Xiaomi 18 Ultra might not happen. But leakers disagree

The Ultra series has always been Xiaomi’s showcase — a place where the most insane camera equipment is displayed regardless of price. And this showcase might now remain closed for one generation. According to a leak, the Xiaomi 18 Ultra will not be created, and camera phone fans will have to wait. However, as with any such news, skepticism is in order — especially when the leakers themselves contradict each other.

What actually leaked

The source is the usually reliable leaker Kartikey Singh, according to whom it is “99% confirmed” that the 18 Ultra will be a skipped generation. Instead, Xiaomi is expected to offer the 18 Pro and a new 18 Pro Max, both of which are supposed to feature improved cameras. The top of the line itself, the Pro Max, is showing up in leaks as a real beast — a 6.9″ LTPO display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip, a pair of 200Mpx sensors, and a large battery. The rest of the 18 series is expected to arrive around autumn, possibly as early as September.

Blame it on memory

Why would Xiaomi cancel a model it boasts about every year? The answer sounds boring, but is likely accurate: memory and component prices are soaring, and margins in the ultra-premium class have thinned. According to leaks, even the 18 Pro Max is expected to become so expensive that its price will reach the level of today’s 17 Ultra — and an even more expensive Ultra above it would then be difficult to justify. This is not an isolated phenomenon; expensive memory is now pressuring the entire market, whether it’s delayed phones, cuts in features, or price increases. Xiaomi would thus only be the first manufacturer to sacrifice an entire model tier because of this.

But leakers contradict each other

And now, why I wouldn’t hoist the black flag just yet. While Singh talks about a complete cancellation, another respected source, Digital Chat Station, claims the opposite — the Ultra is supposedly not dead, just postponed until 2027 and is expected to come with a fantastic 1″ 200 Mpx sensor. Two reliable leakers, two conflicting versions. Whichever is true, one thing is immediately certain: if the Ultra doesn’t arrive this year, Xiaomi will not have a direct answer to the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra for some time. Only Xiaomi itself will provide definitive clarity — until then, take everything above as unconfirmed speculation.

Would you miss an Ultra model, or is a well-built Pro Max a more reasonable choice?

Source: Kartikey Singh (X), Notebookcheck