Xiaomi reportedly cancels 18 Ultra flagship due to high costs

Reports from industry leakers, including Digital Chat Station, suggest that Xiaomi has internally cancelled the development of its flagship Xiaomi 18 Ultra. The decision is reportedly driven by high production costs and concerns that the final retail price would be too high to sustain viable sales volumes.

The cancelled model was expected to feature highly ambitious hardware, most notably a triple 200MP camera system. This setup would have included a 1/1.12-inch LOFIC main sensor, a 200MP periscope telephoto lens with continuous optical zoom, and a 200MP ultra-wide lens. Other rumored features included a magnetic external lens attachment system and a display with ultra-thin 1mm bezels.

Estimates suggest the base configuration of 12GB RAM and 256GB storage would have cost approximately 10,000 yuan (roughly $1,400–$1,500 USD), a significant increase from the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. While the Ultra model may not proceed, Xiaomi is moving forward with the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, as well as the standard Xiaomi 18, which is expected to launch in December.