[Exclusive] Xiaomi 14 Ultra to have titanium special edition, three storage variants

HIGHLIGHTS

• The regular Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes with an aluminium frame, but it looks like the brand is gearing up for a titanium version.
• The strategy is similar to what Xiaomi did with the Xiaomi 14 Pro.
• Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro and the vanilla Xiaomi 14 could see a global launch too.
• Expectations are high as Xiaomicould launch its flagship phone of the year, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, by the end of this month. The brand has been teasing its Leica co-engineering partnership and has an event at MWC 2024 in Barcelona scheduled for February 25th. The device could go on sale in China soon after launch, and 91mobiles has obtained some exclusive information on the device.

• Xiaomi 14 Ultra titanium edition, up to 1TB storage variant

• It seems like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra will not be using a titanium frame as standard for all its variants. Thanks to our industry sources, we’ve got to know that Xiaomi is preparing a titanium special edition for the device. This means that the standard variants of the device will continue with an aluminium frame to keep the pricing competitive. This is not the first time that Xiaomi will be offering a titanium special edition of a phone: the brand opted for a similar strategy with the Xiaomi 14 Prolast year.
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultrais the only other Android flagship to opt for a titanium frame besides the Xiaomi 14 Pro. We saw a resurgence in the use of this material after the iPhone 15 Pro’s Compared to a metal frame, a titanium frame tends to be more durable while also being lighter. Thanks to the huge camera systems we see on smartphones these days, the weight of these devices has been a bit of an issue.
• We also expect the Xiaomi 14 Ultra to be available in three storage variants in China. Instead of opting for a 24GB RAM module that we’ve seen in other devices launched recently in China, including the Redmi K70 Pro, Xiaomi is opting for a more reasonable 16GB RAM module with an option for 512GB and 1TB storage. Further, a base 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant will also be made available.
• Based on previous leaks, we expect the Xiaomi 14 Ultra to launch in India The device’s global debut at MWC tells us that the Chinese brand would like a more global presence of its flagship this time around. The device is also expected to be accompanied by the standard Xiaomi 14for a global launch, while the Xiaomi 14 Pro might stay as a China-exclusive model. Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro will also debut alongside these phones as the brand’s flagship tablet with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
• Xiaomi 14 Ultra price hike
  •  is tipped to ship with Xiaomi’s self-researched technologies, probably to project it as the most premium ever flagship from the brand.
  • This will in turn increase the Bill of Materials (BOM). This could mean the price of the  could also be increased compared to the pricing of the , which starts at RMB 5,999 (approx Rs 70,100).
  • DCS claims that  is a product that has been redone, which probably means the hardware is being worked from the ground up instead of adopting or building on the Xiaomi 14 series.
  • The series will also come with Leica optical full-focal length quad-camera system and there will be some new unique features on top of Leica optics. However, the details are under wraps at the moment.
  • The tipster says that these advancements will be implemented for the first time on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
  • Owing to all these improvements and upgrades, the BOM cost will increase by more than RMB 700 (around Rs 8,200), implying that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra price could be increased.
  • DCS claims that Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s mass production has already commenced and the launch will happen earlier than expected.

  The tipster also hints at a range of new “imaging flagships” in Xiaomi’s lineup. One phone among them is expected in February and three are tentatively scheduled for March. No other details about the phones are revealed at the moment. There are chances the Xiaomi India teaser could be related to the new ‘imaging flagship’ and not the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.