Summary: Xiaomi has reportedly cancelled the Xiaomi 18 Ultra as it would be too expensive at launch. The phone was rumored to be deep into development with three 200 MP cameras, LOFIC sensor technology, a flat display with 1 mm bezels and a benchmark score above 5 million. However, the base price of CNY 9,999 was deemed too high, leading to its cancellation.
Xiaomi’s Ultra series is the benchmark of the best camera phone they can make. However, if these new reports are too be believed, the company is cancelling the launch of Xiaomi 18 Ultra this year due to price concerns, as the device would be too expensive for sustainable sales in China, as well as in other markets.
Xiaomi 18 Ultra Was Going to Be a Camera Monster
This story comes from well-known Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station, who posted on Weibo that Xiaomi had a fully planned camera-focused flagship in the works but cancelled it after deciding that the price would be too high. This news comes days after the Xiaomi 18 Pro and the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max launch in China.
Digital Chat Station says Xiaomi internally decided that the price was too high. This is due to the ongoing RAM and memory shortage. The base variant at 12 + 256 GB was priced at CNY 9,999 (approx. ~Rs 1,15,000). For reference, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra started at CNY 6,999 for 12 + 512 GB in China. This makes the 18 Ultra about 43% more expensive with less storage.
The Xiaomi 18 Ultra would have been one of the most ambitious camera phones of 2026. It was planned with triple 200 MP cameras. One more than the dual 200 MP setup on the Xiaomi 18 Pro devices.
The main camera was a 200 MP 1/1.12-inch sensor with LOFIC technology. The telephoto was a 200 MP 1/1.28-inch LOFIC sensor with continuous optical zoom. And the ultrawide was a 200 MP 1/1.56-inch sensor.
The phone also had a multispectral lens, support for magnetic external lenses, a 0916 haptic motor, and symmetrical dual speakers. The display was going to be a flat panel with 1 mm bezels, and the phone reportedly scored above 5 million on benchmarks, suggesting it would have used the recently released Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.
We can expect the Ultra line to return with the Xiaomi 19 Ultra next year, or the company to release the 18 Ultra later down the line.
