Xiaomi 16 series expected to launch sooner with flagship Snapdragon SoC and HyperOS 3.0

Xiaomi

The Xiaomi 16 series could debut soon. While the smartphone maker has yet to announce an official launch timeline for the Xiaomi 15 succeeding lineup, a fresh leak hints that the company could pull the curtain back on the series earlier than usual this year. The Xiaomi 16 series is expected to include three models: the Xiaomi 16, Xiaomi 16 Pro, and Xiaomi 16 Pro Mini. All three smartphones are expected to be powered by Qualcomm's upcoming premium Snapdragon chipset.

Xiaomi 16 series: Expected launch timeline, specifications

According to the popular Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) via Weibo, the first smartphone featuring a Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 or the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset is expected to launch between September 24 and September 26. This is earlier than last year’s Xiaomi 15 series, which arrived in October, indicating that the company could introduce the series right after the next-generation flagship Snapdragon processor is announced.

Qualcomm is expected to announce its next flagship processor at the chipmaker's annual Snapdragon Summit, which will commence on September 23 in Hawaii. All three Xiaomi 16 smartphones are expected to be powered by this chipset. Further, these devices have reportedly cleared 3C certification and will feature 100W wired fast charging across the lineup.

In terms of display size, the Xiaomi 16 and Pro Mini are tipped to incorporate 6.3-inch displays, while the Xiaomi 16 Pro Max could have a 6.8-inch screen. Xiaomi has also confirmed that its upcoming 16 series will ship with the stable version of Hyper OS 3.0, which was recently announced. The Xiaomi 16 model and 16 Pro are rumoured to carry a 50MP triple rear camera unit and pack 50MP front cameras. Moreover, the lineup could have a battery with more than 7,000 mAh capacity.