Xiaomi has officially entered the short, wide foldable arena with a handset that aims to exceed Samsung’s latest effort in both features and raw specifications. The device is named the 18 Fold, and it arrives with a prominent triple camera, a substantially larger battery, and a homegrown processor that pushes graphics performance forward.
The 18 Fold is Xiaomi’s first book-style foldable since 2024’s Mix Fold 4. Unlike that predecessor, the company has now adopted the same short-and-wide blueprint that first appeared in Huawei handhelds and has been popularized by Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series. Xiaomi goes slightly further than Samsung: both the inner display and the cover screen make use of a roughly 1.4:1 aspect ratio. The inner OLED measures 7.58 inches and the outer screen is 5.38 inches. That means almost no letterboxing for widescreen movies or IMAX content, and it also happens to match the dimensions of international paper standards. While the comparison to paper formats seems odd, it suggests Xiaomi designed the device for reading and video playback.
The dimensions make the Z Fold 8 look similar but also taller and narrower. In practice, the 18 Fold feels compact when closed. The cover screen is suitable for single-hand use. Like Samsung’s foldable, there might be apps that behave strangely on the short, wide canvas. On the inside, multitasking still includes split-screen and floating windows, but the shape may better suit entertainment. Someone who spent time with the phone found it comfortable for ebooks and movies, if less ideal for productivity work. However, the software appears not to add unique foldable features that are absent on other devices.
The design has its drawbacks. The phone is slightly heavier and thicker than the Z Fold 8, so it is not the thinnest foldable on the market. Xiaomi also has not given the 18 Fold an official IP rating for dust or water resistance, which could be a concern for consumers spending more than a thousand dollars. The fold’s crease is reportedly a bit more noticeable than on this year’s Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. Oppo’s Find N6 remains the benchmark for minimizing the crease. Red is expected to be the eye-catching color, while black and white are available, and a pink ceramic special edition is limited to 1,500 units. The deep red finish looks polished in person and gives the phone a premium feel.
The true reason to pay attention to the 18 Fold is inside. It is Xiaomi’s first handset to use its self-developed Xring O3 chipset. Xiaomi claims this silicon is comparable in performance to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. Additionally, the processor includes the first use of Arm’s Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU, which brings mobile-first support for upscaling to Android games, an analog to NVIDIA’s DLSS feature. This could signal a new era for mobile gaming and image quality, especially for foldable devices that aim to replace both a phone and a small tablet.
Beyond the chip, the battery department stands out. The 18 Fold packs a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, which is significantly larger than the 4,800mAh cell inside the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Charging now supports 67W wired and 50W wireless. That battery advantage could resolve one of the most frequent complaints about contemporary foldable phones. The two OLED displays, which support a variable refresh from 1Hz to 120Hz, reach up to 4,000 nits of peak luminance. This should deliver excellent outdoor visibility and smooth scrolling, while keeping power consumption low when the display stays idle.
The camera system also changes the narrative. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 was criticized for lacking a triple rear camera at its price point. Xiaomi’s 18 Fold equips a 200-megapixel main camera with a 1/1.56-inch sensor, a 50-megapixel 3.5x periscope telephoto lens, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera. This triple arrangement, enhanced by Xiaomi’s long-term imaging partnership with Leica, should help the 18 Fold keep pace with the best camera flagships. The camera hardware still lags behind Xiaomi’s own slab-style flagships, but the foldable is intended to be a well-rounded premium phone instead of a camera monster.
During a brief hands-on experience, the phone looked great, but the camera performance could not be judged. The presence of three cameras with different focal lengths offers more flexibility than Samsung’s dual camera system. The 3.5x periscope lens uses a 50-megapixel sensor, and the ultrawide also uses a 50-megapixel unit. The 200-megapixel main sensor should produce images with high resolution and with pixel-binning for improved light sensitivity. Leica’s involvement usually translates into unique color science, so enthusiasts will likely want to see sample photos to understand how the 18 Fold handles portraits, landscapes, and low-light scenes.
The timing is important. Xiaomi announced the 18 Fold at the IFA 2026 event in Berlin, in the same week Apple is expected to announce a foldable iPhone. That means the 18 Fold may need to stand out from a completely new competitor in just a matter of days. But availability is limited. The phone is available for preorder in China from ¥10,999, which is approximately $1,600. Official sales are scheduled for September 10. Xiaomi has not announced an international launch, which means consumers outside China may not have the opportunity to buy the 18 Fold directly. It is possible the company will bring the phone to global markets a few months later, but there is no official word.
For now, the 18 Fold seems perfectly pitched at the Chinese market, where Samsung is less dominant and local vendors like Huawei, Oppo, and Honor compete aggressively. If Xiaomi’s previous foldable launches are any indication, an international version might arrive with different software and possibly adjusted hardware. The fact that the company held a preview at IFA suggests it is interested in gauging reaction from a global audience, even if the official launch is limited to China.
Those who follow the foldable space will remember that Xiaomi spent a couple of generations refining its Mix Fold series. The Mix Fold 4 was praised for its compactness and strong camera system. The 18 Fold appears to reset that design with a larger cover screen and a noticeably wider internal display. Not everyone may prefer the short ratio, but Xiaomi believes it is the natural form for content consumption. The phone is also a statement about the rise of in-house chips. After years of using Qualcomm, MediaTek, and earlier custom silicon in the form of the Surge S series, Xiaomi’s Xring O3 represents an ambitious move to control its own semiconductor roadmap. If the Xring O3 performs as well as Snapdragon 8 Elite, it could open the door to more in-house chips across the company’s entire product lineup.
From a pure hardware perspective, the 18 Fold benefits from the race in materials. The device uses a silicon-carbon battery, which can store more energy without increasing the package size. Foldable phones have traditionally struggled with battery capacity because of thinness, but silicon-carbon cells solve that issue. The wireless charging coil adds convenience, but there is a catch: no IP rating equals uncertainty. Water resistance is normally expected on a premium phone, but the folding display makes the sealing more complex. Xiaomi should explain more about the lack of rating and confirm whether the hinge has any basic protection against splashes or dust.
Folding phones also have a reputation for fragility. Samsung uses armor aluminum frames and improved hinges. Xiaomi says its hinge is durable and that the display is reinforced, but the proof is in long-term reliability tests. Early users may want to wait for drop tests and stress reports before putting down their money. The 18 Fold’s heavier frame and larger battery could also influence how it feels in the pocket. Still, in the brief time spent with the device, the build quality seemed acceptable, and the red finish is certainly striking.
As the market evolves, competition will be beneficial. Apple’s addition of its first foldable will create more attention and perhaps push rivals to innovate. The Xiaomi 18 Fold shows what Samsung’s next iteration, the Galaxy Z Fold 9, might need to overcome. It is no longer sufficient to simply release a foldable; customers expect the same battery charging speeds, camera flexibility, and better display performance. Xiaomi has delivered those features in a package that is comfortable to use. The only issue is that outside China, the phone remains unattainable for now.
At IFA, observers noted that the phone was displayed behind closed doors rather than at a public booth, hinting that Xiaomi is not waving the 18 Fold in front of global media in a traditional launch fashion. That may be due to production capacity, or because Xiaomi wants to sell the flagship in China first. It also adds an air of exclusivity, especially for the pink ceramic special edition, but it means potential buyers in Europe and North America have to wait for additional announcements.
Xiaomi has positioned the 18 Fold as a direct answer to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and fans of the brand will likely appreciate the aggressive feature set. The 6,000mAh battery alone gives the phone a major advantage for heavy users, and the triple camera helps it match the expectations of a modern flagship. The Xring O3 chipset is the biggest wildcard, since software optimizations and thermal management will determine whether the phone’s raw performance is truly on par with Qualcomm’s flagship. If the chip works well, the 18 Fold may also pave the way for more Xiaomi devices to use in-house processors, reducing the company’s dependence on outside suppliers.
The foldable market is changing quickly, and Xiaomi is not resting. The wide display’s suitability for video is one of the key talking points, but newcomers will need to consider the lack of water resistance, the uncertain international availability, and the possibilities of app compatibility problems. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 might have a slightly slimmer design and a more established software experience, but Xiaomi’s lower starting price in China, when compared to the Fold 8, makes the 18 Fold a compelling value in its home market. The near-$1,600 price is still high for a phone, yet it undercuts the launch price of many rival foldables in China.
No one knows how the arrival of Apple’s foldable will affect consumer expectations. If Apple’s device includes largely the same short and wide form factor, it will validate the design choices made by Huawei, Samsung, and now Xiaomi. It could also trigger a new wave of consumers who are willing to try foldables, because they know an iPhone version is here. For that reason, the 18 Fold arrives at a critical moment. Xiaomi has made a bold statement with the hardware, and the company is clearly betting that bigger numbers in battery capacity, camera resolution, and display brightness will be enough to sway buyers who are not tied to the iOS ecosystem.
Only time will tell if the 18 Fold becomes a common choice in China or if it gets lost amid the noise of the upcoming Apple announcement. But the phone proves that Xiaomi is listening to feedback about previous foldables. The shortcomings of the Mix Fold 4, such as weaker wireless charging and a smaller cover screen, have been addressed. The trip to a wider aspect ratio may take some adjustment, but many users will appreciate a mobile display that feels more like a small notebook than a remote control. The 18 Fold is a serious piece of hardware, and it will be interesting to see whether Xiaomi can extend the device’s availability beyond its home country.
Source:The Verge News