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Here is a first look at one of the best flagships of 2025

New flagships that are better than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 are expected to arrive just a few months after Samsung’s foldable

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By Cosmin Vasile

Published: May 21, 2025, 2:18 AM

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Xiaomi

Xiaomi 16 will be among the first powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 | Image credit: Majinbu Official

While the world is waiting for the next iPhone or Samsung Galaxy flagship, there are a bunch of other at least equally devices coming out this year. Xiaomi 16 is an unannounced flagship that’s expected to arrive right after Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Luckily for Samsung, Xiaomi 16 won’t compete with its next foldable phones because this is a traditional compact flagship. This means that it would rather compete with the likes of Samsung Galaxy S25 and OnePlus 13s.

According to the latest rumors, Xiaomi 16 is expected to be introduced in China sometime in September. Unfortunately, a global release might be delayed until early 2026, which will put it dangerously close to the release of Galaxy S26.

The first CAD renders of the Xiaomi 16 show a pretty standard device with a rather large square island that houses the phone’s camera system. Xiaomi 16 features a rectangular form factor with rounded corners, yet a bit thicker than we expected.

The camera island protruded from the backplate, while the LED flash is positioned outside to the left. The LEICA brand visible in the CAD renders confirms Xiaomi continues its partnership with the German camera maker.

Xiaomi 16 features a rectangular form factor | Image credit: Majinbu Official

The CAD renders are accompanied by valuable information about Xiaomi 16’s specs like the chipset type, display size, camera configuration, battery size, and other details that paint a pretty interesting picture.

For starters, Xiaomi 16 will be one of the first flagships to adopt Qualcomm’s unannounced Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset. The new processor is expected to be introduced in September and promises to offer 25 percent CPU and 30 percent GPU (graphics processing unit) performance improvements.

The flagship sports a flat 6.32-6.36-inch display with ultra-thin bezels. The exact size hasn’t been determined at the moment, but either way Xiaomi 16 remains a compact flagship.

On the inside, Xiaomi 16 will house a large 6,800 mAh battery with 100W fast charging support. As far as the camera system goes, Xiaomi 16 is rumored to feature a 50-megapixel triple camera setup that includes a periscope telephoto lens and LEICA lenses.

Xiaomi 16 might not be the only flagship launched by the Chinese company this year. A Xiaomi 16 Pro and a Xiaomi 16 might accompany the vanilla model Ultra, but these are just speculations for now.

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Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brought a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.