Best Foldable Phones of 2026

Build and design

The Duo is 254g, 5.2mm unfolded and 11.3mm folded, with a hinge, an inner display and an outer display for quick use. The Samsung is lighter at 201g, with a wide-format design, a 7.6-inch inner display at near 4:3 and a 5.5-inch cover display, with IP48 rating in one listing. The Xiaomi is 219g, 5.0mm unfolded and 10.7mm folded, with a passport-sized folded form that Xiaomi calls a mid-fold. All three are thin unfolded, but the Samsung wins on weight, while the Xiaomi wins on folded thickness on paper.

Water rating is a flagged disagreement for the Xiaomi: one listing gives IP58/IP59, while another report says Xiaomi gave no water or dust rating at IFA. Do not buy any foldable on a water rating alone — check the official listing for your exact model, and treat foldable durability as a long-term review question.

Display and benchmarks

All three inner displays are almost identical in size, at 7.6, 7.6 and 7.58 inches, so the difference is not size, but aspect ratio and brightness. The Duo offers a 7.6-inch inner at 1878 x 2670 and a 5.4-inch outer at 1398 x 2034, both ProMotion and Always-On, with up to 3,000 nits in one listing. The Samsung offers a 7.6-inch inner at 1848 x 2448 with 120Hz and a 5.5-inch cover, both Dynamic AMOLED 2X, with a near-4:3 inner ratio that suits reading. The Xiaomi offers a 7.58-inch inner at 2364 x 1672 with 1–120Hz and a 5.38-inch cover at 1712 x 1168, with up to 4,000 nits peak in one listing.

On benchmarks, the Duo uses A20 Pro, the Samsung uses Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy and the Xiaomi uses its own XRing O3 chip on 3nm, with Xiaomi claiming an 85% GPU improvement over its predecessor — a self-reported claim, not an independent benchmark. No controlled side-by-side benchmark between these three phones was reviewed, so no speed winner is claimed. For multitasking, all three should handle split-screen work on their inner displays, with the Xiaomi's up to 16GB RAM helping on paper.

Cameras and video

The Duo offers dual 48MP cameras, a Fusion main and a Fusion ultrawide, with no telephoto, plus a 12MP Centre Stage front camera. The Samsung offers dual 50MP cameras in the comparison listings, a main and an ultrawide, with no telephoto, after Samsung dropped the telephoto lens for this wider form factor. The Xiaomi offers a 200MP main with OIS, a 50MP telephoto at 3.5x with OIS and a 50MP ultrawide, with Leica lenses and laser autofocus. On paper, the Xiaomi wins on megapixels and telephoto, while the Duo and Samsung win on simplicity and their own video pipelines.

No controlled side-by-side camera test between these three phones was reviewed, so no photo winner is claimed beyond the hardware gap. If you shoot zoom often, the Xiaomi is stronger on paper. If you shoot at 1x and ultrawide and want iOS or Samsung's ecosystem, the Duo or Samsung is adequate. For everyday photos at 1x, all three should be close, despite the megapixel gap.

Battery, software and price

Battery is where the Xiaomi wins on paper, with 6,000mAh and 67W wired and 50W wireless charging, versus a reported 5,400mAh dual-battery system for the Duo in one comparison table — a figure that is not an Apple disclosure, so treat it as reported, not official — and the Samsung's 4,800mAh with 45W wired and 20W wireless charging. For most users, the Xiaomi will last longer on paper, while the Samsung's smaller battery is the trade-off for its lighter 201g body. Charging is faster on the Xiaomi on paper, though real-world charging should be checked in reviews.

Software is iOS 27 on the Duo, Android 17 with One UI 9 on the Samsung, and HyperOS 4 on Android 17 in China on the Xiaomi, with no confirmation of which Google services its Chinese firmware includes — a practical obstacle for import buyers. In the US and Europe, the Duo and Samsung are the only ones you can buy today, from $1,999 and $1,899.99 in the US, and €2,299 and €1,999 in Europe.

Verdict

Buy the iPhone Duo if you want iOS in the US from $1,999 or in Europe from €2,299 in Germany. Buy the Galaxy Z Fold8 if you want Android in the US from $1,899.99 or in Europe from €1,999. Do not buy the Xiaomi 18 Fold in the US or Europe on specs alone, because it is China-only for now — it is a wait-and-see import.