Xiaomi 16 Ultra: Redesigned flagship tipped to launch with fewer cameras to target Vivo X200 Ultra

The launch of Xiaomi's next Ultra-branded smartphone is likely still around seven or eight months away. Nonetheless, early information continues to emerge online about Xiaomi's hopes to distinguish the Xiaomi 16 Ultra from its predecessors. For instance, detailed specifications appeared online via separate sources earlier this week.

Now, Kartikey Singh and SmartPrix have teamed up to provide a first look at how the Xiaomi 16 Ultra could look. According to the pair, Xiaomi will be moving away from the quad rear-facing camera set-up that it has used across its Ultra-branded flagships since the Xiaomi 13 Ultra in 2023. Apparently, the company intends to revert to three rear-facing cameras with a new telephoto sensor doing the work of the 3x and 4.3 optical zoom cameras found in the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.

In that sense, it appears that Xiaomi is following Vivo and the X200 Ultra rather than the quad-camera path also trodden by Samsung and its Ultra-branded flagships (curr. $1,106 on Amazon). Supposedly, the 1-inch type main camera will return for the Xiaomi 16 Ultra. By contrast, a Sony LYT-600 is rumoured to underpin the device's 50 MP ultra-wide-angle camera. Potentially, a new S5KHHE telephoto sensor could replace the ISOCELL HP9 used in the X200 Ultra and Xiaomi 15 Ultra too, at least according to Digital Chat Station.