Xiaomi beats iPhone Ultra to the fold You Should Know
Xiaomi has confirmed a launch date for its first-ever wide foldable. And let’s just say, I don’t think the date is a coincidence.
The company’s mobile president, Lu Weibing, has taken to Weibo to confirm the new Xiaomi 18 Fold’s launch date: 7 September. Yes, that’s next Monday, and a mere two days before Apple is expected to debut the iPhone Ultra at its confirmed 9 September event.
If Samsung subtly launched the passport-style Galaxy Z Fold 8 to get ahead of the foldable iPhone, Xiaomi isn’t even trying to hide it. The company clearly wants to set the narrative on a week where Apple will dominate a lot of the tech news cycle.
The phone has been shown off at IFA 2026 in Berlin, with Xiaomi’s first appearance at the show, but only behind glass for now.
Xiaomi
However, there’s a big catch: the 18 Fold isn’t expected to launch outside China, despite Xiaomi phones being widely sold in the UK and mainland Europe. The fact that official teasers are appearing only on Weibo speaks volumes.
Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited about another new wide foldable coming to the market.
An official design reveal
Xiaomi also hasn’t been shy when it comes to revealing key info about the 18 Fold ahead of time.
There’s only one place to start: the design. That eye-catching red finish looks gorgeous in Xiaomi’s official photos, yet incredibly ugly in leaked hands-on photos. Let’s hope the former is more accurate, or it could lag well behind the iPhone Ultra when it comes to aesthetics.
Xiaomi
As for specs, we know that the device will sport a 5.38-inch cover screen, which opens to reveal a 7.58-inch internal panel. For context, it’s slightly smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which has a 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner screen.
There’s no Qualcomm or MediaTek chip here, though. The 18 Fold will be the first device to use Xiaomi’s own XRing 03 chipset, which looks like an incredibly capable processor for both CPU and GPU performance.
The remaining specs are unconfirmed, but we don’t have long to wait to find out for sure. Just in time for it to upstage the iPhone Ultra, at least in China.
