Xiaomi has officially announced its latest foldable smartphone, the Xiaomi 18 Fold, marking the company’s first foray into the wide-screen foldable category. This move positions the device as a direct competitor to established models like the Huawei Pura X Max and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, while Apple is also preparing to enter the foldable market with its anticipated iPhone Ultra.
Design and Display: A Fresh Take on Foldables
The Xiaomi 18 Fold features an asymmetric external screen with ultra-thin bezels, setting it apart from traditional foldable designs. The cover display includes a centered punch-hole cutout for the front camera, while the back of the device sports a flat surface with a prominent horizontal camera bar housing three rear sensors. An additional internal camera is embedded in the top-right corner of the main screen, surrounded by slim bezels and a slightly raised protective layer to enhance durability during folding. The phone is available in four color options: black, a special ceramic edition, gold, and red.
External and Main Displays
The external screen is a 5.38-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 1712 x 1168 pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 300Hz touch sampling rate. When unfolded, the device reveals a 7.58-inch AMOLED main display with a resolution of 1672 x 2364 pixels, also supporting a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. The main screen achieves a peak brightness of 4000 nits and is protected by UTG glass for added resilience.
Performance and Hardware: Powered by Xiaomi’s XRING O3
Under the hood, the Xiaomi 18 Fold is driven by the XRING O3 chip, Xiaomi’s latest internally developed processor. The device offers multiple memory and storage configurations: a base model with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of storage, and a 16GB RAM variant available with either LPDDR5X and 512GB or LPDDR6 and 1TB of storage. All versions utilize UFS 4.1 storage technology.
The phone is equipped with a substantial 6000mAh battery, supporting 67W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, along with 50W PPS wired charging. A side-mounted fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button for convenient unlocking.
Camera System: A 200MP Main Sensor Leads the Way
Xiaomi has placed a strong emphasis on photography with the 18 Fold. The primary camera boasts a 200MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS). It is accompanied by a 50MP periscope telephoto lens with an f/2.8 aperture, offering 3.5x optical zoom and up to 7x optical-quality zoom, also with OIS. A 50MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.4 aperture completes the rear setup. Both the external and internal front cameras are 16MP sensors.
Connectivity, Software, and Pricing
The Xiaomi 18 Fold supports dual SIM cards, a USB Type-C port with USB 3.2 standard, Bluetooth 6.0, and Wi-Fi 7. It runs on HyperOS 4, based on Android 17, though the official specifications do not explicitly mention the Android version.
In the Chinese market, the starting price for the Xiaomi 18 Fold is 12,999 yuan (approximately $1,937) for the 12GB RAM variant. Should Xiaomi decide to launch the device internationally, the price is expected to be higher.