Basic Xiaomi 18 skips the biggest novelty of the Pro models and maybe does a good job. According to a leak, it will get a metal body and two 200 MPx cameras

While Europe is waiting for the global launch of the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, a smaller and cheaper sibling is back in the spotlight. According to the Chinese leaker Smart Pikachu, who shares leaks on the social network Weibo, the base Xiaomi 18 will get a metal body and, just like the 18 Pro, two cameras with a 200 MP resolution. One of the main upgrades of the pricier models won’t be included, however.

The leak was worked up by German Notebookcheck and Italian TuttoAndroid. Notebookcheck labels Smart Pikachu as a fairly reliable source, but Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed the equipment of the base model yet, so take all the info with a pinch of salt.

Metal body and cameras in the top-left corner

The phone is supposed to have a 6,4-inch display, so it should be roughly as compact as the Xiaomi 18 Pro. According to the leaker, the camera module will be in the top-left corner of the back, which will get an unusual two-tone metal finish. Xiaomi is also said to be preparing new colors for the base model, but the leaker didn’t reveal the exact shades.

From the photo lineup, there are two sensors with a resolution of 200 Mpx. According to our earlier article, this is the main camera with a 1/1.28-inch sensor size and a telephoto lens with roughly 3x zoom, to which a 50 Mpx ultra-wide-angle lens will be added. Notebookcheck meanwhile allows that some sensors may be smaller than in the 18 Pro.

No display with privacy protection—and that might not be a bad thing

According to the leaker, the base model won’t get Smart Privacy Display. In privacy mode, when viewed from the side, the screen darkens so nobody can peek at your messages. It was one of the biggest updates in the Pro lineup, but according to early comparisons it didn’t turn out quite right. The Xiaomi 18 Pro display loses brightness faster than the older Xiaomi 17 Ultra when tilted—even when privacy mode is turned off.

The back display that both Pro models have is also missing on the base Xiaomi 18, based on the leaks so far. With a small phone featuring two 200 MP cameras, Xiaomi could be saving money right there—and lowering the price.

A 7 000 mAh battery and the same chipset as the Pro

The phone should be powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, same as the Pro models, and the battery is said by Smart Pikachu to have a capacity of 7 000 mAh. However, this number keeps changing in leaks. In September, when the phone passed Chinese certification, it was said to have 7 200 mAh, and in early October a report came in that Xiaomi’s prototype is testing as much as 8 000 mAh.

If the latest figure is correct, the base model should have an equally large battery as the Xiaomi 18 Pro in China. But in Europe it may arrive smaller—since the global Xiaomi 18 Pro has, instead of the Chinese 7 000 mAh, only 6 000 mAh, and the Xiaomi 17 from last year had 6 330 mAh in Europe.

Launch in December, price unknown for now

Xiaomi 18 is expected in December, roughly three months after the Pro models. Nobody knows the price yet, and it’s precisely that price that will determine whether the phone succeeds. Notebookcheck writes that if the base model is significantly cheaper than the 18 Pro, it could take on compact flagship phones like the iPhone 18 Pro.

In Europe, the Xiaomi 18 Pro is supposed to cost from 1 449 € according to an leaked price list, and the Italian retailer Epto has already listed it with a promo price of 1 398,90 €, though it can’t be bought yet. In Slovakia today, you officially can buy the global Xiaomi 17, which is the predecessor of the base Xiaomi 18.

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