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Xiaomi’s wide foldable promises more power than Samsung’s
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- DeepHorus
Xiaomi unveiled the 18 Fold, its first book-style foldable in two years, at IFA in Berlin, positioning it as a direct rival to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8. The launch comes as Apple is expected to announce its own foldable iPhone this week. A hands-on preview found the device similar in feel to Samsung's model but with stronger specifications.
The 18 Fold adopts the short, wide design seen in Huawei and Samsung devices, but with a 1.4:1 aspect ratio on both its 7.58-inch inner and 5.38-inch outer screens. That matches international paper sizes and IMAX screens, potentially playing movies without letterboxing. The phone is compact and pocketable, though some apps may run awkwardly on the short display.
Under the hood, Xiaomi's Xring O3 chipset debuts Arm's Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU, promising Snapdragon 8 Elite-level performance. The 6,000mAh battery is much larger than the Z Fold 8's 4,800mAh, with 67W wired and 50W wireless charging. The OLED panels reach 4,000 nits, and the triple Leica camera includes a 200-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel 3.5x periscope telephoto, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide.
These specs address the Z Fold 8's biggest weakness, its lack of a triple camera, while improving battery and displays. However, the 18 Fold is slightly heavier and thicker, and Xiaomi has not announced an IP rating. The crease is also more obvious than on Samsung's foldables, with Oppo's Find N6 remaining the only model to nearly eliminate it.
The reviewer said the 18 Fold could become their pick of the foldable market, despite the missing water resistance giving pause. The phone is available for preorder in China from ¥10,999, about $1,600, with sales starting September 10. Xiaomi has not confirmed an international launch.
The foldable market could shift dramatically if Apple announces its expected foldable iPhone this week. In the meantime, Xiaomi has laid down the gauntlet in China. The coming weeks will reveal whether Apple can match the 18 Fold's power, battery, and camera hardware.
