Judging from the Xiaomi spare parts price list released for the foldable smartphone Xiaomi 18 Fold launched in China earlier this month, repairing the device may become a serious burden on the budget. However, the smartphone itself isn’t cheap – it starts at 10,999 yuan (about $1,639).
The most expensive repair parts are the internal display and motherboard. Replacing the inner fold screen The cost is 3,600 yuan (approximately US$536) and the external fee is 750 yuan (approximately US$112). Motherboards are even more expensive, and their price depends on the amount of RAM and built-in memory:
- 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal: 3,900 yuan (about $581);
- 12 GB RAM and 512 GB internal: 4,300 yuan (about $641);
- 16 GB RAM and 512 GB built-in: 4,600 yuan (approximately US$685);
- 16 GB LPDDR6 RAM and 1 TB built-in: 5,930 yuan (approximately US$885).
A motherboard with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of memory costs more than some regular form factor (non-foldable) flagship smartphones. The Xiaomi Mi 18 Fold with the same configuration is priced at 14,999 yuan (approximately US$2,238), which means that the price of the motherboard alone is almost 40% of the cost of the smartphone.
For users of Xiaomi’s 120% off ceramic special edition model, the cost of replacing the backplate will be higher. It uses a silicon nitride ceramic cover that costs 1,045 yuan (about $156) to replace. In comparison, the back cover of the regular model costs 250 yuan (about $37).
As for other parts of the foldable smartphone, they cost much less. Replacing a 6000 mAh battery will cost 259 yuan (about $39). The front camera costs 40 yuan (about $6), while the wide-angle camera, telephoto lens and ultra-wide-angle camera on the back cost 200 yuan (about $30), 190 yuan (about $28) and 55 yuan (about $8) respectively.
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