Xiaomi has been launching compact flagship smartphones for quite some time now. Last year's Xiaomi 15 raised the bar by delivering a top-notch experience. Now, looks like its successor, the Xiaomi 16, will take it up a notch with a massive battery upgrade.
Prolific leaker Digital Chat Station shared on Weibo that the Xiaomi 16 will include a massive 7,000mAh Silicon Carbon battery. Now, this is a staggering 1,600mAh increase over the 5,400mAh battery found inside the Xiaomi 15 in China. This claim, if true, will set a new benchmark for compact phones. However, the bigger battery could add some extra bulk, causing it to be thicker than the Xiaomi 15.
Compact in 2025 doesn't mean compromises. We have already seen the likes of OnePlus 13s and Vivo X200 Pro Mini integrate flagship-grade specs in a compact form factor.
Apart from this, the Xiaomi 16 is also expected to feature minor refinements to the design by adopting a dual-tone back panel. The square camera island at the top left corner seems to be the same.
Furthermore, the Xiaomi 16 is rumoured to feature a 6.3-inch 120Hz OLED panel. Other key specs, as per leaks, point to the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset and a triple 50 MP camera setup.
One aspect that has always held back compact phones was the downsized battery capacity. However, thanks to the introduction of Silicon Carbon technology, smartphones like the iQOO Neo 10 and Realme GT 7 with 7,000mAh battery packs are becoming the new normal.
With that said, it is important to note that nothing is official yet; take this leak with a pinch of salt. With an expected launch window of Q4 2025, we can expect to see more Xiaomi 16 details to hit the rumour mill in the coming days.
