Xiaomi unboxes the “Black Myth: Wukong”, we discover the MIX myth behind it

The surprise has come in the form of an innocuous Weibo post by Thomas Wang Teng, the General Manager of the Redmi brand, on September 1. He does an unboxing regarding the limited-edition physical collector’s edition of the game “Black Myth: Wukong.” What seemed to be pretty much a harmless gift from Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has turned much more mysterious.

Wang Teng said with a great tone of delight, “This really was a gift from Mr. Lei Jun; it wasn’t like I stole it from his office. I can say this is the happiest gift I got this year.” His excitement resonated with many fans, especially because Lei Jun himself had sparked curiosity days earlier by posting a photo of the same game on his Weibo account – which had Wang Teng cheekily offering to help with the unboxing.

But for Xiaomi enthusiasts, there is often more to these events than meets the eye. Behind the unboxing and the apparent camaraderie lies a deeper, more enigmatic story, one linked even with product development at Xiaomi.

Name: The Secret Code Wukong

In September 2021, we reported that Xiaomi was then still working on a mysterious device under the code name “Wukong”. This actual device is the Xiaomi L1 that was meant to be a new MIX series phone. First got wind of this project back in December 2021, when it surfaced in Mi Code—a repository that has often revealed Xiaomi’s development secrets. At the time, the “Wukong” device was being tested with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.

However, by the time the Xiaomi 12 Ultra finally leaked out, the “Wukong” MIX device had seemingly vanished from the company’s roadmap, and L1 finally ended up being the 12S Ultra. L1 lost a lot of time in being translated from MIX to Xiaomi and had to release the CPU with 8+ Gen 1 instead of Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. This week, leaks have persisted regarding a shelved MIX prototype with some really groundbreaking features, including a dual under-display camera that would allow for clearer photos since it captures more light.

While MIX 4 and Xiaomi 12S Ultra had displays with curvature, this mystifying device had a flat screen, adding more mystery to the already cocked tale.

Also in testing was the “loki” device with model number L1A, which we think could be the model without the under-display camera in the production process of the MIX 5, as the brother of the “thor” codename of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. You might recognize the A as Lite.

Leaked Information: The plot thickens.

Well, over the past days, our internal Xiaomi Prototypes Telegram channel indeed lit the fire: yes, Xiaomi had been working on a MIX phone back in 2021. Though wholly leaked images of this elusive device are still nowhere to be found, a photo leak of the screen tells what could have been. The dual under-display camera technology was going to be a leap forward, improved light capture with better image quality: an innovation that never hit the market. So, why did Xiaomi drop this? Why is Lei Jun giving away a “Wukong” game collector’s edition, where the name just evokes a code-named project never released? Is it really some sort of wink to the MIX phone that never was, or is there, as yet, another layer behind it?

In 2022, Xiaomi also worked on a button-less phone using Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 prototype.

Since recently, it was announced that there’s going to be an introduction of a keyless MIX device for this trifold concept codenamed “zhuque”. And probably, that Xiaomi added the codename “suiren” in Mi Code this year is the codename of this buttonsuz phone prototype. What gives more strength to the claim is that “suiren”, too, appears in those Mi Code lines where the name “zhuque” code was referenced. The unboxing video for the “wukong” table a new MIX announcement from Xiaomi employees?

The Mystery Continues

As Wang Teng continues celebrating his gift, the fans and onlooking tech insiders are waiting for the goodness of this story to unfold. Is this Xiaomi teasing the revival of the MIX series with some new, unseen technology? Or are they just having a little fun with their nostalgic examples? Only time will tell whether this mysterious unboxing is indeed a fond memory or an important clue pointing to something much bigger on the horizon. For now, “Wukong” is an interesting enigma amidst Xiaomi’s ever-shifting narrative.