New Xiaomi 18 leak suggests major hardware upgrades despite skipping Snapdragon Pro chip

Xiaomi is expected to be among the first smartphone manufacturers to offer next-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series phones. However, the entire Xiaomi 18 lineup may not feature the top-end SoC. As a recent report from Digital Chat Station, a reliable tipster, suggested, the standard device of the lineup may be powered by a non-Pro processor.

The rumored Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, on the other hand, may only be available to the Xiaomi 18 Ultra, Pro, and Pro Max models from the lineup. Now, while the standard phone may miss out on the Pro SoC, a new report from Digital Chat Station brings some good news. It will reportedly feature a slightly larger display than the predecessor.

For reference, the Xiaomi 17 features a 6.3-inch display, while its successor is expected to sport a 6.4-inch screen. The tipster predicts that this change is likely because the phone will feature "more advanced components." For example, at the current stage, the entire lineup is planned to have a 200 MP periscope telephoto camera.

To look back, the vanilla Xiaomi 17 (12/256 GB curr. $710.97 on TradingShenzhen) has a standard 50 MP telephoto camera, which offers a 2.6x optical zoom. With the 200 MP sensor, the upcoming base model should stand as a much better pick for photography, especially for zoomed-in shots.

Digital Chat Station didn't share any other possible specs of the Xiaomi 18, but with a slightly larger footprint, it could house a larger battery and a beefier cooling setup. The lineup is expected to launch in September 2026, but more details are expected to leak in the coming days.