Is the Galaxy S26 Ultra already outdated? New Xiaomi 18 Pro leak suggests a massive hardware gap

The post on Chinese social media website Weibo claims that an upcoming flagship with a 6.3-inch screen would feature this generous, at least when it comes to megapixel count, camera system.

Xiaomi 18 series would be an interesting rival to the iPhones and Galaxies

Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are likely to come with the same design language as their predecessors. The base Xiaomi 18 has also been rumored to be getting a periscope telephoto camera.

The Xiaomi 17 and 17 Pro also sported 6.5-inch displays, but as you would expect, the Pro model got the better camera system, so it’s very likely the situation will be the same this time as well.

For reference, the rumored vivo X300 Ultra and Oppo Find X9s are also said to come with 200 MP main and 200 MP periscope telephoto cameras.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is supposed to be coming later this month, is said not to gain significant camera upgrades apart from potentially variable aperture. Apple did introduce some new camera upgrades with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, and all cameras on the back are now 48 MP “Fusion” cameras.

However, neither Samsung nor Apple is currently offering a phone with two 200 MP cameras.

I am a bit annoyed that Samsung and Apple are playing it safe 

I’ve been thinking... Chinese rivals are currently offering some really fancy tech. Great cameras and, especially, huge batteries. Obviously, Samsung and Apple are slow to bring new technology to their flagship phones; however, prices (at least in Europe) keep climbing.

I just wish Samsung or Apple would start adding these massive batteries and significant camera upgrades to their phones. That would, at least, justify the already-quite-high price tag that flagships retail for nowadays.