Xiaomi has unveiled the 18 Fold, a short, wide book-style foldable phone shown to journalists at IFA, arriving in the same week Apple is expected to launch its own foldable iPhone. The device follows a design trend set by Huawei and Samsung, but takes it further with an even shorter, wider shape than Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, and pairs the familiar form factor with notably stronger specifications, positioning it as a rival that outguns Samsung on paper.

The 18 Fold has a 7.58-inch inner and 5.38-inch outer display, both roughly 1.4:1 in aspect ratio, and is powered by Xiaomi's own new Xring O3 chipset alongside Arm's debut Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU. It packs a larger 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery than the Z Fold 8's 4,800mAh, with 67W wired and 50W wireless charging, plus screens reaching 4,000 nits brightness. Its Leica-backed triple rear camera includes a 200-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel 3.5x periscope telephoto and a 50-megapixel ultrawide, though it is heavier, thicker, lacks an IP water-resistance rating, and shows a more visible crease than Samsung's model.