Xiaomi may have cancelled its next-gen Ultra flagship

The Xiaomi 18 Ultra, it appears, is dead. Reports over the past few months have teased the possibility of Xiaomi shelving its development for the flagship phone, and the latest of them seemingly indicates that a decision has finally been made.

As shared by leaker Kartikey Singh, Xiaomi is ending development of the Xiaomi 18 Ultra entirely, instead choosing not to offer an "Ultra" flagship phone in its next-gen lineup. That, of course, means that Xiaomi will not offer a direct alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra when it debuts next year.

It's unclear why Xiaomi may have made this choice, although it likely has much to do with rising memory prices. Reportedly, the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will see a significant price increase that takes it into the price range of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra (buy on Amazon US). In that case, the Xiaomi 18 Ultra would likely have been too expensive to be tenable.

While the Xiaomi 18 Ultra may have been canceled, the source claims Xiaomi will return to form with the Xiaomi 19 Ultra next year. Fans of the company's "Ultra" flagships will have to make do with the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, with both phones expected to arrive with improved camera, and at least one model tipped to launch globally.