Just a few weeks ago, Xiaomi released the world’s first set of smartphones to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor: the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. In a surprising move, Xiaomi didn’t launch the standard Xiaomi 18 alongside them, but new reports from China have once again revealed the phone’s speculated specs. The headlining features could include a compact-ish display, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipset, dual 200MP rear cameras, and a decently sized battery.
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Xiaomi 18 key specifications revealed
According to Smart Pikachu (via Android Authority) on Weibo, known for revealing smartphone specs ahead of launch, the Xiaomi 18 will be positioned as a small-screen flagship, which isn’t surprising, since that’s been the case with all previously released base Xiaomi number series phones.
At its core will be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, Qualcomm’s latest 2nm-based flagship processor with up to 5GHz clock speeds. This is the same chipset that powers the Xiaomi 18 Pro, while the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max gains the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, which carries a more advanced Adreno GPU. In another post, Smart Pikachu reveals that the Xiaomi 18 will sport a metal body, most likely aluminium.
On the optics front, the Xiaomi 18 is speculated to feature a 200MP primary camera and a 200MP periscope lens, while the ultrawide lens could use a 50MP sensor. This mirrors the OPPO Find X10, which uses the same rear camera configuration. LEICA’s imaging and processing could enhance the camera lenses, letting users capture film-simulated shots. All these camera units could sit under a large camera module in the upper left corner, just like the Xiaomi 17.
For endurance, the Xiaomi 18 could pack a 7,000mAh battery, which is impressive given the compact form factor and screen size. For comparison, the Xiaomi 17 carried a 6,330mAh battery in the Indian variant, while the China variant boasted a 7,000mAh battery. Smart Pikachu also notes that the flagship could come with pleasant colour options. A previous leak by Panda is Bald on Weibo stated that the Xiaomi 18 will run on a 7,200mAh battery. The same leak mentions that the phone could launch around December in China.
Will the Xiaomi 18 arrive in India?
At the recent Snapdragon event during IMC 2026, Xiaomi officially confirmed the Xiaomi 18 Pro’s release in India later. No hints were dropped about the standard Xiaomi 18’s launch, but only time will tell whether Xiaomi decides to bring its standard flagship here. The Xiaomi 17 launched at Rs 89,999, and given that the Xiaomi 18 flaunts notable upgrades, especially in cameras, it could easily cross the Rs 1 lakh mark if released here. Subsequently, the Xiaomi 18 Pro will be positioned even higher.
The smartphones could differ in design, with the Xiaomi 18 Pro getting a dedicated rear screen to run apps, view notifications, and capture selfies with the rear cameras, while the Xiaomi 18 would just house the cameras. Whether the Xiaomi 18 launches in India or not, both smartphones will be positioned as camera-centric flagships, making them suitable for photography enthusiasts who want to capture images on the go while keeping film simulation styles handy.
