The Xiaomi 18 series is allegedly coming with amazing cameras across all models. | Image by PhoneArena
According to the latest leak, the upcoming Xiaomi 18 series will sport a pretty amazing camera system. What's even more interesting is that the same camera system will be available on all Xiaomi 18 devices, not just the Ultra.
Xiaomi 18 series camera system
The leak comes from a tipster going by the name Kartikey Singh, who posted on X the alleged camera specs of three Xiaomi 18 models — the vanilla Xiaomi 18, the Xiaomi 18 Pro, and the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max.
As mentioned earlier this year, the entire Xiaomi 18 Series will usher in a big imaging upgrade strategy
As you can see from the post above, all three models will come equipped with 200MP main camera sensors, another 200MP on periscope zoom duties, and 50MP ultrawide cameras.
The main difference between the three models is a variation in the main camera sensor. Apparently, the vanilla Xiaomi 18 won't feature LOFIC technology. The Pro model is listed with LOFIC on the main sensor, while the Pro Max comes with LOFIC 3.0. What's that?, you may ask.
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What is LOFIC?
A basic diagram of the LOFIC technology. | Image by Research Gate
LOFIC stands for Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor. Basically, it's like a bucket placed next to the pixel to catch excessive water, which in the case of the pixel is current.
See, when a pixel receives photons, it generates a charge in the photodiode, depending on the brightness. But when the brightness is too high, the photodiode can fill up and overflow, resulting in blown-up highlights and overexposed photos.
The solution is to place a capacitor next to the photodiode so any potential excess of electrons spill into this element.
The ISP then reads the information from the photodiode as well as the overflow capacitor simultaneously and combines it into the final picture, resulting in a big jump in dynamic range.
For the Xiaomi 18 case, it looks like the top model will come equipped with the latest and most advanced version of this system, while the vanilla model will skip it altogether.
Xiaomi 18 series pricing and competition
Price hikes are coming to the Xiaomi 18 series making it more expensive than iPhone 17 series. | Image by PhonArena
It seems that the RAM and storage crisis is hitting Xiaomi as well. According to another post by Singh, the Xiaomi 18 Pro could be priced the same as the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, while the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max could be priced the same as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.
This basically means that we're in for another price hike, making Xiaomi phones even more expensive than they already are. The Xiaomi 17 launched at 999 euros (around $1,147), while the Xiaomi 17 Ultra started at 1,499 euros (~$1,700).
What about the Xiaomi 18 Ultra?
1-inch smartphone camera sensors are still a thing for major manufacturers. | Image by Weibo
Even though the top model of the lineup, the Xiaomi 18 Ultra, isn't mentioned in the post by Singh, the model will most likely launch next year. According to the latest leak by Digital ChatStation — a prolific Chinese leaker who mainly lives on Weibo — the Xiaomi 18 Ultra might be delayed until 2027.
Digital Chat Station also claims that Xiaomi is currently working on a 1-inch camera sensor, and this might be one of the reasons for the delay of the Ultra. Rumor has it that the Xiaomi 18 Ultra could feature a 1-inch 200MP sensor, with the aforementioned LOFIC technology on board, we assume.
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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