Wide Fold smartphones set for second-half showdown

A new contest is taking shape in the premium smartphone market over foldable phones that open into a wide, short form resembling a passport.

Samsung began the latest push with the wider-screen Galaxy Z Fold8, launched last month. Xiaomi followed by unveiling its Xiaomi 18 Fold two days before Apple’s product launch event.

At Xiaomi’s booth at IFA 2026 in Berlin on Sept. 4, a red Xiaomi 18 Fold stood open on display. Although this was the first time Xiaomi had shown the device in person at IFA, visitors were not allowed to pick it up or fold and unfold it themselves.

The phone’s defining feature is its broad, compact shape when closed. Available information indicates that its unfolded screen measures 7.58 inches. The Xiaomi 18 Fold is also the first flagship smartphone to use the company’s next-generation mobile application processor, the self-developed XRING O3. Xiaomi plans to put the device at the center of its fall product event in China on Sept. 7.