Xiaomi 18 Series to Debut First with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Chips

Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Summit is scheduled for September 22-24, where the next generation of Snapdragon 8 Elite chips will be officially unveiled. Several manufacturers, including Xiaomi, vivo, and Oppo, are expected to launch their flagship series in the same month, with Xiaomi reportedly leading the charge.

The Xiaomi 18 series will comprise three models. The Xiaomi 18 Pro Max is set to feature two 200MP cameras, including a primary 1/1.28” LOFIC sensor. The Xiaomi 18 Pro will boast a larger rear screen and may include a Privacy Display feature. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 18 will have a slightly larger 6.4” screen and a robust 7,200mAh battery.

Regarding the chips, both the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro will be manufactured on a 2nm node, although it remains unclear if this will be done by Samsung or TSMC. The chipsets will implement next-gen Oryon CPU cores in a 2+3+3 configuration. The standard Elite chip features an Adreno 845 GPU with 12MB of on-chip graphics memory, plus 6MB of last-level cache (LLC). In contrast, the Elite Pro will reportedly utilize an Adreno 850 with 18MB of graphics memory and 8MB of LLC. Additionally, a non-Elite Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 is also in development.

The rationale behind the three-tier structure is primarily price-related. Initial reports suggest that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro could be priced at around $300. Consequently, only the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will feature the Elite Pro chip, with the possibility of the Xiaomi 18 Ultra gaining it in the future, while the Xiaomi 18 and 18 Pro will use the standard Elite variant.

However, the three devices will not launch simultaneously. According to reports, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are expected to debut in September, earning the distinction of being the “first phones with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6-series.” The smaller Xiaomi 18 will follow in October.

As a point of reference, the Xiaomi 17 series was the first to debut with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 last year.

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