Xiaomi will unveil its new foldable smartphone before Apple announces its first foldable by two days, effectively aiming at Apple on the calendar itself.
Ryu Wei-bing, president of Xiaomi’s mobile phone division, said on the Chinese social media platform Weibo on the 2nd that Xiaomi will hold a launch event for the “Xiaomi 18 Fold” in China on the 7th, posting official images of the device. The Pad 9 Pro Max tablet and the N-series smartphone will also be unveiled that day.
Apple is widely expected to hold a product event on the 9th and announce its first foldable phone, the “iPhone Ultra,” along with the iPhone 18 Pro. Since the two devices have similar horizontally expanding form factors, Xiaomi will end up bringing its product to market two days ahead of Apple.
Industry observers do not view Xiaomi’s timing as a coincidence. Just before an Apple event is when global media and consumers focus most intensely on foldable phones. Xiaomi appears to be trying to capture that attention first and ensure its product is discussed alongside Apple’s when the latter is unveiled. It is similar to Samsung Electronics releasing new foldables one or two months before Apple events, except Xiaomi has narrowed the gap to just two days.
Unlike Apple, which is introducing a foldable phone for the first time, Xiaomi already has experience rolling out multiple generations of foldables. In that sense, calling it “before Apple” is only partly accurate. Still, since Xiaomi is releasing a new model with the same wide-screen form Apple is preparing right before Apple’s announcement, analysts say its intention to preempt the market’s attention is clear.
Xiaomi has named the product format “mid-fold,” saying it targets the space between large-screen foldables that open wide and compact foldables that are easier to carry but compromise on display size. When folded, it is about the size of a passport and fits in one hand; when unfolded, it has a 7.58-inch display. The outer display measures 5.38 inches. Ryu said the mid-fold format could become the standard for foldable phones in the future.
The camera system consists of three rear cameras in collaboration with Leica. According to leaked information, it includes a 3.5x optical zoom telephoto lens. That differentiates it from rival foldables that omit or reduce telephoto lenses to make devices thinner.
Xiaomi 18 Fold will feature Xiaomi’s self-designed “Xring O3” chip. Instead of sourcing the core semiconductor that serves as the smartphone’s brain from an outside supplier such as Qualcomm, Xiaomi has designed it in-house, following the path taken by Apple, Samsung Electronics, and Google.
The memory chip will be LPDDR6 from China’s CXMT, making its first appearance. The low-power DRAM used in smartphones has effectively been divided among Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Micron. The fact that a latest-generation product from a Chinese memory maker is being adopted in a flagship device from a major Chinese manufacturer is seen as a sign that the position of Korean memory makers in China’s smartphone supply chain could be weakened. If quality and yield are proven, the move could spread to other Chinese manufacturers.
For the hinge, Xiaomi said it has adopted a new “Dragon Bone” structure and developed a new testing method to verify durability in the folding section. The operating system is its own Surge OS 4, and the AI model running on the device itself is MiMo.
The foldable phone market was opened by Samsung Electronics and has long been led by the company. This year’s Galaxy Z Fold8 has reportedly seen strong demand for its wider-screen form, even prompting earlier component orders. In China, Huawei has expanded its presence with wide-screen foldables.
Apple’s entry is expected to enlarge the market. Although foldables have been around for seven years, they have remained in the single digits as a share of the overall smartphone market. If iPhone users shift to foldables, the market itself could grow, and apps and content could increasingly be optimized for foldable screens, analysts say.
For Samsung Electronics, the impact is mixed. If the market grows, Samsung, which has an edge in foldable displays and hinge technology, could benefit both as a component supplier and as a finished-device maker. On the other hand, if Apple captures premium foldable demand and Chinese companies target the mid- to low-end segment, Samsung’s finished-device market share could face pressure. Xiaomi’s decision to launch a product two days before Apple’s announcement is also a sign that that competition has already begun.
The key issues are price and refinement. Xiaomi has not yet disclosed the price, and Apple’s foldable price has not been officially confirmed either. The two products, set to arrive on the 7th and 9th respectively, are expected to make their price and thickness the first major points of comparison for the second half of the smartphone market.
