The Xiaomi 18 Fold is an iPhone Duo lookalike with one huge advantage
Apple's foldable iPhone Duo doesn't even come out until Oct. 23, but it already has a lookalike. That's because the iPhone Duo wasn't the only short and wide foldable device announced this week.
Just a couple of days before the big Apple event, in which the Duo was announced alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and other devices, Xiaomi launched a competitor of its own, per PhoneArena. It's called the Xiaomi 18 Fold and, as you can see from the photos, it looks a lot like the iPhone Duo. It trades the boxy corners of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, which came out over the summer, for the rounded edges and D-shape of the Duo.
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Reports prior to the Galaxy Z Fold 8's launch suggested that Samsung picked that form factor because of what Apple was doing, and it's very possible Xiaomi did the same. The phone is unlikely to be released outside of China, but here are some of the specs, in case you're curious:
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Display: 7.58-inch main display and 5.38-inch cover display
Processor: XRING O3
RAM: 12/16GB
Storage: 256/512GB/1TB
Battery: 6,000mAh
Cameras: 200MP main, 50MP ultra-wide, 50MP telephoto
The Xiaomi 18 Fold also has one big potential advantage over the iPhone Duo. It has three cameras (including a true telephoto lens and a 200MP main shooter), and they're Leica cameras.
Those are pretty decent specs for a phone whose Chinese price converts to roughly $1,600 USD, but again, there's no way you'll ever get one in the States without importing it. That's sure to drive the cost up into iPhone Duo territory, so at that point, you might as well just get one of Apple or Samsung's foldables.
However, the device could offer Apple some competition when the iPhone Duo launches in China.
Clearly, this specific form factor is officially a thing now.
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Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
