Technology

Smartphone Leaks Roundup: iPhone 18 Colors, Galaxy S27 Ultra Camera Rumors, and Poco's New F9 Lineup

By Ivan

This week brought a wave of leaks and official announcements across the smartphone industry, ranging from Apple's upcoming color choices to Poco's latest spec-heavy releases.

A new leak suggests Apple may overhaul the color lineup for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, introducing Dark Cherry, Sky Blue, and Black finishes. Dark Cherry, a wine-like red/purple shade seen in earlier leaks, is expected to replace last year's Cosmic Orange as the standout color. Sky Blue is described as a subtle, silvery tone, while Black would return after being absent from the iPhone 17 Pro line. Notably, the leak claims Silver will not be included, contradicting earlier reports and leaked dummy units. Leakers remain divided on whether Black or Silver will be the third color option, with confirmation expected at Apple's September 9 event, where the new iPhones will be unveiled.

Samsung's Galaxy S27 may feature a 4x zoom camera with a half-inch (1/1.9") sensor, replacing the current 3x and 5x combination. This sensor would be technically larger than the current setup and comparable to, though slightly bigger than, the one used in Apple's iPhone 17 Pro models.

Poco introduced its new F9 Pro and F9 Ultra smartphones, both loaded with high-end specifications. Both models include 185Hz AMOLED displays, 200MP main cameras, 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, IP68 water resistance, and Bose-tuned stereo speakers. The F9 Pro runs on a slightly reduced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V chipset, while the F9 Ultra uses the full Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and includes a rear subwoofer for a 2.1-channel audio system. The Ultra features an 8,050mAh battery, a 6.9-inch display, and a triple camera setup with a 200MP main sensor, 50MP ultrawide, and 50MP 5x periscope lens. The smaller F9 Pro has a 6.59-inch display, 6,330mAh battery, and swaps the secondary cameras for a 50MP 2.5x telephoto and 8MP ultrawide. The Ultra also includes a notification light around its rear speaker, while the Pro's Aurora Green color variant glows in the dark. Pricing starts at £799 for the F9 Pro and £899 for the F9 Ultra, though early-bird discounts bring these down to £639 and £709, respectively.

In other news, the international versions of the Redmi K100 Pro and K100 Pro Max have been officially announced. Xiaomi also revealed its upcoming Xiaomi 18 Fold through official renders and a hands-on preview at IFA 2026, ahead of its September 7 launch in China. The foldable features a 5.38-inch cover display, a 7.58-inch inner display, a red finish, and a Leica-branded triple-camera system. It will also introduce Xiaomi's new 3nm XRing O3 chipset paired with next-generation LPDDR6 memory from CXMT, though full specifications and global availability remain unconfirmed.

Meanwhile, images and a hands-on video reportedly showed the vivo X500 Pro Max, featuring a large circular camera module even bigger than that of the X300 Ultra. The design reportedly includes a rotating outer ring with ISO-style markings, possibly enabling physical camera controls. Expected specifications include a 50MP 1/1.28" main sensor, a 200MP 1/1.4" telephoto lens, and a 50MP ultrawide camera, with support for 4K video at 240fps already confirmed by vivo. The device is expected to use the company's Xring O3 chipset.

Vivo also officially launched the T5 5G, featuring a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset, and a 7,000mAh battery with 90W charging. It includes a 50MP main camera, IP65 protection, and runs OriginOS 6 based on Android 16. The T5 5G will launch in China on September 10, starting at CNY 1,999 (about $280) for the 8/256GB configuration.

Additionally, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra appeared on Geekbench 7, confirming it will use MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 chipset instead of a Snapdragon processor. The tested Wi-Fi variant featured 12GB of RAM and Android 17, scoring 2,760 in single-core and 9,291 in multi-core tests, suggesting the standard version of the chip rather than a Plus variant. The 14.6-inch Tab S12 Ultra is expected to launch alongside the 12.4-inch Tab S12+ later this month.

Finally, leaked renders of the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max revealed a significant design change, featuring a wide camera plateau instead of the brand's traditional circular camera module. The renders show blue and white Hasselblad-branded color options, with the white version featuring a two-tone design. Rumored specifications include three 200MP rear cameras and the upcoming Dimensity 9600 Pro chipset. The Find X10 series is expected to launch in China later this month.