This dual 200MP flagship is telling Samsung how to build the Galaxy S27 Ultra better

After dazzling us with a better foldable than the iPhone Duo, Xiaomi is all set to launch its next Pro-grade flagship phones tomorrow. Ahead of the launch, the company has been sharing glimpses of what the upcoming Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max have to offer, and the better implementation of the privacy display is already leaving quite an impression. Ahead of the launch, Xiaomi is also revealing details about the dual-200MP camera setup on these Pro phones, including sensor specifications and an AI-backed enhancement feature that makes images look similar to ones shot with actual cameras.

Xiaomi recently shared details of the Leica-backed “dual 200MP ultra-clear” camera system on the upcoming Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max phones. The phone is slated to come with an iPhone 17 Pro-like design, but instead of a dormant camera island, Xiaomi utilizes it for a secondary display. The display also wraps around the two 200MP cameras — the primary as well as the periscopic telephoto units, while the third ultrawide-angle sensor is placed below the screen.

In a dedicated Weibo post, Xiaomi shared a look at these two 200MP cameras beneath the surface. The top row features the 200MP primary camera, measuring 1/1.28-inch. This is potentially an OmniVision sensor that is a tad bigger than the ISOCELL HP2 that Samsung uses for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. After years of using the same sensor on its Ultra phones, Samsung is rumored to replace it with a yet-to-be-released HP6 sensor, offering better light sensitivity but the same size as before. If that happens, Xiaomi may still have a slight edge — though Samsung could offer variable aperture, much like the new iPhone 18 Pro.

While Samsung is likely to stick with a single 200MP camera, Xiaomi’s telephoto camera will also use a 200MP sensor, though much smaller than the primary unit. According to the official teaser, this camera would use a 1/1.56-inch sensor. Based on the specs of existing 200MP sensors, this could be a Samsung HP5 sensor, which has previously served as the primary sensor on devices including the Galaxy S25 Edge and the POCO F9 Ultra.

In another Weibo post, Xiaomi confirms this telephoto camera would feature a native focal length of 75mm, translating to 3.2x optical zoom. Xiaomi also claims the phone can capture images at 12.8x “lossless” zoom, presumably by 4-in-1 pixel binning. In addition to long-range zoom shots and portraits with natural bokeh, the 200MP telephoto camera would also shoot pseudo-macro images at 12cm.

The camera has a large f/2.4 aperture, which should allow for bright portraits, even without a whole lot of light. Xiaomi says the 18 Pro Max will capture 83% more light than its predecessor.

Along with these camera improvements, Xiaomi is adding a “Legendary Moment” feature that uses machine learning to make portraits look like they were shot on an actual camera. The Chinese-to-English translation is vague, leaving us unable to tell whether it refers to an effect applied while shooting or one that can be applied later in editing.

Along with these features, the cameras on the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are also expected to support LOFIC for better HDR shooting — as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra did, though we don’t see the brand talking about it in the teasers. We expect to know more tomorrow, when Xiaomi shares all the remaining details about the new phone series.