Xiaomi 18 reveals itself in early leak with Leica camera upgrades also rumoured

Based on recent rumours, Xiaomi is not done with the Xiaomi 17 series yet. Nonetheless, various sources have diverted their attention to Xiaomi's next-generation flagships. For instance, Digital Chat Station suggested that Xiaomi would return to its dual-screen setup with some Xiaomi 18 smartphones.

Reportedly, Xiaomi is developing the smallest model in the range under the codename 'madrid', and 'Q3' as its internal model designation. Not only that, but early rumours suggest that Xiaomi is preparing Chinese and global variants, each with Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. With the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 15 (curr. $837.50 on Amazon) in mind, it seems likely that the Xiaomi 18 will be one of the first devices featuring the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, or whatever Qualcomm ends up calling it.

Apparently, the Xiaomi 18 series will be the source of camera upgrades for Xiaomi's flagship smartphones. For example, Xiaomi is said to be evaluating lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) technology to maximise HDR performance on its periscope telephoto cameras. Whether this extends to the entry-level Xiaomi 18 remains to be seen, though.

Moreover, the company is rumoured to be considering new 200 MP primary cameras for some Xiaomi 18 series models to replace the 50 MP equivalents used across the Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Pro, Xiaomi 17 Pro Max and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. The destination or destinations for these higher megapixel primary cameras is unclear at this stage, too.