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. 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.

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. The 18 Fold looks great, available in black, white, or this striking red, plus a pink ceramic special edition that the company is only making 1,500 of.

But it’s slightly heavier and thicker than the Z Fold 8, and Xiaomi hasn’t announced any IP rating for it at all. There’s also the crease, which to my eye feels more obvious than on this year’s Samsung foldables.

Oppo remains the only company to have all-but eliminated the foldable crease, in its Find N6 foldable, and I’ll be fascinated to see how close Apple gets to matching that this week. I do love this deep red finish.

The triple camera is welcome, even if its specs still lag behind Xiaomi’s slab flagships. This is a little thicker than the Z Fold 8, but still fairly slender.

Xiaomi hasn’t shown off any foldable software flourishes you won’t find elsewhere. While my brief time with the 18 Fold was focused on getting to grips with the form factor, the phone arguably stands out more for its specs.