Xiaomi Mi 7 release date, features, specs rumors: Next flagship smartphone to launch in June

Official render of the Xiaomi MI 6 smartphone, shown in different color variantsFacebook/XiaomiGlobal

Xiaomi has recently confirmed the arrival of the Mi MIX 2S smartphone in the market this year, although the public is still waiting for the Chinese manufacturer's next-gen Mi flagship device. It was earlier rumored that the Xiaomi Mi 7 would be showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018, but now that the tech expo is almost over and there is no official word yet regarding the handset, there are now doubts if the Mi 6's successor will ever see the light of day. Nevertheless, the latest scoop hints that the Xiaomi Mi 7 is scheduled for launch this June.

According to the latest report, a known industry tech tipster known as Mocha RQ claims that the Xiaomi Mi 7 will be officially announced in June. It appears that Xiaomi is indeed working on the Mi 7, but its release has to be delayed because of some factors. Firstly, with the expected launch of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S on March 27, having the Mi 7 released shortly would affect the sales of both devices. It is unlikely that the company would launch the Mi 7 in April or May, just when the Mi MIX 2 is starting to sell in the market.

Another possible reason for the Xiaomi Mi 7's delayed release this year is the in-display fingerprint scanner technology. Xiaomi is reportedly trying to incorporate an optical biometric reader for its next flagship, although it could take some time for it to be delivered. At this point, Mocha RQ states that Xiaomi may have already given up on the in-screen reader. Instead, the Mi 7 will make use of the only available fingerprint scanner for the company, the Clear ID unit from Synaptics. This is the same tech used by Vivo in the X20 Plus UD, and is known to work well with organic light-emitting diode (OLED) phones only.

It was also suggested that the Xiaomi Mi 7 will receive Qualcomm's latest high-end mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 845 64-bit octa-core processor. This is consistent with the previous reports about the smartphone's specs, not to mention that Xiaomi also confirmed that the Snapdragon 845 would also power the upcoming Mi MIX 2S. The Xiaomi Mi 7 is said to come in 6 GB and 8 GB random-access memory (RAM) options.