ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Xiaomi 18 Fold launches on September 7th in China.
- Its design resembles the Z Fold 8 and rumored iPhone Ultra.
- Key features are a triple-camera setup and an in-house processor.
In a private room tucked within the halls of Messe Berlin last week, dozens of antsy media members and I were among the first to use the new Xiaomi 18 Fold.
Also: The 5 coolest phones I saw at IFA 2026 – including a new foldable
At the time, the Chinese tech giant had only teased the wide-screen foldable phone on the IFA show floor, storing it in a glass display. However, a select few could hold, unfold, and interact with the device more intimately.
And after that half hour with the device, I was already impressed.
1. A better wide-screen foldable
The most apparent difference between the Xiaomi 18 Fold and its predecessors is its shorter, wider form factor. The device is even more stubby than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and fits the trend we’ve seen from foldable phone makers over the past year. Apple is expected to follow suit with the rumored iPhone Ultra.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETThe outer display measures about 5.38 inches, while the inner, larger display clocks in at about 7.58 inches. When unfolded, you get a screen wide enough to fit 16:9 videos and content without much letterboxing, which is great. The center crease is just slightly less noticeable than the Z Fold 8’s, too.
Also: This phone’s detachable camera might be the smartest device I saw at IFA
I’m particularly a fan of the scarlet-red finish on the Xiaomi 18 Fold. It has a brushed-aluminum feel and shimmers in maroon and dark hues. With Apple also expected to release a red iPhone this year as part of the iPhone 18 Pro series, this may only be the beginning of more colorful handsets heading into 2027.
2. The first flagship camera system on a foldable?
A peek at the spec sheet reveals some interesting details about the Xiaomi 18 Fold’s cameras. For one, the company is extending its optics partnership with the German-based camera maker Leica, as seen in the subtle branding above the phone’s camera housing.
Three cameras are at the rear, including a 50MP periscope telephoto lens that Apple is expected to omit from the rumored iPhone Ultra, a 50MP ultrawide lens, as well as a 200MP main sensor. By comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 comes with just two cameras: a wide and an ultrawide.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETWe’ll have to take the cameras out for a spin to get a feel for how similar (or worse) they are to the competition. But if the optical stack is anything like that of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra from earlier this year, this is a very promising system for a foldable phone.
Also: I compared the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Pixel 11 Pro Fold – and one pulled ahead
The horizontal, pill-shaped sensor layout alone is a big win for usability. The layout opens up the back of the phone to better support magnet-based accessories and keeps the device from rocking when set on a table.
This design benefit had a few of us in the room chuckling as we tried to take pictures of the Xiaomi next to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the latter kept wobbling.
3. Taking the chipset in-house
Along with the Xiaomi 18 Fold, the company is introducing its proprietary chipset, the Xring O3. It’s the first market-ready processor with LPDDR6 support — so long as you opt for the 16GB of RAM configuration. We can expect higher per-package bandwidth and improved energy efficiency across the board.
I’d want to see exactly how big a leap the chipset is through personal benchmarking, but for now, the decision to launch the in-house chipset with a foldable phone first, and not a traditional slab phone or tablet, invokes a sense of confidence. Perhaps Xiaomi believes that the 18 Fold’s multitasking capabilities best showcase the chipset’s performance gains.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETRegardless, shifting away from Qualcomm and MediaTek chipsets gives Xiaomi greater control over its production line. If that control somehow translates to a better entry price for its foldable phone, and possibly better long-term software support, then that’s a nice win for consumers.
It’s all about timing
The official launch of the Xiaomi 18 Fold this week is strategic, as you may have guessed; it’s happening just hours before Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone, and the handset looks very similar to the various iPhone renders we’ve seen online. It’s stubby. It’s wide. It even has the horizontal camera bar.
Also: Apple will announce the iPhone 18 this week – here’s how ZDNET readers think it’ll go down
But the device is only launching in China for now, at a fairly aggressive price of CNY 10,999 (about $1,638). Even then, if Xiaomi ends up squarely competing with brands in China, the device’s design already puts it a step above existing foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Pixel 11 Pro Fold currently in my pockets. Here’s to hoping it can inspire better designs across the rest of the international market.
