iPhone Fold vs Xiaomi 18 Fold: From design and specs to expected price, full details here

Xiaomi has beaten Apple to the punch with the Xiaomi 18 Fold. Apple is widely expected to launch its first foldable, could be the iPhone Ultra or iPhone Duo, on September 9. The iPhone Fold is expected to look a lot like how the Xiaomi 18 Fold looks, at least as far as the passport-styling is concerned. Here is how the two may compare eventually.

In Short

• Xiaomi 18 Fold launched in China
• The upcoming iPhone foldable is expected to have a similar passport-styling
• Apple will launch the iPhone Fold on September 9

One more day left for Apple to host the "Surprise and shine" event, where the tech giant is set to unveil for the first time a foldable device alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series. Reports say it may be called the iPhone Ultra or iPhone Duo or simply the iPhone 18 Fold. But before the grand unveiling, which is set for September 9, Xiaomi has launched its own foldable called the Xiaomi 18 Fold. Interestingly, it has a passport-styling which is also rumoured to form the base template for the iPhone Fold.

Given the design similarities, rumoured and otherwise, it is only befitting to pit the two and see how they might eventually stack against each other. We will have more to say about the iPhone Ultra as and when it is official, but just as a buildup, here’s a quick rundown of how the Xiaomi 18 Fold might compare to the iPhone Ultra.

Xiaomi 18 Fold vs iPhone Ultra: Design and display

The Xiaomi 18 Fold follows a book-style folding design and has a 5.38-inch AMOLED cover display. When unfolded, the phone offers a much larger 7.58-inch AMOLED screen. Both displays support a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 4,000 nits of peak brightness. The inner screen also uses low-power Pol-less technology, while the cover display is protected by Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 3.0.

The iPhone Ultra is expected to follow a similar book-style design, with a roughly 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner OLED screen. Reports suggest that Apple could use a 4:3 aspect ratio for the inner display, making it wider than the screens found on many existing foldables.

Thinness could be one of Apple's biggest advantages. The iPhone Ultra is rumoured to measure around 4.5mm when unfolded, while the Xiaomi 18 Fold is 5.02mm thick in the same state. Apple is also reportedly working on a special display construction to make the crease less noticeable.

Xiaomi 18 Fold vs iPhone Ultra: Processor

The Xiaomi 18 Fold is powered by the company's 3nm 10-core Xring O3 AI flagship chipset. It comes with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage, while the top-end model gets LPDDR6 memory. The phone runs Android 17-based HyperOS 4.

Apple's foldable is expected to use the A20 chip, reportedly based on TSMC's 2nm process, paired with 12GB of RAM. Apple's next-generation C2 modem is also expected to handle connectivity.

Xiaomi 18 Fold vs iPhone Ultra: Camera

Xiaomi’s 18 Fold features a Leica-tuned triple rear camera setup, led by a 200-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture and OIS. It is joined by a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom and 7x optical-quality zoom, along with a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera. On the front, Xiaomi has placed 16-megapixel cameras on both the inner and outer displays.

The iPhone Ultra, on the other hand, is expected to take a simpler approach. Reports suggest it could feature two 48-megapixel rear cameras, including a main sensor and an ultra-wide camera. A dedicated telephoto camera may be left out because of the limited space inside the thin foldable design.

Apple could also use separate front-facing cameras for the cover and inner displays, although some reports have mentioned an under-display camera for the larger screen.

Xiaomi 18 Fold vs iPhone Ultra: Battery

The Xiaomi 18 Fold packs a 6,000mAh battery, which is larger than what Apple is expected to offer. The phone supports 67W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.

The iPhone Ultra is expected to use a dual-battery design, with battery cells placed on both sides of the folding mechanism. However, its exact battery capacity and charging speeds have not been revealed yet.

Xiaomi 18 Fold vs iPhone Ultra: Price and availability

The Xiaomi 18 Fold starts at CNY 10,999, or roughly Rs 1.55 lakh, for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. The top-end 16GB RAM and 1TB storage model costs CNY 14,999, or around Rs 2.11 lakh. Xiaomi also offers a Ceramic Special Edition priced at CNY 15,999, roughly Rs 2.25 lakh.

The iPhone Ultra is expected to be priced relatively higher. Reports suggest that Apple's first foldable could cost more than $2,000 (around Rs 1.89 lakh), making it one of the company's most expensive iPhones yet.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold is already available for pre-order in China, with sales scheduled to begin later this month. Apple, meanwhile, has not officially announced its foldable iPhone. The company is expected to unveil it on September 9 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Stay tuned for more updates.

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