Xiaomi 18 Ultra reportedly cancelled as soaring memory costs hit future flagship plans

A fresh report published today claims Xiaomi has cancelled the planned Xiaomi 18 Ultra as rising memory costs make another extremely expensive camera flagship harder to justify. The report, based on information from a tipster rather than an official Xiaomi announcement, suggests the Xiaomi 18 range may instead top out with a Pro Max model.

DRAM and NAND prices have risen sharply during 2026, partly because of enormous demand from AI infrastructure, and those increases are beginning to affect consumer electronics planning. Ultra phones are particularly vulnerable because they already combine large amounts of high-speed memory with expensive displays, cameras and processors. The same report claims Oppo and Vivo may restrict their next Ultra-branded flagships to China rather than releasing them globally.

Neither company has confirmed those plans, so the information should remain categorised as an early leak. Even so, it illustrates how component inflation could reshape smartphone branding rather than merely adding another $50 to retail prices. If manufacturers increasingly reserve extreme camera flagships for China, global buyers may see more Pro Max models replacing the Ultra tier during 2027.