Xiaomi is the latest manufacturer to release a short, wide foldable phone, in the week Apple is expected to do the same. I got to try the 18 Fold behind closed doors at IFA last week, and while it looks and feels similar enough to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, superior specs make it feel like the phone I wish Samsung had made.
The 18 Fold is Xiaomi’s first book-style foldable since 2024’s Mix Fold 4, but the company has followed Huawei and Samsung in moving to a short, squat design. Xiaomi’s phone goes further though: It’s both shorter and wider than Samsung’s, with a roughly 1.4:1 aspect ratio on both the 7.58-inch inner and 5.38-inch outer screens — almost an exact match for both international paper sizes and IMAX screens, meaning this may be the one phone capable of playing The Odyssey without letterboxing.
The 5.38-inch has generously rounded corners.
Both screens have almost the same aspect ratio.
It makes the Z Fold 8 look positively tall and slender.
In practice, this still feels similar to the Z Fold 8 though. It’s compact and pocketable when closed and the cover screen is comfortable to use single-handed — though I expect it too will have issues with some apps running awkwardly on the short screen. When open, this is a natural form factor for watching movies or reading ebooks, if perhaps slightly less well suited to multitasking work, though Xiaomi still includes both split-screen apps and floating windows with multitasking in mind.
Where Samsung may have the edge is build quality.
