A Xiaomi phone believed to be the standard Xiaomi 18 has passed a Chinese wireless certification, adding a concrete regulatory clue to reports that the base model will launch separately from the Pro line.
XimiTime reports that model M261DB cleared the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's wireless certification on September 23. The publication identifies the device as the Xiaomi 18 Standard Edition, although the certification itself does not establish every name or specification circulating in leaks.
A staggered launch appears likely
Before Xiaomi unveiled the 18 Pro series, company co-founder and president Lu Weibing said on Weibo that the standard edition would be released at a later date. XimiTime expects that release in December, but Xiaomi has not confirmed the date in the material inspected.
The outlet says the standard model is expected to use Qualcomm's 2-nanometer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. It also cites rumors of a 200-megapixel main sensor and a 7,200mAh battery. Those details should remain provisional until Xiaomi publishes the phone's final specifications.
The already announced Xiaomi 18 Pro provides some context for the direction of the lineup. XimiTime lists a 7,000mAh battery, a Leica-branded triple-camera system and a 6.4-inch display for that model. A standard phone with the rumored larger battery would therefore not simply be a smaller copy of the Pro.
Global availability remains unknown. For now, the certification supports the existence of a forthcoming device, while the December timing, camera and battery claims remain reporting rather than an official product sheet.
