Xiaomi 18 Pro will have a larger camera and a new AI button

Xiaomi 18 Pro is approaching its planned September launch with a technical sheet already outlined on most fronts. The bigger Pro Max sister has been spotted on Geekbench recently with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, and it is likely that the two flagships will share the SoC.

In the meantime, the NCC certification obtained by the base model suggests a global debut sooner than the previous generation.

To complete the picture, a detail that concerns the device’s physical aspect, previously in the background compared to the chipset and cameras, now arrives. A protective cover would indeed have leaked online, and its shape would suggest two hardware novelties not yet emerged in previous leaks: a larger camera module and a fourth physical button dedicated to artificial intelligence.

Xiaomi 18 Pro, toward a larger camera and a new AI button: what the leaked cover reveals

The first clue concerns precisely the camera island. By comparing the cutout of the cover with the Xiaomi 17 Pro module (it’s the phone captured in the photos), there would emerge a quite large empty space immediately below the camera island, a detail that would not appear if the module’s dimensions had remained identical.

Regarding the sensors, the device should mount a main 200 MP sensor with a 1/1.28″ size and LOFIC technology, produced by SmartSens, paired with a second sensor also 200 MP.

A fourth physical button dedicated to AI functions

The second detail, perhaps even more interesting, concerns the physical controls on the side of the phone. The cover would show the addition of a fourth button, beyond the classic volume and power buttons.

The new button would be linked to the HyperOS ecosystem and designed as a shortcut dedicated to AI-based functions, perhaps quick activation of an intelligent photography mode, real-time translation or direct summons of the Super XiaoAI 2.0 voice assistant.

It remains to understand whether it will be a user-programmable button or tied to a fixed function, a detail that the cover alone cannot obviously clarify.

Presumed specifications

• Dimensions and weight: /
• Colors: /
• Certification: IP68
• Display: Flat AMOLED 6.3″ 1.5K (2,656 x 1,220 pixels), LTPO, 120 Hz, touch sampling at 300 Hz, 12-bit color, DC Dimming 2,160 Hz and peak brightness up to 3,500 nits, Xiaomi Shield Glass
• Rear display: Flat AMOLED 4″ HD with LTPO 120 Hz refresh rate, touch at 120 Hz, DC Dimming and 3,500 nits
• Security: under-display ultrasonic fingerprint reader
• Liquid cooling with vapor chamber
• SoC: Unannounced – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, 2 nm TSMC
• CPU octa-core
  • 2 x 5.11 GHz – Oryon
  • 3 x 4.03 GHz – Oryon
  • 3 x 3.74 GHz – Oryon
• GPU: Adreno 850
• RAM: 12/16 GB LPDDR6
• Storage: 256/512 GB/1 TB UFS 5.0 non-expandable
• Battery: 7,000 mAh, silicon-carbon
• Charging: 100W, wireless 50W, reverse wired/wireless 22.5W
• Camera: triple 200 + 50 + 200 MP (f/?) with OIS, ultrawide and telephoto periscopic/macro with OIS | Leica optics
• Selfie camera: 100 MP (f/?)
• Connectivity and more: Dual SIM 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, Dual GPS, stereo speaker, USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, UWB
• Operating system: Android 17 with HyperOS 4

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