Image credit: Xiaomi (via: PHONEARENA )
The foldable iPhone Duo has not even reached the market yet. Apple says it will go on sale on October 23. But another manufacturer has already produced a phone that makes the new iPhone look less unusual than Apple might have hoped.
Xiaomi introduced its own answer shortly before Apple’s major product presentation. The event brought the Duo together with the iPhone 18 Pro and several other new devices. According to PhoneArena, Xiaomi’s new model is called the 18 Fold.
Its appearance immediately invites comparison with Apple’s foldable. The two phones have a squat, broad shape that differs from the taller designs that have defined much of the foldable market.
A New Design Direction for Foldable Smartphones
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, which arrived during the summer, provides a useful contrast. Its design is more severe, with straight sides and pronounced corners. Xiaomi has taken a softer approach. The 18 Fold has rounded edges and a wider body with a shape that is notably close to the one Apple has chosen for the Duo.
The timing is interesting because Apple’s influence may have been felt before either phone appeared. Reports released ahead of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 suggested that Samsung had changed its approach partly because of Apple’s expected foldable design. There is no proof that Xiaomi made its decision for the same reason. But the resemblance is difficult to ignore. In a market where companies compete over increasingly similar ideas, a new design can quickly become everybody’s design.
Xiaomi 18 Fold Specifications and Camera Hardware
For now, Xiaomi appears to have no plans to sell the 18 Fold beyond China. That makes it a difficult phone to recommend to buyers elsewhere. Its hardware is still interesting, however.
- Screen: 7.58 inches on the inside and 5.38 inches on the outside
- Chip: XRING O3
- Memory: 12GB or 16GB RAM
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB
- Battery: 6,000mAh
- Cameras: 200MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide and 50MP telephoto
The camera setup gives the Xiaomi phone one clear advantage. It has three rear cameras, including an actual telephoto lens. The main sensor reaches 200MP. Leica has also worked on the camera system. On paper, at least, Xiaomi has not treated the cameras as an afterthought.
Xiaomi 18 Fold Price and Global Availability
The price tells a different story. In China, the phone costs the equivalent of about $1,600. That is not an unreasonable sum for the hardware. The trouble begins when a buyer tries to get the phone into the United States. Xiaomi does not expect to sell it there, so importing becomes the only practical route. The extra costs could erase much of the price advantage. At that stage, spending the money on a foldable from Apple or Samsung would make more sense.
Why China Could Become the Key Foldable Battleground
China gives Xiaomi a better opportunity. When Apple brings the iPhone Duo to the Chinese market, the 18 Fold will already be there to challenge it. That could make the competition more interesting, even if the two companies approach the idea in different ways.
One thing now seems settled. The broad, compact foldable has found its place. It is no longer merely a strange alternative to the usual design. Manufacturers have started treating it as a serious shape for a phone.
Final Words
The Xiaomi 18 Fold may have stolen a few ideas from Apple’s design notebook, but it’s not lacking in hardware muscle. At least on paper, it has a lot to boast about with its 200MP main camera, dedicated telephoto lens, large battery, and ample storage.
At the moment, Xiaomi has opted to sell the 18 Fold only in China, which is making it more of a promising competitor than a serious competitor in the global market. The phone’s design is a broad, compact foldable that’s starting to become a serious design trend, not a smartphone novelty. When Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi are all going in the same direction, maybe the future of foldables is finally coming together, literally.
