Xiaomi 18 Ultra: Early launch and a return to a quad-camera system on the cards

While it maintained its traditional launch schedule on the global market, Xiaomi released the Xiaomi 17 series months ago in China, earlier than usual. New information indicates that this may be the case moving forward. Or, at least with the Xiaomi 18 series.

As shared by leaker Smart Pikachu, Xiaomi is preparing the Xiaomi 18 Ultra to debut this year, much like the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Previous Ultra models launched in late February but the Xiaomi 17 Ultra had its Chinese debut in December, with the source now expecting the 18 Ultra to debut around the same period this year. While there's no direct mention of the non-Ultra models, word on the grapevine indicates they'll launch in September, in close proximity to Apple's iPhones.  

More interestingly, Xiaomi could be set to equip the 18 Ultra with a quad-camera system. The company ditched the secondary telephoto lens in favor of a mechanical zoom system with a variable focal length on the 17 Ultra. According to the source, however, the company is currently working on a "quad-lens solution" for the Xiaomi 18 Ultra, which would theoretically see the flagship arrive with a fourth camera like its predecessors before the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. No further information is provided on what that lens could be, but we expect word on that to surface in the coming months.

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