The Chinese company seems intent on abandoning the Ultra designation for its Camera Phone family. After aligning numerically with Cupertino’s flagship devices (going from Xiaomi 15 to 17, skipping a generation), Lei Jun’s company could aim for a slimmer lineup.
The Pro Max experiment can be considered successful, although it’s a device launched exclusively for China, enough to shift the balance of the series. Xiaomi 18 Pro Max could be the true and only flagship Camera Phone of the next generation, retiring the iconic Ultra line.
The insider Digital Chat Station previews the camera department innovations of the smartphone and there’s no beating around the bush: if confirmed, it would be the most significant upgrade to date. Xiaomi 18 Pro Max would have a main sensor of 200 MP with a size of 1/1.28″, including a new-generation LOFIC HDR.
The current Xiaomi 17 Max has represented a first step, with its Samsung HP9 200 MP sensor. The next chapter would raise the bar with a larger main sensor, thus able to capture more natural light and with a wider dynamic range.
The LOFIC technology coming from the Xiaomi 17 Ultra prevents photos from “burning” in the brightest areas by capturing the excess light directly in the sensor, ensuring perfect detail both in bright light and in shadow in a single instant shot.
Additionally the leaker mentions a telephoto/macro (presumably periscope) 200 MP with a 1/1.56″ size, f/2.4 aperture and 3x optical zoom. Driving it all will be a 2 nm chipset: we can safely assume it will be the future Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, given the very close relationship between Xiaomi and Qualcomm.
Given the camera capabilities of the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, it seems even more reasonable to think that the Ultra model’s development is truly finished (as previously rumored). Since we’re always in a speculative mood, we can try to guess the future of Lei Jun’s flagship series.
The company is expected to launch the trio in September, consisting of Xiaomi 18, 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The two bigger brothers, or at least one of them, will have a rear display of the camera island – as already happened with 17 Pro e Pro Max – a feature that Xiaomi does not appear to intend to bring to a Global level.
Here the two possibilities open: either Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will not have the mini screens on the back (and thus will debut internationally as well) or there will be a China-only version and, subsequently, a Global variant with a back that is “clean”. All this assuming the Ultra name will be abandoned.
As usual, remember that these are only rumors and there are no official confirmations. Instead, the latest considerations are our own hypotheses, so we’ll see if they prove to be well-founded or not.
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