Xiaomi 18 Fold goes on sale in China as Nigerian launch remains unconfirmed

Xiaomi has begun selling its new Xiaomi 18 Fold foldable smartphone in China, while the company has not announced a Nigerian, wider African or international release date.

The device was unveiled in China on September 7, 2026, and sales started on September 10. Xiaomi lists the entry model at CNY 10,999, which is approximately ₦2.25 million at the exchange rate used in the reported calculation, before shipping, import charges, insurance, seller margins and other costs.

Wide-format foldable design

The Xiaomi 18 Fold uses a wide, short folding design, departing from the taller and narrower format associated with earlier Mix Fold models. It measures 117.8 x 83.6 x 10.68mm when closed and 117.8 x 163.8 x 5.02mm when open, with a listed weight of 219g.

Both displays support an adaptive refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz and have an advertised peak brightness of 4,000 nits. Xiaomi is offering the phone in four standard configurations, alongside a Ceramic Special Edition.

According to launch coverage, the special edition has a silicon nitride back and a reported production limit of 1,500 units.

Performance, cameras and battery

The phone is powered by Xiaomi’s XRING O3 chip, built on a 3nm process with a 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU and four-core NPU. Storage versions with 256GB and 512GB use LPDDR5X memory, while the 1TB models use LPDDR6. All versions use UFS 4.1 storage.

The device ships with HyperOS 4. Xiaomi says the software supports two-app, three-app and six-app screen arrangements, swipe gestures, floating windows and a desktop-style WPS mode. The Super Xiao Ai “Inspiration Ball” assistant is due for an update in late September, although the timing may change.

The rear cameras can record video at up to 8K at 24 frames per second or 4K at 60 frames per second. The phone also has a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery with 20% silicon content, 67W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.

Checks for Nigerian buyers

With no local launch confirmed, Nigerian buyers seeking the phone would need to consider importing a China-market unit through an independent seller or shipping service. Xiaomi does not list eSIM support for the model.

Buyers should confirm whether Google services work as required, whether the handset is compatible with their preferred mobile networks and whether features such as 5G and voice over LTE operate on the imported version. MTN says its 5G service requires a compatible device, a 4G-enabled SIM and coverage in the user’s area, but seller claims alone do not establish compatibility with a specific Nigerian network.

Warranty and repairs are also important considerations. Xiaomi’s Nigerian terms generally limit after-sales service to the country where a phone was purchased unless another agreement applies. The availability of replacement screens, hinges and batteries for the China-market model in Nigeria is unclear.

Before buying, prospective customers should obtain the complete delivered price and verify software support, network compatibility, warranty arrangements and repair options. The final Nigerian cost may differ substantially from the China price because of logistics, taxes, exchange-rate movements and seller charges.