New leaks suggest Xiaomi is preparing to launch the Xiaomi 18 Ultra earlier than expected this year. According to information shared by well-known tipster Smart Pikachu, the company may keep the same release pattern it used for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Instead of launching early in the year like older Ultra models, the upcoming device could debut in China toward the end of the year, possibly around December.
The camera system could see a major change. Xiaomi is reportedly testing a quad-camera setup for the Xiaomi 18 Ultra. This would be a shift from the Xiaomi 17 Ultra (review), which moved away from a traditional four-camera layout and introduced a mechanical zoom solution instead. If the latest leak is accurate, Xiaomi may return to a four-lens configuration to offer more focal length options and improve overall camera versatility.
Before the 17 Ultra adopted its triple-camera arrangement, Xiaomi used a quad-camera system on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. That setup included a 50MP primary wide-angle camera, a 50MP telephoto lens, a 200MP periscope telephoto sensor, and a 50MP ultrawide camera. If Xiaomi does not introduce a completely new camera concept this year, a similar configuration could return on the Xiaomi 18 Ultra.
To understand the direction Xiaomi may take with the 18 Ultra, it helps to look at the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which launched in China about three months ago, in December. The phone features a 6.9-inch 2K LTPO OLED display with a refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz. It runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor paired with up to 16GB RAM and up to 1TB storage.
The device carries a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery with support for 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. It also includes an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
Photography was the major focus. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra introduced a 50MP primary camera with a 1-inch sensor and f/1.67 aperture, along with a 50MP ultra-wide camera offering a 115-degree field of view. The telephoto system uses a 200MP sensor paired with a Leica APO zoom lens that provides continuous optical zoom from 3.2x to 4.3x.
With the Xiaomi 18 Ultra, leaks indicate Xiaomi may expand the camera system again while also upgrading the chipset and battery capacity. More details about the additional lens and final hardware are expected to surface in the coming months.
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