Xiaomi may be changing its flagship release strategy.
According to tipster Digital Chat Station, the company will launch the Xiaomi 18 Pro series first in September, with the standard Xiaomi 18 following shortly after.
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The gap between the two launches is expected to be small. Both phones are reportedly set to be available before the Chinese Spring Festival in February.
This staggered approach mirrors Apple's rumored plan for the iPhone 18 series.
Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 18 Pro in September, while the standard model may arrive later in 2027.
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Xiaomi might also adopt another Apple trait: a signature red color option for the Xiaomi 18 series.
Price Hike Expected
A bigger concern for buyers is the potential price increase. The Xiaomi 18 series is said to cost noticeably more than its predecessors.
Rising costs across the upstream supply chain are affecting nearly every major Android brand.
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Xiaomi founder Lei Jun has commented on the memory price surge, noting that supply prices are likely to keep climbing over the next two years.
Lei Jun advised consumers planning to upgrade their phones to buy sooner rather than later.
On the hardware side, the Xiaomi 18 series will be among the first to use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 platform.
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The Xiaomi 18 recently appeared in the GSMA product database, confirming its existence. The new series is expected to reach buyers as early as September this year.
