Xiaomi 18 Fold: How Does This Happen? | Marques Brownlee

The Gist

Xiaomi unveiled the 18 Fold phone two days before Apple announced the iPhone Duo, beating Apple to market with a lighter device featuring faster charging and a triple-camera system. However, the Xiaomi 18 Fold retains a visible screen crease and an inner camera cutout, contrasting with Apple's seamless folding display.

Quick Overview

Xiaomi released the 18 Fold foldable smartphone on September 7, 2026, slightly ahead of Apple unveiling the iPhone Duo on September 9, 2026. The Xiaomi 18 Fold matches the exact physical dimensions and aspect ratio of Apple's folding phone while weighing 30 grams less and packing a 6,000 milliamp-hour battery. While Xiaomi outperforms the Apple device in battery capacity, camera lens selection, and software multitasking, Apple holds the advantage in crease elimination and hidden camera technology.

Key Points: Xiaomi unveiled the 18 Fold on September 7, 2026, two days before Apple announced the iPhone Duo on September 9, 2026. The Xiaomi 18 Fold weighs 222 grams, making it roughly 30 grams lighter than the 254-gram iPhone Duo. The Xiaomi 18 Fold includes a 6,000 milliamp-hour battery supporting 67-watt fast charging and 50-watt wireless charging. The camera system on the Xiaomi 18 Fold features a 200-megapixel primary sensor, an ultrawide lens, and a 50-megapixel 3.5x zoom camera. Apple uses an under-display selfie camera on the inner screen, whereas Xiaomi uses a standard hole-punch cutout. The Xiaomi 18 Fold display exhibits a noticeable crease with an anti-glare finish, while the iPhone Duo features a completely uninterrupted surface. Android software on the Xiaomi 18 Fold natively supports advanced multi-window app floating compared to the iPhone Duo limit of two side-by-side apps.

Context: Tech manufacturers operate in intense secrecy, yet leaks frequently expose product specifications months before official announcements. This dynamic led to parallel development cycles where Xiaomi and Apple developed folding phones with identical dimensions, resulting in a public debate over who copied whom.