It's looking like 2026 could be the year foldable phones finally hit the mainstream. With Samsung's wide-screen Galaxy Z Fold8 picking up stellar reviews and multiple rumors that Apple is launching its first foldable, the iPhone Ultra, next month, the book-style form factor is becoming more popular than ever. Apple and Samsung could have some major competition before long, though, with spec leaks suggesting the Xiaomi 18 Fold could be a performance beast.
While we still don't have a full spec sheet for the Xiaomi 18 Fold, Xiaomi has confirmed that it packs the brand's new Xring O3 chip. You might not have heard of that processor, but according to new details from Xiaobai's Tech Reviews, via Notebookcheck, it could be one of the most powerful mobile chips on the planet. In testing, the Xring O3 goes toe-to-toe with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Apple's A19 Pro processors in terms of single-core benchmark scores, while comfortably beating both in multi-core tests.
That sort of performance potential, combined with the suggestion that the 18 Fold will have a similarly wide form factor to the new Z Fold8, could make the Xiaomi foldable a future top pick for our guide to the best gaming phones. Until now, gaming on a foldable has meant dealing with letterboxing at the top and bottom of the screen, which detracts from immersion, but it's less noticeable on wider, book-style devices. In leaked images from prominent tipster Digital Chat Station, it certainly looks the part.
There are a couple of caveats, though. For a start, the Xring O3 testing was on a prototype device, not the 18 Fold itself, so it might not quite match the staggering performance results when installed in the foldable. We're also still in the dark about a global launch for the 18 Fold, as while a reveal for the Chinese market is confirmed in September, there's no word on other regions just yet. It's highly unlikely we'll see US-based retailers carry the 18 Fold, though, as is currently the case with even the best Xiaomi phones.
It's also worth noting that we still don't know what to expect from the next flagship chips from Qualcomm and Apple, but we should find out soon, with the iPhone Ultra likely packing a new processor. Either way, the foldable race is truly on, and while Apple and Samsung might have the benefit of brand recognition outside China, the Xiaomi 18 Fold could be a real contender.