Xiaomi has introduced the Xiaomi 18 Fold, a new foldable phone featuring a unique “center fold” design. The device debuted at the company’s Fall flagship event and is now available for pre-order in China, with sales starting September 10 at 10 AM China time.
Design and Display Features
The Xiaomi 18 Fold sports a dual-screen setup known as “super pixel” displays. The outer screen measures 5.38 inches, while the inner folding screen measures 7.58 inches. Both screens use a near √2:1 paper ratio, enhancing clarity and reducing power consumption. They support LTPO refresh rates from 1Hz up to 120Hz and offer up to 4000 nits brightness with APL 30%, suitable for strong outdoor lighting.
The fold’s thickness is 5.02mm when opened and 10.68mm when closed. The phone weighs 219 grams and features a curved large R corner design, a flat-wrapped middle frame, and a distinctive “runway” Deco element. The outer display supports easy one-handed use with more horizontal text visible, aligning with natural eye movement for reading. The keyboard is 8% wider than a standard 6.9-inch bar phone.
When unfolded, the device measures 117.8mm tall and 163.8mm wide. Xiaomi has implemented a new multitasking mode that supports up to six split-screen sections. A voice assistant feature called “Super Xiao Ai Inspiration Ball” allows quick execution of complex commands by voice.
Durability and Build Quality
The Xiaomi 18 Fold offers a 1.2-meter drop resistance, promising durability comparable to conventional flagship phones. It uses a new generation “dragon bone” hinge designed for comprehensive protection. The frame is crafted from 7 series aluminum alloy, and the screen is protected by Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 3.0, delivering significantly enhanced strength.
Xiaomi tested the device across 492 optimization points in real environment simulations and features an innovative dual-layer UTG ultra-thin glass with organic flexible insulation material for the folding screen.
Performance with XRING O3 AI SoC
This foldable phone is the first to use Xiaomi’s new XRING O3 AI flagship SoC, which sets a new AI benchmark exceeding 5 million points. The chip delivers a 60% improvement in CPU multi-core performance while lowering mid-to-low load power consumption by 25%. GPU performance rises by 85% with a 64% power reduction. The NPU offers 200 TOPS for tensor computing and 3.13 TFLOPS for vector tasks.
Xiaomi also highlights collaboration with ChangXin Memory to bring the first mass-produced domestic LPDDR6 memory to the device.
Battery and Charging
The phone contains a 6000mAh dual-stack battery developed with Xiaomi’s Jinshajiang technology. It boasts a 20% higher silicon content and an energy density of 920Wh/L. The device supports fast wired charging at 67W and wireless charging at 50W.
Camera System
The Xiaomi 18 Fold features a Leica-branded triple camera setup covering all focal lengths. It includes a 200-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel Leica periscope telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom, and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens.
Ceramic Special Edition and Pricing
Xiaomi also revealed a Ceramic Special Edition of the 18 Fold, built with a new silicon nitride ceramic for improved lightness and hardness. This variant is limited to 1,500 units and comes only in a 16GB RAM with 1TB LPDDR6 storage configuration, priced at 15,999 yuan (about $2,245).
The standard Xiaomi 18 Fold pricing starts from:
- 12GB + 256GB: 10,999 yuan (~$1,540)
- 12GB + 512GB: 11,999 yuan (~$1,680)
- 16GB + 512GB: 12,999 yuan (~$1,820)
- 16GB + 1TB LPDDR6: 14,999 yuan (~$2,100)
Available in “Xiye Red”, Warm Gold White, and Black color options, the phone will go on sale from September 10 in only on China.
Source: ithome.com
