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Xiaomi Cancels 18 Ultra Flagship Smartphone
Confirmed
In Short: Had the Xiaomi 18 Ultra been launched, it would have been priced at CNY 9,999 (~$1,500) in China and €1,899 in the EU, making it one of the most expensive smartphones in Xiaomi's lineup.
The phone was also set to include a multispectral lens and a magnetic external lens, similar to those seen on the vivo X300 Ultra.
Had the Xiaomi 18 Ultra been launched, it would have been priced at CNY 9,999 (~$1,500) in China and €1,899 in the EU, making it one of the most expensive smartphones in Xiaomi's lineup.
This decision marks a shift from previous years where Xiaomi’s top-of-the-line flagships carried the “Ultra” moniker.
In contrast, Samsung is reportedly planning significant upgrades for its Galaxy S27 Ultra, including the use of Samsung Display’s latest M16 OLED material set.
According to Korean publication ET News, the Galaxy S27 Pro and Galaxy S27 Ultra will feature the M16 OLED, while the standard Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus will use the older M14 OLED.
The M16 OLED is expected to boost brightness, power efficiency, color performance, and longevity, marking a notable change in Samsung’s display strategy.
Meanwhile, technology company Technology introduced Gemini 4 Argon as the flagship of its Gemini 4 generation, designed for complex workloads and comparable to frontier models like OpenAI’s Astra and Anthropic’s Opus on key coding and cyber benchmarks.
What this adds
The Xiaomi 18 Ultra's cancellation highlights a shift in Xiaomi's strategy towards more affordable flagship models.
What's confirmed
- The phone was also set to include a multispectral lens and a magnetic external lens, similar to those seen on the vivo X300 Ultra.
- Had the Xiaomi 18 Ultra been launched, it would have been priced at CNY 9,999 (~$1,500) in China and €1,899 in the EU, making it one of the most expensive smartphones in Xiaomi's lineup.
- This decision marks a shift from previous years where Xiaomi’s top-of-the-line flagships carried the “Ultra” moniker.
- In contrast, Samsung is reportedly planning significant upgrades for its Galaxy S27 Ultra, including the use of Samsung Display’s latest M16 OLED material set.
- According to Korean publication ET News, the Galaxy S27 Pro and Galaxy S27 Ultra will feature the M16 OLED, while the standard Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus will use the older M14 OLED.
- The M16 OLED is expected to boost brightness, power efficiency, color performance, and longevity, marking a notable change in Samsung’s display strategy.
- Meanwhile, technology company Technology introduced Gemini 4 Argon as the flagship of its Gemini 4 generation, designed for complex workloads and comparable to frontier models like OpenAI’s Astra and Anthropic’s Opus on key coding and cyber benchmarks.
What's still developing
- In August, we saw reports that said the company canceled plans to launch the Xiaomi 18 Ultra, opting instead to limit its lineup to the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max.
- According to a Weibo post by leaker Digital Chat Station (DCS), had Xiaomi not canceled the 18 Ultra, it would have boasted extremely impressive specs.
- Last year, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra sat above the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, but things have changed this time around.
- Now, a new leak offers insight into what the Xiaomi 18 Ultra could have been like and why it was canceled.
- The leaker states that it would have featured a high-end flagship chipset with a benchmark score over 500 million, paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
- The Galaxy S26 line uses aluminum for its frames, doing away with the titanium found in the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
- Samsung’s Ultra flagship is getting a new look next year.
- Recent CAD renders revealed a redesigned Galaxy S27 Ultra with a rectangular camera slab.
- We now have images of dummy units that offer a better look at what the upcoming flagship could look like in the real world.
- X user @wallegalaxy recently shared a couple of images showing alleged Galaxy S27 Ultra dummy units.
- The Apple iPhone 18 Pro outmuscles the Samsung Galaxy S26 in raw camera prowess and silicon performance, but Samsung’s entry-level flagship claims the undeniable crown for overall value.
- Both smartphones feature ultra-premium glass-and-metal sandwiches, but Apple pushes the durability ceiling slightly higher.