Xiaomi’s new 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max launched in China today, featuring a more flexible take on the privacy display tech introduced this year on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. They combine it with returning rear screens, two 200-megapixel cameras, and both Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chips. A global launch is confirmed for later this year – especially welcome as last year’s 17 Pro phones skipped international markets.
The two 18 Pro phones look similar to the 17 Pros, with similar compact displays built around the rear cameras, capable of showing notifications, taking selfies, playing simple games, and more.
The major changes are on the front screen, which is now equipped with hardware-level privacy features like the S26 Ultra. However, Xiaomi’s implementation looks smarter than Samsung’s: if you activate it for a specific app, it not only turns on when that app is open, but applies to notifications, floating windows, and split screen views, without affecting the rest of the display. Location-based triggers let you set it to turn on when you get to work, or turn off when you get home, with smart triggers for when it detects places like airports or elevators. It can also use the selfie camera to detect prying eyes and suggest activating privacy mode.
The two phones differ in size, with a 6.4-inch display in the Pro and 6.9 inches for the Pro Max. Battery varies accordingly: 7,000mAh and 8,500mAh respectively, with a high 32 percent silicon content. The other difference between the two is the chipset, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 Elite in the Pro and the Extreme version in the Pro Max, although differences between the two chips are slight.
The cameras are led by a 200-megapixel main camera with a large 1/1.28-inch type sensor (the Light Fusion 960 in the Pro, and 960L in the Pro Max, although they seem similar). A 200-megapixel, 75mm telephoto joins it, the same on both phones, with Samsung’s 1/1.56-inch HP5 sensor and with a minimum focus distance of 12cm. A 50-megapixel ultrawide completes the trio.
Xiaomi’s launch follows similar announcements this week for the Vivo X500 and Oppo Find X10 flagships. The two 18 Pro phones start at ¥5,999 (about $900), and join the 18 Fold in Xiaomi’s new flagship lineup, but we’re still waiting for the regular Xiaomi 18 and the 18 Ultra, possibly next spring. An international launch for at least one 18 Pro phone will come later this year, although we’re still waiting to hear if the Fold will ever leave China.