According to blogger Zhihui Pikachu， it is reported that the Xiaomi 16 series will introduce its own self-developed imaging brand.
Currently， among the top domestic brands， all except Xiaomi have launched their own self-developed imaging brands. Huawei has XMAGE， vivo has Blue Image， OPPO has LUMI， and Honor has AIMAGE.
The adoption of self-developed imaging brands has become a standard for high-end flagship smartphones. This strategy allows brands to build their unique identity and establish a recognizable high-end product positioning.
It is noteworthy that the blogger also revealed that Xiaomi’s collaboration with Leica will continue， and the two are expected to coexist in the future.
Indeed， much of Xiaomi’s premium imaging quality currently benefits from Leica’s contributions. The unique light and shadow effects are a distinctive feature within the industry.
While color tone is subjective and individual preferences vary， there’s no denying that Leica’s distinct light and shadow textures significantly enhance the atmosphere， particularly in genres like street photography and portraits.
A self-developed imaging brand， on the other hand， plays a crucial role in coordinating various system components. For instance， Huawei’s XMAGE is built upon four technical pillars – optics， mechanics， electronics， and computation – to systematically harmonize lenses， algorithms， and other elements， thereby achieving a unique imaging style.
According to the leak， the Xiaomi 16 series will be the first to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2， rather than Xiaomi’s own self-developed Xuanjie chip.
From the current trajectory， it appears that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips will likely remain the primary choice for Xiaomi’s flagship devices. The Xuanjie chip， conversely， is expected to be a specialized configuration for specific models such as Xiaomi S series phones and Ultra tablets.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit 2025 is scheduled to take place from September 23rd to September 25th. During this event， the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will be officially unveiled. It is anticipated that the first devices to feature this new chip could be showcased as early as September， and the Xiaomi 16 series is a strong candidate to once again secure the debut.
