In summary:
- Tech Advisor reports that leaked Xiaomi 18 specs reveal the standard model may use the regular Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip instead of the Pro version due to extremely expensive 2nm component costs.
- The series features impressive camera upgrades with dual 200Mp sensors on Pro models and a 200Mp periscope on the standard Xiaomi 18, plus a larger 6.4-inch AMOLED display.
- Global availability is expected in Q1 2027, with cost-cutting measures potentially affecting flagship performance compared to premium competitors.
It’s a curious state of affairs, but we’re now starting to receive leaked specifications for the Xiaomi 18 range when the Xiaomi 17 hasn’t even gone global.
Yesterday saw news about the Xiaomi 18 Pro and its dual 200Mp cameras. Now we’re hearing convincing details about the regular Xiaomi 18 and some of its core specifications.
Frequent tipster Digital Chat Station has just dropped a number of tasty tidbits concerning Xiaomi’s next flagship range onto Chinese social network Weibo.
The first and possibly most interesting claim is that the Xiaomi 18 won’t use the fastest chip at the company’s disposal. It’ll adopt Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip, rather than its flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.
In what seems to be a result of spiking smartphone component costs, Xiaomi will apparently go with the second-tier component for its mainstream flagship because the 2nm Pro chip “is extremely expensive” (via machine translation).
Another interesting claim from the tipster is that the Xiaomi 18 will feature a slightly larger display, rising from a 6.3-inch to a 6.4-inch AMOLED.
All of these specs have been backed up by tech blogger Anvin Raj, who recently posted a long list of specifications for the entire Xiaomi 18 series.
He claims that only the Xiaomi 18 Ultra will be getting the aforementioned expensive Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chip, alongside faster LPDDR6 RAM.
We also get confirmation that the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will be getting a dual 200Mp camera set-up (along with a 50Mp ultra-wide). The regular Xiaomi 18 will be getting a 200Mp periscope camera, it seems.
Both Pro models will continue with the Xiaomi 17 Pro’s secondary display, but in a form that’s “more versatile than before”, whatever that means. These don’t typically go on sale outside of China, however.
Expect all except the Ultra model to launch in China this September, with the top model arriving in December. That should lead to a global launch of all models in the first quarter of 2027.
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.