Emir BardakçıXiaomi may make another daring naming move by bypassing the Xiaomi 19 series and going straight for the Xiaomi 20 lineup this time, as reported lately. It would echo Apple’s supposedly bypassing the iPhone 19 model to commemorate the 20th-anniversary release of iPhone with the iPhone 20 series in 2027. Xiaomi had already done a comparable naming revision with the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max with a move for apple’s “Pro Max” pattern and skipping 16 series. Xiaomi 17 Pro Max launch already indicated that Xiaomi will not hesitate to make a revision.
Why Xiaomi might bypass “19”
Skipping the naming convention of Xiaomi 19 is no cult decision. In the Chinese context, 19 has no unique cultural meaning, but skipping it may find marketing synchronism with Apple. As Apple’s 2027 series will commemorate two decades of iPhone life, Xiaomi might find a mirage of linking its flagship naming with Apple’s to validate its high-end standing in the international market.
This was also a repetition of what was seen in 2017 after Apple bypassed the iPhone 9 release and came out with the iPhone X during its 10th-anniversary celebrations. In a similar way, Xiaomi may utilize the name Xiaomi 20 to release innovative technologies like camera systems integrated with AI, HyperOS 5, or Snapdragon 8 Elite 7th-generation processors.
It was a symbolic move for Xiaomi’s second decade.
If this rumor holds water, Xiaomi’s Xiaomi 20 series will come out somewhere around 2027, which will open a new page for the smartphone. Aligning itself numerically with its counterpart Apple, Xiaomi strengthens its identity as a world-class smartphone brand that sets trends, not emulates.
This naming convergence also benefits marketing for Xiaomi, allowing users to compare the iPhone 20 side by side with Xiaomi 20 more easily — a subtle but potent positional stroke in smartphone marketbrand rivalry.
WTF is Xiaomi thinking with their unstable (like their OS) naming?