This roundup covers smartphone-related news announced or expected to be announced this week, focusing on developments including Xiaomi's new product announcement, telecommunications price revisions, subscriber milestones and Nothing's teaser.
China's Xiaomi announced its latest flagship models, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, on 24 September. Both feature a Leica co-engineered camera system and a rear display. The 18 Pro has a 6.4-inch OLED display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, a 7,000mAh battery and a triple-camera setup, starting at ¥5,999. The Pro Max has a 6.9-inch OLED display, an 8.5Ah battery and a similar triple-camera setup with LOFIC support, starting at ¥6,999. Further updates are awaited on whether the models will be launched in Japan.
OCN Mobile ONE will revise its prices from 1 December. Under the new plans, monthly fees will increase by ¥110 for 500MB–6GB, ¥220 for 10GB, ¥330 for 20GB and ¥550 for 30GB. The table shows the current and new prices for each plan, along with the amount of each increase.
Rakuten Mobile announced on 25 September that its subscriber count had surpassed 11 million lines. It disclosed the combined number of MNO, MVNO and MVNE lines excluding BCP lines, as well as the number of contracted lines excluding BCP lines.
On 23 September, Nothing posted a teaser image on its official X account that appears to show a new product. With the announcement scheduled for 28 September, attention is focused on the company's upcoming official announcement.