The new foldable features a 5.38-inch cover display, a 7.58-inch inner screen and Leica-branded triple cameras.
Xiaomi will launch its new foldable smartphone, the Xiaomi 18 Fold, in China on September 7, 2026. Xiaomi president Lu Weibing has revealed the phone’s design through posts on Weibo. The company will also introduce the Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max and three Sky Nomad extended-range SUVs at the event.
The Xiaomi 18 Fold will be the company’s first foldable to use the numbered flagship name. Xiaomi previously used the Mix Fold branding for its book-style foldable phones.
Xiaomi 18 Fold takes a shorter, wider design
The Xiaomi 18 Fold has a red finish and a horizontal, pill-shaped rear camera module. The module houses three camera lenses and a flash.
The phone has a 5.38-inch cover display and a 7.58-inch foldable inner display. Its shorter and wider shape gives it a passport-like appearance when folded.
Xiaomi describes the design as a “mid-fold” format. The company says the phone is roughly passport-sized when closed and light enough to use with one hand.
A growing trend among book-style foldables
The shorter foldable design has appeared on several phones in recent years. OPPO introduced the Find N in December 2021 with a 5.49-inch outer display and a 7.1-inch inner screen.
Google later followed a similar approach with the Pixel Fold in 2023. Samsung, meanwhile, continued with taller outer displays until the Galaxy Z Fold 8 launched in July.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch inner screen. Xiaomi’s screen sizes are therefore close to Samsung’s latest foldable.
Read More: Google launches Gemini 3.8 Flash with stronger coding
Xiaomi believes this format could become a common direction for future foldable smartphones. The company is positioning the design between traditional book-style foldables and compact flip phones.
XRing O3 chip and up to 16GB RAM
The Xiaomi 18 Fold will use the XRing O3, Xiaomi’s own 3nm processor. It will also be the first smartphone to use CXMT’s LPDDR6 memory.
Pre-launch Geekbench listings indicate configurations with up to 16GB of RAM. The listings also point to Android 17.
Leica triple camera setup
The phone will feature a Leica Summilux triple-camera system. It includes an f/1.7 main camera, an f/2.8 telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom, and a 17mm ultra-wide camera.
A side-mounted fingerprint sensor will also be included.
Apple foldable iPhone expected soon
The Xiaomi 18 Fold launch comes just two days before Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone on September 9. This puts Xiaomi’s new foldable in the spotlight as the market moves toward different foldable designs.
Xiaomi is set to reveal the remaining details of the 18 Fold at its China launch event on September 7.
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