Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has introduced the 18 Fold, its latest flagship foldable smartphone built around a proprietary system-on-chip and advanced memory technology, underscoring its ambitions to challenge global rivals like Apple and Huawei in an increasingly crowded foldable device segment.
- Xiaomi’s 18 Fold sports a 7.58-inch inner display and proprietary Xring O3 SoC.
- Xiaomi plans to invest 50 billion yuan in chip development and 200 billion yuan in R&D over five years.
- Foldable smartphone shipments expected to rise 37% in 2027 amid growing competition.
What happened
Xiaomi revealed several new products including the 18 Fold, a flagship folding smartphone featuring a large 7.58-inch inner display and powered by its self-developed Xring O3 system-on-chip (SoC). The foldable is designed for durability with a reinforced hinge mechanism, aluminium frame, and strengthened glass. It incorporates LPDDR6 memory chips from China-based ChangXin Memory Technologies.
Founder Lei Jun highlighted the Xring O3 chip’s improved CPU performance by 60% over the previous generation, alongside a 25% reduction in power consumption for certain tasks. The phone will start at 10,999 yuan (approximately US$1,639) with sales launching soon. This launch aligns with Xiaomi’s broader chipmaking ambition supported by a planned 50 billion yuan investment into proprietary chip development.
Why it matters
Xiaomi’s launch of a foldable phone integrated with a homegrown chip signals its intensified strategy to compete against leading players like Apple and Huawei, both of whom are also expanding their foldable device portfolios. Huawei recently launched the Mate XT 2 with its own Kirin 9050 Pro chip, while Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone soon, signaling strong market momentum in this segment.
The overall smartphone market faces challenges such as memory chip shortages and price pressures, which have constrained growth and forced companies to focus on premium and innovative categories. Foldables represent a smaller but rapidly growing niche, with forecasts projecting over 100 million cumulative shipments by the end of the year and continued double-digit growth into 2027 driven by new entrant devices and technological advances.
What to watch next
Watch how Xiaomi’s in-house chip development progresses, especially in meeting the performance and efficiency goals set for the Xring series. The company’s commitment to a substantial R&D spend, including 200 billion yuan planned over the next five years, will be critical to sustaining competitiveness in processors and devices against global rivals.
Additionally, consumer reception and sales trajectory of the Xiaomi 18 Fold amid launch competition from Apple’s anticipated foldable iPhone and Huawei’s recently released devices will indicate the commercial viability of Xiaomi’s folding phone strategy. Broader market acceptance of foldables, including pricing dynamics and innovation pace, will shape the competitive landscape through 2027.