Xiaomi is preparing a real surprise: the base Xiaomi 18 is said to get a bigger battery than the more expensive Xiaomi 18 Pro

The Xiaomi 18 lineup currently has only two models. Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max have been sold in China since September 23, but the base model without any Pro label was missing from the launch. Now it has appeared in the database of a Chinese regulator, and according to findings, it should arrive in December.

Xiaomi 18 has passed MIIT certification

A phone labeled M261DB has passed certification for wireless technologies at China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The applicant is Xiaomi Communications Technology. The record confirms support for 5G, Wi‑Fi, and Bluetooth, but you can’t read the phone’s parameters from it. The well-known Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station claims that this label refers to the base Xiaomi 18.

A later arrival of the base model won’t be surprising. Xiaomi President Lu Weibing wrote on Weibo before the Pro lineup’s launch that the base Xiaomi 18 would come out separately. He didn’t specify an exact date. XiaomiTime now talks about December—so the base model would likely arrive about three months after the Pro models.

Battery 7 200 mAh, bigger than on Xiaomi 18 Pro

So far, we only know the hardware from leaks. The phone is expected to get the same chip as the Pro models: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. The main camera should be 200 Mpx, and the battery capacity 7 200 mAh. According to the latest information, there will be only two cameras on the back. There will be no rear display as well—just like Xiaomi 17.

If the figure is confirmed, the base model should have a larger battery than Xiaomi 18 Pro. In the Chinese version, it has 7 000 mAh, a trio of Leica cameras, a 6,4‑inch display, and a rear screen with a diagonal of 2,7 inches.

Last year’s Xiaomi 17 had, in the Chinese version, 7 000 mAh. So the new model would be a nice upgrade for you by 200 mAh. We don’t know yet what capacity the global version will have. Global versions of the 18 Pro series got smaller batteries. Global Xiaomi 18 Pro has only 6 000 mAh.

What we don’t know yet

Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed the base model’s specs, so take the details with a grain of salt. We don’t know the display size or the price either. Xiaomi 18 Pro costs in China from 5 999 yuan, which is about 780 €. Logically, the base model should be cheaper.

In Slovakia, you can officially buy the global Xiaomi 17 today. If you don’t want to wait, you can also find our Chinese version of Xiaomi 17 with 7 000 mAh. For the Pro lineup, read our comparison of Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max.

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