria but other conditions that benefit from timely pathology services.

We’re even moving towards a space where even non-pathologist medical professionals are able to accurately analyse samples. Additionally, pathologists could soon be able to remotely analyse samples.

AI can fill skill voids and reduce costs

This is no small gain. In transit, a lot can go wrong. A blood sample could become contaminated, be sent to the wrong place or not arrive at all. By providing on-site testers with enough information to either make a diagnosis or communicate what they receive to skilled personnel in a different location, we mitigate the transport risk inherent in a region with such a low pathologist-patient ratio. This doesn’t even factor in the everyday infrastructural obstacles that patients throughout the continent grapple with.

Removing these kinds of obstacles results in quicker diagnoses and decreased expenses throughout the healthcare process. These benefits can then be directly utilised to enhance patient care at the point of service. In severe circumstances, a delay in pathological diagnosis, for whatever cause, could mean the difference between life and death for a patient.

Additionally, by enabling those who are not pathologists to perform tasks within pathology, the camera and its accompanying software assist in bridging a significant skills gap. As it stands, there is only one pathologist for every million people in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, this statistic is somewhat skewed, with the majority of these pathologists being based in South Africa.

The forthcoming decades will witness AI’s transformative impact on healthcare. As we stand on the precipice of this revolution, it’s evident that the integration of AI into healthcare will shape its future, promising substantial benefits for Africa and other developing nations.

Over the next two to three decades, AI is poised to revolutionise healthcare in ways we can only begin to fathom now. At present, we’re merely glimpsing the tip of the iceberg in terms of AI’s potential in this sector. The nexus between the future of healthcare and AI integration will be indomitable. Particularly, African nations and other developing regions have a golden opportunity to reap substantial benefits from these advancements

By Ololade Odunsi, Talent Acquisition Lead at Founders Factory Africa

After years of growth, the global technology sector entered a downturn in the second half of 2022, thanks to a combination of inflation, rising interest rates, and faltering supply chains. As a result, companies that just months before hadn’t been able to hire fast enough suddenly had to shed jobs en masse.

In fact, Crunchbase estimates that there have been nearly 160,000 layoffs among US tech companies so far in 2023 (in addition to the 93 000 that were lost in 2022). In Europe, meanwhile, tech startups laid off some 40,000 workers between March 2022 and March 2023.

Many of the companies behind these layoffs also have operations in Africa, meaning that the continent hasn’t been spared the impact of the global tech downturn. With funding and investment now more difficult to come by, the worst may not be over either.

But that doesn’t mean skilled African tech ecosystem workers can’t build the resilience necessary to ride out the current downturn and come out the other end thriving. Whether they do so by expanding their skillsets, starting their own businesses, or (for those who remain employed) finding new ways of adding value to the companies they work for, it is possible to acknowledge the very real difficulties of this period while also seeing to the potential for new opportunities.

Growing out 21st Century skills

One of the most important things any tech worker can do right now is build out their 21st Century skills. That’s been important for a while, especially as linear career paths become less and less common. A few years ago, for example, someone might have started out in the product operations team of a company before becoming a product specialist, product manager, and then head of product. While that occasionally does still happen, an employee may be asked to fill different roles in their time with a company and develop skills accordingly.

But developing diverse skills is even more critical if you’re looking for a new position (or are likely to be in the near future). More particularly, tech workers should look to build the most transferable skills possible.

For candidates looking for work, those transferable skills mean a much wider range of potential positions. Those that are still in employment, meanwhile, can fill another position within the organisation if theirs is no longer tenable.

Be entrepreneurial

At the same time, developing an entrepreneurial mindset is important. For some workers that may mean starting their own business. And there certainly isn’t any shortage of available inspiration on that front. Some of today’s biggest tech companies, including Airbnb, Square, and Uber were started in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Even if the business doesn’t turn out to be a runaway success, it’s something a candidate could use to show a prospective employer that they have a greater business understanding than other prospective employees.

But you don’t necessarily have to build a business to demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset. Participating in bug bounty programmes or building your own portfolio website, for example, shows prospective employers that you’ve kept your skills sharp while looking for work.

Those still in employment, meanwhile, can demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset by looking for and identifying new revenue opportunities for the companies they work for. You’re a lot less likely to be laid off if, for example, you’ve helped the company land a new client or identified a new sector it can pivot into.

Take care of your mental health

As important as practical steps are in surviving a tech downturn, it’s vital that workers look after their mental health. The first step on that front is to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. Having been laid off before, I know how big of a loss it can be. So let your grief out. Don’t try and hold it in.

It’s also important to be realistic about the situation. Chances are, you aren’t going to find a new job in five days. Even three months may not be realistic, in some instances. Having come to terms with the situation, it’s also important to lean on your support networks. Go to the friends and family that you can trust and be completely open with them. As the work of renowned researcher Dr Brene Brown has shown, embracing vulnerability can be vital to building resilience.

At the same time, hold your boundaries. If someone asks you how the job search is going and you’d rather not say, there’s nothing wrong with saying something like, “I’m not really in the right headspace to talk about that right now. Can we talk about something else?” If distraction’s what you need most at that moment, there’s nothing wrong with it.

Over time, you’ll find that this helps remind you of your worth. So, even if you do have to rebuild from a lower salary, you’ll be less likely to feel that you can’t get back to where you were before.

This too shall pass

While it’s incredibly difficult to do in the thick of it, it’s important for tech workers in Africa and around the globe to remember that the current downturn won’t last forever. New companies will start and they’ll find new ways of funding their growth. And when they do, the workers who’ve built professional and personal resilience will be at the top of their hiring lists.

Last month, Xiaomi Africa launched an online photography campaign to invite fans to show their photography skills with Xiaomi phones. Winners stood to win a 3-day trip to Maasai Mara. Over 1,000 heeded the call and shared their photos under the hashtag #SafariWithXiaomi and true to its promise, Xiaomi took the winners to the Mara along with some professional photographers.

The winners were Patrick Philemon Kulinganila (Tanzania), John Oluwamokamiyo (Nigeria), Samson Osas (Nigeria), Victor Onokaye (Nigeria), Emmanuel Kenechukwu (Nigeria) and Yonis Mohammed (Kenya). The professional photographers on the trip were Alamin Mutunga, Nimrod Zollo and Kenneth Obina.

The evolution of Xiaomi phone cameras has brought great imaging very close to users, allowing them to document moments with remarkable precision. A great example is the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G which the photographers took to the Mara. At 200MP and 4K video capabilities, this camera signifies a new era in mobile photography in mid-level phones, empowering users to explore photography skills they didn’t know they had. It is also redefining the limits of what we thought can be achieved with a smartphone camera, given that the exceptionally high resolution is supported by other features like Pro Mode, 8MP ultrawide, 2 MP macro, preinstalled filters, and a great photo editing software.

This was a fun filled trip to Kenya’s Maasai Mara where the winners got to enjoy the iconic African wilderness, abundant wildlife, breathtaking landscapes, and immersive cultural experiences. We caught up with some of the winners as well as photographers so we could get to hear their thoughts on Xiaomi phones and their experience in the Mara.

Here is what they had to say:

Alamin Mutunga

Alamin Mutunga is a Kenya photographer who communicates best through visuals like photographs, arts, and graphics. Some of the highlights that stood out for him with the Xiaomi trip to Maasai Mara was meeting new people and seeing nonprofessional photographers learn and actually improve their phone photography in such a short time. This was his first time in the Mara, and he has had an amazing time shooting wildlife with the Xiaomi devices.

As a professional photographer, Alamin enjoys shooting with Xiaomi phones because he has a very bulky camera, and yet sometimes all he wants to photograph is people and big cameras make subjects uneasy, hence they don’t look natural in the pictures. Phone cameras solve these problems for him, easily and conveniently.

Among the Xiaomi devices, he has used the Redmi Note 11 Pro and the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus 5G. He’s very at home with the fact that with the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus 5G’s, 200MP camera allows him to take photos whose raw format is of great quality to remain true in post-production and even printing.

Alamin feels that Xiaomi is living to its brand purpose of making innovations for all since their phones are putting superior photography power into the hands of everyone. Looking from a perspective of social impact, he feels that good quality cameras make it easier for users to capture everyday things and share. Families for instance are able to capture crisp memories which they can enjoy digitally or print.

He wishes that Xiaomi could improve on their phone cameras in terms of colour profiles and focus. Sometimes he has seen exposure and focus get lost in the middle of a shoot, though this is not something nonprofessional photographers would notice.

Patrick Philemon Kulinganila

Patrick Philemon Kulinganila is a travel, lifestyle, and urban photographer from Tanzania. For him the Xiaomi trip to Kenya had many firsts, like first time on a flight, first time in Kenya and certainly first time in Maasai Mara which has always been a dream of his. He is elated about the great reception by the Xiaomi team and the larger team that he travelled to the Mara with.

Patrick is currently using the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G which he appreciates for many great features, top among them being the 200MP camera. Through this trip, he has gotten to understand Xiaomi phones better since he has interacted with people who have used them much longer. He has only used three generations so far and feels right at home with the brand. He loves the portrait and wide-angle functions but feels that Xiaomi could improve on the night mode and zoom.

Patrick’s biggest highlight of this whole time is being picked as the winner of the #SafariWithXiaomi contest among thousands of other contestants back home. Combined with his visit to Kenya and the Maasai Mara trip courtesy of Xiaomi, this is up there among his greatest achievements.

Kenneth Obina

Kenneth is a Nigeria based tech enthusiast, Youtuber and professional photographer who goes by the brand name Khali Jones.  He’s a visual storyteller with a focus on documentaries and lifestyle, telling everyday life stories in images.

Some of his most impressive moments of the Xiaomi trip to Kenya are that even before arriving in Kenya, he already felt welcome and upon landing, he felt like he was joining a family. The Xiaomi team and the travel group as a whole was very warm and welcoming throughout the planning and execution. He is speechless about the Maasai Mara which he described as his best experience since he was born.

Khali whose everyday device is the Redmi 12 does quite a number of tech reviews on his channel, so he has interacted with a lot of Xiaomi phones. Even before he got his camera, he was using a Redmi phone for professional photography. His rich history of the devices has given him the unique position to witness firsthand the growth and innovations of the phones thus far, and he feels that Xiaomi has lived to its slogan, ‘innovation for everyone’.

Khali was kind enough to treat the group to a masterclass on improving their mobile photography and editing game and having a deeper connection with their phones.

He feels that now that everyone is a content creator, Xiaomi should improve their cameras to a point where they can almost compete with professional cameras. Then, people will be able to take photos even in places where cameras are not allowed but phones are.

Overall, the Safari with Xiaomi has been a great experience and the trip to Maasai Mara was a perfect opportunity to showcase the innovations in mobile photography. It is right in line with Xiaomi’s brand mission to ‘make friends with users and be the coolest company in the users’ hearts’. The campaign was created to offer Xiaomi fans an opportunity to deepen their experience with Xiaomi phones and learn more photography skills and the inclusion of a photography masterclass by Nigerian photographer Kenneth Obina was a befitting conclusion.

Founders Factory Africa has secured an additional $114 million in funding to scale its model to better serve founders across the African tech ecosystem.

The additional support from the Mastercard Foundation and Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, an impact fund within the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, follows on from previous investments into Founders Factory Africa by Standard Bank, Small Foundation and Netcare. The support will enable Founders Factory Africa to scale its model and better serve technology-led start-ups and founders across the African continent.

“We are excited to have new and dynamic funding, which follows on from previous investments into Founders Factory Africa by Standard Bank Group, Small Foundation and Netcare Group,” says Alina Truhina, co-founder of Founders Factory Africa.

Since its inception in 2018, Founders Factory Africa has catalysed the trajectory of over 55 tech start-ups across the continent. The additional funding affirms Founders Factory Africa’s hybrid investment model of combining capital and operational support and will help the early-stage investor further iterate this model by:

● Becoming sector-agnostic  in its investment with founders who prioritise business fundamentals  and will also double down on addressing the gender imbalance in the ecosystem.

● Broadening its capital investment offering to include non-dilutive capital, supporting the continent’s need for different capital deployment types across the venture maturity curve.

● Strengthening Founders Factory Africa’s internal capacity to continue to provide its portfolio of start-ups with the best venture-building support on the continent.

“Come build with us,” says Founders Factory Africa CEO, Bongani Sithole.

“Moving Africa forward requires more of us to support tech-driven, solution-oriented ventures that have the potential to scale and make an impact at speed. Our role as Founders Factory Africa is to provide founders with the funding, knowledge, and hands-on venture building support they need to achieve commercial success and create outsized, systematic impact.”

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, CyberDog 2, Xiaomi Pad 6 Max 14” and Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro launch in Beijing

Xiaomi today held its Lei Jun Annual Speech | Xiaomi Launch 2023 at the China National Convention Center, where the company launched a host of new products, from smartphones to ecosystem products and even innovative robotics. Specifically, these included Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, Xiaomi Pad 6 Max 14″, Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro, Redmi K60 Ultra and CyberDog 2. Lei Jun, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group, also gave his annual speech, sharing key experiences and insight over the past 36 years. At the same time, he announced Xiaomi’s core philosophy for the future.

Announcement of Xiaomi’s Core Philosophy: Investment in Technologies to Benefit Humanity

Facing a new round of immense industrial and technological change, and with eyes on the future, Xiaomi officially announced an upgrade to its technology strategy, proclaiming its core philosophy: to continuously invest in technologies that will benefit humanity.

“We focus on long-term value and adhere to long-term investment. Only in this way can we build core competitiveness and a rampart around us, and truly become a great technology company.” Lei Jun, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group, said that Xiaomi’s exploration into technology not only has to be of benefit to the lives of mankind today, but also needs to contribute to the creation, progress, and development of the future of humanity.

Xiaomi has disclosed four key paths and principles for its strategic upgrade, namely deep cultivation of underlying technology, continuous and long-term investment, and the deep integration of hardware and software, empowered by AI.

The proposed upgrade to Xiaomi’s strategy further clarifies the company’s steadfast adherence to being “technology-oriented” and its core direction of being firmly invested in the future.

The series of breakthroughs that Xiaomi has enjoyed in self-developed technologies could not have been achieved without its continuous investment in research and development over the years. It is reported that its compound annual growth rate of R&D investment during the past six years (2017-2022) has reached 38.4%¹. Moreover, it is expected that Xiaomi’s total R&D investment for 2023 will exceed RMB 20 billion¹, and R&D investment during the next five years (2022-2026) will exceed RMB 100 billion².

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 comes as the company’s latest innovation in foldable flagship smartphones, continuing the slim and lightweight design of the previous generation, while also offering all-round powerful product experience in imaging capabilities, performance, and reliability. It sets all-new standards for foldables, and consolidates Xiaomi’s leading position in the premium foldable smartphone market.

Slim, Lightweight, and Highly Durable: Xiaomi Proprietary Hinge Sets New Records in the Reliability of Foldable Smartphones

To preserve our commitment to redefine boundaries, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 remains steadfast in its pursuit of slim and lightweight elegance, measuring just 255g³, 10.86mm³ thick when folded, and opening to the ultimate slimness of just 5.26mm³. This can mainly be attributed to its Xiaomi proprietary hinge, which compared to the Micro Waterdrop hinge in the previous generation is 8.6% slimmer⁴ when folded and 12.5% slimmer⁴ unfolded. The hinge is also 8% narrower⁴ and takes up 17% less space⁴. All of this contributes to make the entire smartphone slimmer and lighter, and leave more stacking space within the confined area of the smartphone body to create a slim and lightweight device that is highly versatile.

Applying the Xiaomi proprietary hinge to Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has greatly enhanced the reliability of the entire device: it adopts a 3-element connecting rod structure, and has up to 14 micro-hinges, significantly improving the degree of freedom of the hinge and perfectly enabling the curvature of the display. It effectively addresses any change in shape of the display, and reduces the risk of damage to the display if dropped. The main structure of the hinge is made of ultra-high strength steel, which has a yield strength of up to 1800MPa. This, in combination with the ultra-durable carbon ceramic steel rotating mechanism, contributes to further enhance the reliability of the hinge.

Both displays on Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 come with comprehensive protection: the inner display utilizes UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass), which is 2.25 times⁴ stronger than traditional colorless polyimide (CPI). The outer display consists of Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass Victus^®️ 2 to achieve a 50% improvement in drop resistance compared to the previous generation⁴.

Besides, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 also offers a special edition, implementing Xiaomi composite fiber. This Xiaomi self-developed composite fiber integrates high-strength aramid and ceramic fibers, greatly enhancing drop resistance.

With this stellar combination of innovations in both materials and structure, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 demonstrates excellent reliability overall. It has successfully achieved the TÜV Rheinland Extreme Folding certification for up to 500,000 folds⁵.

Slim and lightweight with exceptional imaging capabilities: Quad camera system with Leica optical lens to reach new heights in photography among lightweight and slim foldables

Besides being slim and lightweight, strong camera performance is also key. Thanks to increased stacking space with the new hinge design, and the miniature optical system co-engineered with Leica, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 has successfully contained its quad camera system with Leica optical lens in an extremely light and slim body. It covers focal lengths ranging from 15mm (ultra-wide)⁶, 23mm (main)⁶, 46mm (main)⁶ and 75mm (telephoto)⁶ to 115mm (periscope)⁶ to achieve a full focus range of 0.6x to 5x, setting new benchmarks in photography among slim and lightweight foldables.

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3’s combination of four cameras and five focal lengths comprehensively enhances imaging performance. Of these, the 23mm ƒ/1.77 wide aperture main camera introduces an ultra-low color dispersion glass lens to the quad camera system with Leica optics for the first time, effectively eliminating color discrepancies and providing more precise, clearer images to offer professional, unparalleled image quality; the 15mm ultra-wide offers an ultra-wide field of view up to 120°; the 75mm telephoto and 115mm periscope each excel in their respective fields, greatly improving users’ freedom of composition; and the 115mm periscope also realizes 30cm super-macro shooting in a very small space, making Xiaomi MIX Fold 3’s camera suitable for even more scenarios.

Following Xiaomi’s previous smartphones with flagship imaging capabilities, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 adheres to the pursuit of natural color science and classic tones depicting a Leica style, rather than overly sharpened images or those that are over-processed so that they lack light and shadow texture. The Leica two photographic styles offer more creative choice, and in Pro mode, Leica custom photographic styles are also offered, enabling professional users to take photos that reflect their own personal style.

Thanks to its large inner display and all-new hovering capabilities, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 also features a series of unique features, adding to photography efficiency and entertainment. These include the ability to shoot and view simultaneously, when taking photos from the inner display. That is, the finished image can be displayed in real-time on the left half of the display, without needing to click into the photo album to view. Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 also offers rear camera selfies, making use of the outer screen for real-time preview when the smartphone is unfolded to fully leverage the excellent quality of the main camera with Leica optics, thereby enjoying even higher quality selfies than those taken on the front camera. This foldable smartphone also supports waist-level photography in hover mode for easy low angle shooting, and the newly added front facing camera on the inner screen can be used for both selfies and video conferencing.

Slim and Lightweight with a Long-Range Battery: Xiaomi Surge battery and large, low-power display to bid farewell to battery anxiety

In response to battery life challenges with foldable smartphones, Xiaomi has relied on technological innovation to find a solution with Xiaomi MIX Fold 3. Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 is equipped with a dual Xiaomi Surge battery structure and a new-generation of silicon-carbon negative electrode technology combined with multiple optimizations, achieving an additional 10% increase⁴ in capacity within the same size, and a total capacity of 4,800mAh⁷.

Its Xiaomi Surge battery management system consists of a dual Xiaomi G1 Surge battery management chipset, fully enhancing battery use efficiency. Equipped with the Xiaomi Surge P2 charging chip, it supports 67W wired turbo charging, and can charge up to 100% in as little as 40 minutes⁷. It also offers 50W wireless turbo charging, rarely seen in slim and lightweight foldable smartphones. With the Xiaomi Surge battery management system, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 can achieve more intelligent charging and discharging control, ensuring the health and safety of the battery.

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3’s 6.56″ outer display and 8.025″ inner display are both made of the latest E6 material, which offers optimized power efficiency control. The inner display utilizes advanced Pol-less Plus display technology, combined with a low-power Panel design and a newly upgraded Display Driver IC (DDIC), to achieve excellent power control and a 52% increase⁴ in battery life on the large display. According to data from Xiaomi Internal Labs, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 offers a DOU of up to 1.34 days⁷, whether using the inner or outer display. Not only is this a significant breakthrough for Xiaomi in foldable smartphone battery life, but it also alleviates battery anxiety for smartphone users.

Slim, Lightweight, and a True Flagship: Comprehensive hardware upgrades merge with impeccable details

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 is equipped with Qualcomm’s latest flagship Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 Leading Version chipset, which further improves performance compared to Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2. To ensure maximum performance, Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 also utilizes a carefully designed cooling system, which has a total area of 10,943mm². Contained in the smartphone’s slim and lightweight body is an ultra-thin stainless-steel VC to further enhance heat dissipation capacity.

Meanwhile, its MIUI Fold operating system has been significantly optimized for large display use, offering innovative fun features with the folding display, including video conferencing and viewing in Hover mode, as well as floating windows and split screen, further meeting users’ increasing needs for large displays.

Furthermore, multiple details have also been optimized in Xiaomi MIX Fold 3, such as a 3-microphone array, symmetrical dual speakers, and a brushed metal frame to provide users with an all-round flagship experience.

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 sets new benchmarks in the industry in all aspects, providing users with a flagship foldable smartphone experience that exceeds expectations. All in all, the launch of this smartphone takes Xiaomi’s technological innovation in foldable smartphones to greater heights.

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 comes in three colors: Gold, Black, and Xiaomi composite fiber, as well as three storage variants:

12GB+256GB, 16GB+512GB and 16GB+1TB.

Xiaomi Launches CyberDog 2

Also unveiled at the event was the bio-inspired quadruped robot, CyberDog 2, which comes as even more intelligent and lifelike. Weighing just 8.9kg, approximately the size of a Doberman, it is also smaller in size than the previous generation. CyberDog 2 is equipped with Xiaomi’s self-developed CyberGear Micro-actuator, which further enhances the robot’s mobility and supports high difficulty maneuvers, such as continuous back flip, and fall recovery. It comes with more precise control and will remain intact, even if continuously touched. Besides, CyberDog 2 is equipped with a fusion sensing and decision-making system, offering 19 sensors for vision, touch and hearing.

In addition, CyberDog 2 has been made as open-source as possible, from coding to structural drawings, as well as providing graphical programming and the modular processing of various sensing capabilities. With its continuous open-source ecosystem, the CyberDog family will attract more developers to take part, while continuously promoting the progress and enhancement of bio-inspired robots to truly benefit people’s lives in the future.

Product images are available here: Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 and CyberDog 2.

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3 Quick Specs

¹Data retrieved from Xiaomi Corporation Q1 2023 Results Announcement. As of March 31, 2023.

² Data retrieved from Xiaomi Corporation Annual Results Announcement for the Year Ended December 31, 2022.

³ Measurements only apply to the Xiaomi composite fiber variant. Actual measurements between individual products may vary. All specifications are subject to the actual product.

⁴ Data obtained from Xiaomi Internal Labs. Actual results may vary.

⁵ Certified by TÜV Rheinland through testing conducted under laboratory conditions. Actual results may vary with differences in testing environments.

⁶ The focal length of each lens is the equivalent focal length in default mode, and may differ from the physical equivalent focal length. Please refer to the actual situation.

⁷ Data from Xiaomi Internal Labs. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors. The maximum capacity of the battery will naturally decrease with time and usage.

⁸ Actual measurements between individual products may vary. All specifications are subject to the actual product.