Last year, Xiaomi unveiled the Xiaomi 18 series in the same month as the first phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in China. On the other hand, Vivo introduced the Vivo X300 and X300 Pro as the world’s first phones featuring the Dimensity 9500 chip in China. It appears both brands could once again be among the first to launch flagship phones equipped with next-generation flagship chipsets this year.

September launch window and chipset plans

According to tipster Digital Chat Station, new smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series and the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 series are currently scheduled for a September debut. Interestingly, the tip suggests that brands planning to introduce these next-generation chipsets are preparing to offer three versions as standard practice, namely a regular model, a Pro variant, and a Pro Max edition.

To recall, the Xiaomi 17 lineup, which debuted in September 2025, included three models: Xiaomi 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max. These models are likely to be succeeded by the Xiaomi 18, 18 Pro, and 18 Pro Max in the same month this year.

While Vivo announced the Vivo X300 and X300 Pro in September last year, it appears that this year’s lineup may launch earlier and is likely to include three models, such as the Vivo X500, X500 Pro, and X500 Pro Max. Rumors suggest that the X400 branding may be skipped, as the number 4 is considered an unlucky number in some Asian countries.

Readers should note that the tipster has not specified any device names in the leak. The Oppo Find X10 series is also expected to include the Find X10, X10 Pro, and X10 Pro Max powered by the Dimensity 9600. So, it remains unclear whether the tipster was referring to Oppo or Vivo as the other brand alongside Xiaomi. However, in recent years, Vivo has often been the first brand to launch MediaTek’s latest flagship chipsets, so the second brand mentioned in the leak could be Vivo. Readers are advised to treat this information cautiously.

In today’s leak, DCS also cautions that the company expected to debut the new chip in September is unlikely to ship its device with the SM8975, also referred to as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, as a standard configuration. The reason cited is the extremely high cost of the 2nm chipset, which could significantly impact pricing.

Here, the tipster may be suggesting that Xiaomi will not launch a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro-powered phone in September. Previous leaks have claimed that this chip is designed for ultra-premium devices and is likely to power the Xiaomi 18 Ultra, which may debut by the end of this year in China.

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The post Xiaomi 18, Vivo X500: Standard, Pro, and Max models tipped to launch in September appeared first on Gizmochina.