The base Xiaomi 18 has passed certification. We might see it this year

The Xiaomi 18 Pro series was unveiled in China on September 23, and co-founder and president of the brand, Lu Weibing, soon after confirmed that the Pro and Pro Max models will head to global markets later this year. However, one phone was missing from the stage – the base Xiaomi 18. It has now made itself known in the database of the Chinese Ministry of Industry, so its unveiling should not be far off. Details were brought by the XimiTime website.

When will the base Xiaomi 18 be unveiled?

The phone with model designation M261DB passed radio certification by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on September 23, the same day the Pro series was unveiled. According to the XimiTime website, this is indeed the base Xiaomi 18. The approval itself does not reveal any parameters, but it usually means that the phone is almost ready before its launch.

Lu Weibing confirmed on Weibo that it would be released separately even before the event began. He did not mention an exact date, but according to current leaks, the Xiaomi 18 could be unveiled in December. Last year, the Xiaomi 17 was released together with the Pro models. The Chinese manufacturer has obviously been inspired by Apple, which this year also first introduced the top-tier Pro and Pro Max models and is still waiting with the base iPhone 18.

What specifications are expected?

Official specifications do not exist yet, but leaks paint a fairly clear picture. The base model is expected to be powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 as the Xiaomi 18 Pro, the main camera should have a resolution of 200 Mpx, and charging is reportedly capable of 100 W wired and 50 W wireless.

As for the battery, its capacity is expected to reach 7,200 mAh, which is even more than the Pro model with 7,000 mAh. However, this is the Chinese version. Last year’s Xiaomi 17 had a 7,000 mAh battery in China, while the European variant received only 6,330 mAh. It would therefore not be surprising if a similar scenario were to repeat this year.

Would you wait for the base Xiaomi 18, or would you go straight for the Pro model?

Sources: XimiTime (1, 2)