Xiaomi 18 Fold Launches in China With a Wide Display, 6,000mAh Battery and XRING O3 Chip

Xiaomi has introduced the Xiaomi 18 Fold in China, marking its entry into the wide, passport-style book-foldable category. The device combines a tablet-like inner screen with Xiaomi’s in-house XRING O3 processor, a Leica-developed triple-camera system and a 6,000mAh battery. Sales begin in China on September 10, with prices starting at ¥10,999; Xiaomi has not announced availability elsewhere. 211

What Xiaomi announced

The 18 Fold uses a wide-format layout rather than the tall, narrow profile common to earlier book foldables. It has a 5.38-inch cover display and a 7.58-inch folding inner display. Both panels use 120Hz LTPO technology and are rated for up to 4,000 nits of peak brightness. 312

At the center is Xiaomi’s 3nm XRING O3 chip. Configurations offer 12GB or 16GB of memory and 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage; the highest-end configuration uses LPDDR6 memory and UFS 4.1 storage. 812

The rear camera system comprises a 200MP main camera, a 50MP periscope telephoto and a 50MP ultrawide, developed with Leica branding and collaboration. Xiaomi also fits a 6,000mAh battery with 67W wired and 50W wireless charging. 2814

Xiaomi 18 Fold price and availability

Chinese sales start at 10:00 a.m. on September 10. The 12GB/256GB model costs ¥10,999, while the standard range extends to a 16GB/1TB version at ¥14,999. Xiaomi also offers a 16GB/1TB Ceramic Special Edition for ¥15,999, limited to 1,500 units. 11

For prospective buyers outside China, the important qualification is availability: Xiaomi has not confirmed a global rollout or international pricing. The 18 Fold is therefore a China launch, not yet a direct retail alternative to globally distributed book-style foldables. 27

Why the timing matters

Xiaomi announced the 18 Fold on September 7, the same day Huawei unveiled the Mate XT 2 tri-fold in China, and two days before Apple’s expected September 9 event. 45036

Huawei’s Mate XT 2 takes a different approach: it is a tri-fold device with a 10.2-inch unfolded display, Kirin 9050 Pro silicon and Chinese pricing from ¥19,999. 5058 Together, the two launches show Chinese manufacturers competing across distinct premium formats—wide book foldables from Xiaomi and larger tri-fold devices from Huawei.

Apple’s first foldable iPhone remained unannounced at the time of these launches. Reporting ahead of its expected September 9 introduction pointed to a book-style device with an approximately 7.8-inch inner display, two rear cameras and a starting price above $2,000. Those details were reports rather than Apple-confirmed specifications. 3638

How the 18 Fold fits into the market

The Xiaomi 18 Fold’s practical differentiators are its wide inner display, high claimed peak brightness, large battery and camera hardware. They make it an example of the increasingly hardware-focused competition in book-style foldables, though specifications alone do not settle questions such as software support, repair access or availability by region.

The introduction of XRING O3 is also notable as a product strategy. Xiaomi is using a flagship foldable to showcase an in-house-designed processor, while Huawei is doing something similar with its Kirin platform. That demonstrates expanding Chinese chip-design efforts, but it should not be treated as proof of complete semiconductor self-sufficiency: chip design, fabrication, manufacturing equipment and component supply are separate issues.

A wider foldable market is taking shape

The broader category is still relatively small, but analysts expect faster growth as more manufacturers adopt wide book-style designs. Omdia says global foldable shipments reached 18.2 million in 2025 and forecasts annual growth of more than 20% through 2028, reaching 36 million units. It identifies the emerging wide-format design as a contributor to that expansion. 21

China has already been a major source of momentum. Omdia reported that Chinese foldable shipments grew 32.8% year over year in the first half of 2025, predominantly driven by Huawei’s Mate and Pura X models. 19 Counterpoint expects cumulative global foldable shipments to exceed 100 million units by the end of 2026 and forecasts 37% growth in 2027, while noting that expected competition from Samsung and Apple could accelerate the market. 20

The takeaway is not that Xiaomi has already displaced global leaders. Its newest foldable has not been announced for international markets. But the 18 Fold shows why the next stage of foldable competition will center on more usable wide screens, battery capacity, cameras and differentiated silicon—not simply the ability to make a phone bend.