Xiaomi 18: Like the iPhone? In the first render, the design looks far too familiar

If the specs of Xiaomi 18 seem already clear – despite the many months separating us from the release – the same cannot be said of the design. We still don’t know if the Chinese brand will shake things up with a new look, but in the meantime a spine-tingling render has emerged.

The first leak image of the flagship – alleged and we mark it as fake – shows a twist that brings a smile, but underneath it could not be as unexpected as it seems.

Xiaomi 18 spotted in a render image: fingers crossed for the fake

Let’s start by getting ahead of ourselves (again): we take for granted that the Xiaomi 18 render image is a fake. As of today it is still too early to have real renders; however it is a leak from a Chinese insider and could also be one of the possible looks for the future flagship.

Whatever the origin of the render, the inspiration is crystal clear: iPhone 16 Pro and Xiaomi 17 have had a child and in the middle there also ended up OPPO Reno 15. A change of style not radical but definitely too close to Cupertino’s rival.

Surely we are dealing with a fake, but given the precedents we cannot completely rule out such a shift. Remember the generational jump of the brand’s flagship line: from Xiaomi 15, Lei Jun’s company moved directly to Xiaomi 17.

The reason? Perhaps it is to align numerically with the US rival to avoid looking behind, at least by the name’s appearance. Consequently, it wouldn’t be so strange to see a style close to the rival series. For now, the new Xiaomi 18 design exists only in our nightmares, so we await more reliable leaks.

Meanwhile it is already possible to outline a spec sheet, thanks to various leaks so far: the entry model of the series is expected with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 but we must wait at least until September (as far as China is concerned).

Presumed technical specifications

• Dimensions and weight: /
• Color options: /
• Certification: IP68
• Display: Flat OLED 6.4″ 1.5K, LTPO 120 Hz, touch sampling at 300 Hz, 12-bit color, DC Dimming 2,160 Hz and peak brightness up to 3,500 nits
• Security: under-display fingerprint reader (ultrasonic)
• Liquid cooling with vapor chamber
• SoC: UNRELEASED – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, 2 nm TSMC (N2p)
• CPU: Octa-core (2 + 3 + 3)
• GPU: Adreno
• RAM: 12/16 GB LPDDR5X
• Storage: 256/512 GB/1 TB UFS 4.1 non-expandable
• Battery: above 7,000 mAh
• Charging: /
• Camera: triple 50 + 50 + 200 MP (f/?) with Light Fusion, OIS, ultrawide and periscope telephoto with OIS | Leica optics
• Selfie camera: 50 MP (f/2.2), 90° FOV, autofocus
• Connectivity and others: Dual SIM 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, Dual GPS, stereo speakers, USB-C 3.2 Gen 1
• Operating system: Android 17 with HyperOS 4