2026’s top foldable is not the iPhone Duo

After years of rumours, the mythical foldable iPhone is finally a reality.

While the official name – the iPhone Duo – is a surprise, much of what Apple revealed wasn’t.

Ultimately, I’m finding it very hard to get excited about. And not just because I’m deep in the Android ecosystem.

Even if it stays a China exclusive, Xiaomi’s new 18 Fold looks to be a superior wide foldable. It excels in three key areas that the iPhone Duo and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 simply can’t match.

Camera compromises are inexcusable

The iPhone 18 Pro Max’s position as one of the world’s best camera phones is in little doubt. It builds on the already-excellent iPhone 17 Pro Max, which has been the finest smartphone for video for the last 12 months.

By contrast, Apple seems happy to make major compromises on an even more expensive device. The iPhone Duo has completely ditched the endlessly useful telephoto lens, sticking with just a 48Mp main and 48Mp ultrawide. It doesn’t even get the variable aperture main lens from the 18 Pro and Pro Max.

I probably don’t have to tell you why this is a big deal. A telephoto sensor is crucial for zoom photography, with the 18 Pro Max’s lens offering optical quality at up to 4x magnification. It’s also very useful for portrait-style photos, working with the main lens to add crucial depth perception.

By ditching it, Apple is basically telling prospective customers that zoom isn’t very important on smartphones. I think the people I’ve sat alongside in the gods at London’s O2 Arena would beg to differ.

Xiaomi has rightly decided that it’s too significant to leave out. The 18 Fold has a 50Mp periscope telephoto lens, offering a solid 3.5x optical zoom. Alongside high-quality main and ultrawide sensors, it gives the device a far more versatile camera system.

In fact, no other mainstream foldable has a dedicated telephoto lens. Until that happens, none can claim to be superior to the Xiaomi 18 Fold.

Inferior on battery and charging

In folding phones, space for components is at a premium. Sacrificing some battery capacity is often seen as the only way to maintain a thin and light design.

Not so on the Xiaomi 18 Fold. Despite being just 5.02mm when unfolded and weighing only 229g (a full 20g lighter than the iPhone 18 Pro Max!), it packs an impressive 6000mAh cell. If that doesn’t last for a full day of even heavy usage, I’d be shocked.

How? Silicon-carbon tech, which allows for far greater energy density, meaning higher capacities within the same total footprint.

Crucially, it’s paired with fast 67W wired charging, so a full top-up shouldn’t take long. 50W wired charging is mightily impressive, too.

Then there’s the iPhone Duo. According to regulatory filings, it features a dual-cell design with a total capacity of 4883mAh, though Apple never reveals specific capacities.

We know that the iPhone’s hardware and software synergy means that it can make batteries go further in general, but can it handle two screens? Despite claims of up to 26 hours of video playback on the internal display and 37 on the cover screen, I have my doubts.

As for charging, the 60W wired speed is better than I was expecting, though still inferior to Xiaomi. However, it is worth noting that the iPhone Duo has the added convenience of Qi2-based MagSafe, something the Xiaomi 18 Fold doesn’t offer.

But it’s pretty clear which device is the winner here, and it ain’t the iPhone.

The price problem

It’s hard to directly compare pricing here, given that the Xiaomi 18 Fold looks set to remain exclusive to China.

It’s ¥10999 starting price directly converts to around £1,200/$1,600, but these are rarely representative of what it’d actually ever cost in the UK and US.

However, the iPhone Duo is on another level in terms of pricing. It starts (yes, starts!) at a hefty £1,999/$1,999, with prices climbing quickly if you want more than 256GB of storage. It makes the £1,699/$1,899 Galaxy Z Fold 8 look affordable by comparison!

I firmly believe that remains the biggest reason more people aren’t using foldables. And until Apple makes the iPhone Ultra cost less than an iPhone flagship and a decent iPad combined, it’s a tough sell for most people.

Now, if Xiaomi could hurry up and bring the 18 Fold to Europe, it could cement its position. Until then, it’ll remain unattainable for most people, which is a huge shame.