Plot twist: Xiaomi copies Samsung and is rumored to announce a super modest battery upgrade

The latest round of rumors has it that the Xiaomi 18 will pack a battery that's barely larger than the one found in the Xiaomi 17.

This is the Samsung way, the Apple way… when it comes to batteries: every year, we get new phones with new cells that pack almost the same power capacity. Two of the best Android phones – the Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S26 – can be used as an example. The former has a 4,000 mAh cell, while the latter – a 4,300 mAh one.

Some flagships – like the Galaxy S26 Ultra – come with the same 5,000 mAh capacity as their predecessors from seven (!) years ago (the Galaxy S20 Ultra is the one I'm referring to).

It's OK, but…

Per the current leaks, the upcoming flagship Xiaomi 18 will have a battery with a capacity of 7,200 mAh. That's great and all, but that's a 200 mAh difference compared to the Xiaomi 17's cell of 7,000 mAh capacity.

200 mAh is not enough to make a difference when it comes to ~7,000 mAh batteries. It's a ~3% change and while I'm grateful for every extra minute of battery life, an extra 500 mAh would've been better, right?

In reality, though, the rumored 7,200 mAh capacity is plenty. Pair such a cell with an advanced and efficient enough chipset (which the Xiaomi 18 will surely have installed under the hood), and you've got what's essentially a two-day phone.

What else do we know?

For starters, the Xiaomi 18 is rumored to run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 processor, the same 2nm chip expected to power the Xiaomi 18 Pro. This would make the standard model one of the few smaller flagship phones to offer such a powerful chipset.

The phone is expected to come with a 6.4-inch display (with 2K resolution) and very thin bezels around the screen. Reports also suggest it will use SuperPixel display technology while keeping a compact design that's easy to hold and use.

The camera system could be one of the biggest upgrades. The Xiaomi 18 is expected to include two 200 MP cameras with large sensors, along with a 3x periscope telephoto lens.

This would be the first time Xiaomi brings a periscope zoom camera to its regular flagship instead of keeping it exclusive to the Pro models. I love that idea.

One feature that will remain exclusive to the Pro lineup is the rear display. According to earlier reports, the standard Xiaomi 18 will not include the secondary screen found on some Pro models.

What about the Xiaomi 18 Pro's battery?

This is where the fun begins.

The Xiaomi 18 Pro is expected to pack a huge 8,500mAh battery, putting it well ahead of most flagship smartphones in terms of capacity.

Despite the larger battery, charging speeds are rumored to stay the same, with support for 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.

Xiaomi is expected to unveil the Xiaomi 18 series in September, possibly a little earlier than last year's launch. The new phones will surely compete directly with Apple's iPhone 18 Pro lineup when they arrive.

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