ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Xiaomi 18 Fold launches on September seventh in China.
- Its design resembles the Z Fold 8 and rumored iPhone Extremely.
- Key options are a triple-camera setup and an in-house processor.
In a non-public room tucked inside the halls of Messe Berlin final week, dozens of antsy media members and I had been among the many first to make use of the brand new Xiaomi 18 Fold.
Additionally: The 5 coolest telephones I noticed at IFA 2026 – together with a brand new foldable
On the time, the Chinese language tech big had solely teased the wide-screen foldable telephone on the IFA present flooring, storing it in a glass show. Nonetheless, a choose few may maintain, unfold, and work together with the gadget extra intimately.
And after that half hour with the gadget, I used to be already impressed.
1. A greater wide-screen foldable
Probably the most obvious distinction between the Xiaomi 18 Fold and its predecessors is its shorter, wider type issue. The gadget is much more stubby than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and suits the pattern we’ve seen from foldable telephone makers over the previous yr. Apple is anticipated to observe go well with with the rumored iPhone Extremely.
The outer show measures about 5.38 inches, whereas the internal, bigger show clocks in at about 7.58 inches. When unfolded, you get a display broad sufficient to suit 16:9 movies and content material with out a lot letterboxing, which is nice. The middle crease is simply barely much less noticeable than the Z Fold 8’s, too.
Additionally: This telephone’s removable digicam is likely to be the neatest gadget I noticed at IFA
I’m significantly a fan of the scarlet-red end on the Xiaomi 18 Fold. It has a brushed-aluminum really feel and shimmers in maroon and darkish hues. With Apple additionally anticipated to launch a purple iPhone this yr as a part of the iPhone 18 Professional sequence, this will likely solely be the start of extra colourful handsets heading into 2027.
2. The primary flagship digicam system on a foldable?
A peek on the spec sheet reveals some fascinating particulars concerning the Xiaomi 18 Fold’s cameras. For one, the corporate is extending its optics partnership with the German-based digicam maker Leica, as seen within the refined branding above the telephone’s digicam housing.
Three cameras are on the rear, together with a 50MP periscope telephoto lens that Apple is anticipated to omit from the rumored iPhone Extremely, a 50MP ultrawide lens, in addition to a 200MP principal sensor. By comparability, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 comes with simply two cameras: a large and an ultrawide.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETWe’ll should take the cameras out for a spin to get a really feel for the way comparable (or worse) they’re to the competitors. But when the optical stack is something like that of the Xiaomi 17 Extremely from earlier this yr, it is a very promising system for a foldable telephone.
Additionally: I in contrast the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Pixel 11 Professional Fold – and one pulled forward
The horizontal, pill-shaped sensor format alone is a giant win for usability. The format opens up the again of the telephone to raised assist magnet-based equipment and retains the gadget from rocking when set on a desk.
This design profit had just a few of us within the room chuckling as we tried to take photos of the Xiaomi subsequent to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the latter saved wobbling.
3. Taking the chipset in-house
Together with the Xiaomi 18 Fold, the corporate is introducing its proprietary chipset, the Xring O3. It’s the primary market-ready processor with LPDDR6 assist — as long as you go for the 16GB of RAM configuration. We are able to count on larger per-package bandwidth and improved vitality effectivity throughout the board.
I’d need to see precisely how large a leap the chipset is thru private benchmarking, however for now, the choice to launch the in-house chipset with a foldable telephone first, and never a conventional slab telephone or pill, invokes a way of confidence. Maybe Xiaomi believes that the 18 Fold’s multitasking capabilities greatest showcase the chipset’s efficiency beneficial properties.
Kerry Wan/ZDNETRegardless, shifting away from Qualcomm and MediaTek chipsets provides Xiaomi larger management over its manufacturing line. If that management one way or the other interprets to a greater entry worth for its foldable telephone, and presumably higher long-term software program assist, then that’s a pleasant win for shoppers.
It’s all about timing
The official launch of the Xiaomi 18 Fold this week is strategic, as you could have guessed; it’s taking place simply hours earlier than Apple is anticipated to unveil its first foldable iPhone, and the handset seems to be similar to the assorted iPhone renders we’ve seen on-line. It’s stubby. It’s broad. It even has the horizontal digicam bar.
Additionally: Apple will announce the iPhone 18 this week – right here’s how ZDNET readers suppose it’ll go down
However the gadget is just launching in China for now, at a reasonably aggressive worth of CNY 10,999 (about $1,638). Even then, if Xiaomi finally ends up squarely competing with manufacturers in China, the gadget’s design already places it a step above current foldable telephones just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Pixel 11 Professional Fold at present in my pockets. Right here’s to hoping it will possibly encourage higher designs throughout the remainder of the worldwide market.
