Top News

iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Xiaomi 18 Fold: Apple has entered the foldable smartphone race with the iPhone Duo, bringing a premium titanium design, a large 7.6-inch folding display and the A20 Pro chip to a category long dominated by Samsung. But Apple is stepping into an increasingly competitive market, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 already offering a mature foldable experience and the newly launched Xiaomi 18 Fold pushing hardware specifications even further.

For Indian buyers, the price gap is particularly important. The iPhone Duo starts at Rs 2,99,900, while Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at Rs 1,79,999. Xiaomi's 18 Fold is priced considerably lower in China, with its entry model translating to roughly Rs 1.55 lakh before taxes and other costs.

iPhone Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Xiaomi 18 Fold: Price In India

The iPhone Duo is easily the most expensive option of the three. Apple offers the foldable in four storage configurations:

• 256GB: Rs 2,99,900
• 512GB: Rs 3,24,900
• 1TB: Rs 3,74,900
• 2TB: Rs 4,49,900

Samsung offers substantially lower starting prices in India. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 costs Rs 1,79,999 for 256GB with 12GB RAM, Rs 1,99,999 for 512GB with 12GB RAM and Rs 2,39,999 for the 1TB model with 16GB RAM.

Xiaomi's 18 Fold has launched in China starting at CNY 10,999, equivalent to around Rs 1.55 lakh based on the supplied conversion. Its highest-end 16GB/1TB variant is around Rs 2.11 lakh, while a Ceramic Special Edition is approximately Rs 2.25 lakh. It should be noted that Xiaomi 18 Fold has not been launched in India at the time of writing.

For Indian consumers looking strictly at value, Samsung is already far more accessible than Apple. Xiaomi could become the most aggressive alternative if the 18 Fold receives a competitive Indian launch price.

iPhone Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Xiaomi 18 Fold: Display and Design

All three phones feature large foldable OLED panels measuring around 7.6 inches.

The iPhone Duo has a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR inner OLED display with a 1878 x 2670 resolution, 120Hz ProMotion and a nano-texture finish. Its external screen measures 5.4 inches. Apple also uses titanium for the foldable chassis and Ceramic Shield 2 on the front.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 features a 7.6-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel with 2448 x 1848 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and a claimed peak brightness of 3,000 nits. Its cover display measures 5.5 inches.

Xiaomi takes a different approach, offering a 7.58-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh, Dolby Vision and a claimed peak brightness of 4,000 nits. The cover display measures 5.38 inches.

On paper, Xiaomi wins the brightness contest, while Samsung offers the highest inner-display resolution. Apple's nano-texture treatment and titanium construction make the iPhone Duo the more distinctive premium design.

iPhone Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Xiaomi 18 Fold: Performance

Apple equips the iPhone Duo with its A20 Pro chip, featuring a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU and dual 16-core Neural Engine. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing and Apple's Neural Accelerators are also included.

Samsung uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 built on a 3nm process. The Fold 8 is available with 12GB or 16GB RAM depending on storage configuration and also supports Samsung DeX for a desktop-style experience.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold uses the 3nm XRing O3 processor with a 10-core CPU and Arm G2-Ultra NX MC16 GPU. It also offers up to 16GB RAM and UFS 4.1 storage.

Raw specifications make Xiaomi particularly aggressive, while Apple's hardware-software integration could give the iPhone Duo an advantage in sustained performance and AI-focused workloads. Samsung, meanwhile, has the strongest productivity proposition thanks to DeX and its established foldable software ecosystem.

iPhone Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Xiaomi 18 Fold: Camera Battle

The iPhone Duo comes with a 48MP dual Fusion camera system comprising a 48MP main camera and a 48MP ultra-wide camera. It supports 2x optical-quality telephoto shooting, 48MP macro photography, 4K Dolby Vision recording up to 120fps and advanced computational photography features.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 also has a dual 50MP rear camera system, pairing a 50MP main camera with a 50MP ultra-wide sensor. Video recording goes up to 8K at 30fps and 4K at 120fps.

Xiaomi goes considerably further on paper with a triple-camera setup led by a 200MP main sensor. It also gets a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. Leica lenses, laser autofocus and 8K video recording are part of the package.

If camera specifications alone decide the winner, Xiaomi 18 Fold is the clear pick. Apple's strength lies more in its processing, video capabilities and imaging ecosystem than megapixel counts.

iPhone Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Xiaomi 18 Fold: Battery & Charging

Battery capacity is another area where Xiaomi has a significant advantage.

The iPhone Duo promises up to 24 hours of typical use, with up to 44 hours of video playback when using the outer display. It supports wired charging of up to 50 percent in around 20 minutes with a 60W-capable adapter or higher.

Samsung's Fold 8 carries a 4,800mAh battery and supports 45W wired charging, 20W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

Xiaomi packs a much larger 6,000mAh battery and supports 67W wired charging, 50W wireless charging and reverse wired charging.

For buyers prioritising battery capacity and charging speed, Xiaomi is the strongest choice.

iPhone Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Xiaomi 18 Fold: Software & Features

The iPhone Duo runs iOS 27 and includes Apple Intelligence, a redesigned Siri AI experience, FaceTime, Apple Pencil USB-C support and Apple's broader ecosystem integration.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 runs Android 17 with One UI 9 and promises up to seven major Android OS updates. Its standout productivity feature is Samsung DeX, allowing the phone to function more like a desktop computer when connected to an external display.

Xiaomi's 18 Fold runs Android 17 with HyperOS 4. It also includes features such as an infrared port, UWB and NavIC support.

The choice here depends heavily on ecosystem preference. iPhone users who already own Apple devices will find the Duo the most natural fit, while Samsung remains the better choice for Android productivity. Xiaomi offers impressive hardware but its long-term software experience and Indian availability will be important factors.

iPhone Duo vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Xiaomi 18 Fold: Which Foldable Is The Better Pick?

At Rs 2,99,900, the iPhone Duo commands a huge premium over Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8. Its titanium construction, A20 Pro chip, iOS 27, Apple Intelligence, strong video capabilities and Apple ecosystem integration make it an appealing luxury foldable, but the pricing makes it difficult to recommend purely on value.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the better overall pick for most Indian buyers. At Rs 1,79,999, it undercuts Apple's entry-level foldable by Rs 1,19,901 while delivering a 7.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, 12GB RAM, 5G, DeX and wireless charging.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold is the hardware champion, at least based on the supplied specifications. Its 6,000mAh battery, 67W charging, 200MP camera, 3x telephoto, 4,000-nit display and up to 16GB RAM make it exceptionally aggressive on paper. However, its quoted prices are China prices, so Indian buyers should wait for official local pricing and availability before treating it as a direct Rs 1.55 lakh alternative.

Final Verdict

For most Indian consumers, Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the better buy. Choose the iPhone Duo if Apple's ecosystem and premium build matter more than value. If and when available in India, choose the Xiaomi 18 Fold if maximum hardware specifications are the priority and it launches in India at an attractive price.