A fresh leak from well-known tipster Digital Chat Station suggests the upcoming Xiaomi 18 series may keep its overall design direction largely intact while adding a few headline changes. The biggest details mentioned so far are narrower LIPO bezels on two display sizes and the return of a dedicated AI key.
In the original Weibo post, the tipster said the next flagship line won’t make a dramatic shift in industrial design. Instead, Xiaomi is said to be refining the formula with slimmer borders, upgrades to the oversized rear camera module process, and multiple body material options including glass and glass fiber.
The leak also claims Xiaomi has already tested a new transparent glass-fiber solution and is evaluating a photochromic finish. Prototype colorways are reportedly bolder and more fashion-oriented than before, which suggests the company may be trying to make the hardware feel a bit more distinctive without fully changing the visual identity.
When asked in the comments whether the same large LIPO display panel might also appear in a sub-series model, the tipster replied that it would not. Based on the wording of the post and the follow-up discussion, observers believe the devices in question are part of the Xiaomi 18 series.
The rumored AI key is especially notable because Xiaomi has used that idea before. Older models like the MIX 3 and Xiaomi 9 included a dedicated button for waking the Xiao Ai assistant, but that feature later disappeared from Xiaomi’s flagship lineup. If this leak is accurate, the company may now be bringing the concept back in a more AI-focused era.
Earlier reporting cited by IT Home also suggested that one of Xiaomi’s next 2nm flagship phones, expected to be the Xiaomi 18 Pro, could use a flat 2D display with ultra-narrow physical symmetry on all four sides. For now, though, all of this remains pre-release information rather than confirmed product specs.
