Quick summary
Xiaomi has confirmed that its next smartphone series – the Xiaomi 18 Pro – will have a privacy display.
Samsung first introduced the tech in the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but it seems that there will be more privacy display options in the future.
Xiaomi has confirmed one of the features that will appear on its next flagship phone, the Xiaomi 18 Pro.
Looking to Samsung for inspiration, Xiaomi announced that the Xiaomi 18 Pro will have a privacy screen, which means you will be able to stop people from looking at your content.
Samsung introduced the tech on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, with the privacy feature built into the display. By controlling which pixels light up, it is possible to produce a narrower visible area so that those looking at an angle cannot see what is on the display.
Although Xiaomi has not confirmed the underlying technology that the display uses, it is likely to follow the same approach and potentially use a panel from Samsung’s display.
The Xiaomi 18 Pro launch is expected at any moment, with the official tease from Weibo (via 9to5Google). It’s worth noting that Xiaomi says it’s coming to the Xiaomi 18 Pro series, so there’s a chance it could be on more than one model, not just Xiaomi’s top model.
The key to Privacy Display is that it’s not just a universal solution – it can be customized to only work on specific apps or notifications, so you keep private only the parts of your screen that actually matter.
At first glance, Xiaomi’s implementation seems to be slightly more improved than Samsung’s offering, although this is probably something that Samsung will address with the launch of the Galaxy S27 Ultra.
Samsung’s privacy display isn’t perfect: while it restricts viewing from oblique angles, so someone next to you on the train can’t see what’s on your screen, for example, it makes the screen dimmer overall, so it’s not quite as punchy.
If it only works with specific apps, like banking or messaging apps, it makes for a better experience because the rest of your phone stays bright and brilliant while your privacy is still protected.
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
The Xiaomi 18 Pro will be announced in China on September 23, with a global launch later in the year, making it the first device with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon hardware.
On stage at the Snapdragon Summit, Adam Zeng, SVP and president of international business at Xiaomi confirmed that the Xiaomi 18 Pro uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, while the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max is powered by the Snapdragon Elite Extreme Gen 6.
It will also have a rear display and use a dual 200-megapixel camera powered by Leica.
Previous leaks have suggested that it will have a huge 8500mAh battery.
The Xiaomi 18 Pro will join the Xiaomi 18 Fold, which was recently demoed at IFA 2026.