Early Xiaomi 18 Render Reveals a Familiar "Inspired" Look

Back in September 2025, the Xiaomi 17 series went official in China. Now, it's 2026 and we expect the Xiaomi 18 series to arrive right about the same time. Even though we are still a few months away from launch, leaks and rumours have already started pouring in and the latest one gives us our best look yet at the standard Xiaomi 18.

Xiaomi 18 leaked design hints at iPhone 16 Pro-like makeover

Weibo member IT Tech Hero has shared a mockup render image claiming it's the Xiaomi 18. It shows off the back panel of the said phone in a snow white-like colour and a top-left aligned camera module, which can easily throw people off into believing they are looking at the iPhone 16 Pro.

However, thanks to the Xiaomi branding at the bottom left corner and the Leica-image branding inside the camera deco, it indeed seems to be the upcoming Xiaomi phone. In fact, some could argue that the new design is more in line with the Oppo Reno 15 phones, which launched recently in India. However, the placement of the LED Flash gives off the iPhone "inspired" vibes.

Aside from that, the tipster has not shared any other details. The alleged design is a complete departure from what we saw with the Xiaomi 17. At the time of writing, it is hard to determine the authenticity of this leak. So, take it with a pinch of salt.

As for the phone's specs, a recent Xiaomi 18 leaked chipset report revealed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 for the smartphone. The SoC is expected to be similar in performance to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, since Qualcomm is also developing a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chip on 2nm foundry.

Besides the processor, early Xiaomi 18 Pro leaks point to dual 200 MP cameras – one for the main camera and another for a periscope telephoto unit. It is also expected to gain a bigger 8,000mAh battery and ship with HyperOS 4 update based on Android 17 out of the box.

That said, with the official launch still more than eight months away, we expect the rumour mill to spill more Xiaomi 18 details in the coming weeks. So, stay tuned and keep a close watch at Beebom Gadgets for the latest developments.