Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi Battle in the Passport Foldable Phone Market

Global Smartphone Makers Clash in the Passport-Style Foldable Market

Device Specifications and Form Factor Comparisons

Samsung’s early entry, the Galaxy Z Fold8, went on sale globally on August 7, pulling in over 5 million preorders. Apple entered the arena by unveiling the iPhone Duo on September 9, slated for an October 23 retail rollout across approximately 70 markets, including Korea, the United States, Britain, France, China, and Japan, before expanding to roughly 100 countries. Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi debuted its first passport-style foldable, the Xiaomi 18 Fold, in China on September 7, with broader international sales slated to begin before the end of the year.

Design dimensions vary widely among the three flagship devices:

• Portability: The Galaxy Z Fold8 weighs 201 grams (7 ounces), compared to 219 grams for the Xiaomi 18 Fold and 254 grams for the iPhone Duo.
• Thickness: When opened, the Galaxy Z Fold8 measures 4.5 millimeters (0.18 inches), making it the thinnest of the group. The Xiaomi 18 Fold measures 5.02 millimeters, and the iPhone Duo measures 5.2 millimeters.
• Durability: Apple leads in environmental sealing with an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. The Xiaomi 18 Fold holds an IP58 rating, while the Galaxy Z Fold8 is rated at IP48.

Battery Performance, Processors, and Camera Hardware

Manufacturers have split significantly on internal hardware and component selection to differentiate their products. Xiaomi focuses heavily on power capacity, outfitting the 18 Fold with a 6,000-milliampere-hour battery. The iPhone Duo features a 5,400-milliampere-hour battery—which Apple states can last up to 24 hours on a single charge with balanced dual-screen usage—while the Galaxy Z Fold8 relies on a 4,800-milliampere-hour battery.

Under the hood, the three companies utilize different core processing architectures. Samsung powers its device with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Apple relies on its proprietary A20 Pro chip, and Xiaomi integrates its homegrown Xring O3 processor.

Camera configurations also highlight distinct engineering priorities. Xiaomi equipped the 18 Fold with a 200-megapixel main camera developed in partnership with Leica, alongside a periscope telephoto lens. By comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold8 features a 50-megapixel main camera, and the iPhone Duo carries 48-megapixel sensors for both its main and ultrawide lenses. Both Samsung and Apple support 2-times optical-quality zoom directly through their main camera setups.

Pricing and Market Outlook

Pricing strategies reflect the differing target audiences and manufacturing costs of each brand. In Korea, the 256GB iPhone Duo is priced at 3.29 million won (approximately $2,420), making it the most expensive option among the three. The Galaxy Z Fold8 is priced lower at 2.27 million won, roughly 1.01 million won less than Apple’s device. Xiaomi’s 18 Fold is the most affordable at 10,999 yuan ($1,640) in China.

Market researcher Omdia projects that total foldable phone shipments will reach 45 million units by 2030, yet they will still represent less than 3 percent of overall global smartphone shipments. An information technology industry source noted that foldable phones continue to carry high upfront retail prices and expensive repair costs, particularly regarding hinge mechanics, meaning long-term adoption depends on whether the devices deliver sufficient practical value to justify the added expense.