Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max debut with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and an enhanced privacy display
Xiaomi has unveiled its new flagship phones, the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, in China with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon chips, an enhanced privacy display and larger batteries; both models are set for a global launch later this year.
New flagships with the latest Snapdragon chip
On September 23, Xiaomi officially unveiled its new flagship phones, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, in China — the first phones on the market to use Qualcomm's newly announced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chips. The Xiaomi 18 Pro runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, while the larger 18 Pro Max gets the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.
Displays with a privacy feature
The 18 Pro has a 6.4-inch screen, the Pro Max a 6.9-inch one; both are LTPO AMOLED panels with a 1-120Hz refresh rate and 4,000 nits peak brightness. Both models include a hardware-level "privacy display" that obscures the screen's content when viewed from an angle. According to GSMArena and 9to5Google, Xiaomi's version offers more functionality than Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra implementation, letting users hide individual notifications, floating windows and split-screen views, and even trigger it based on location.
Rear display and cameras
Both phones retain a small secondary display around the rear camera module, usable as a selfie viewfinder and for showing notifications; with the Xiao AI assistant, users can build their own mini-apps, such as a water-reminder tool or a cooking timer. The triple camera system is identical on both models: a 200MP main sensor (1/1.28", f/1.67), a 200MP telephoto with 3.2x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide with a 102-degree field of view. Heise online reports that the Pro Max's main camera additionally supports LOFIC HDR.
Battery, charging and other differences
The 18 Pro has a 7,000mAh battery, the Pro Max 8,500mAh; both support 100W wired and 50W wireless charging (GSMArena also mentions 27W reverse wireless charging). BILD reports that international versions may ship with smaller batteries — around 6,000mAh and 7,050mAh respectively — though this has not been officially confirmed. Sources disagree on water resistance: GSMArena cites an IP69 rating, while heise online reports IP68. Both phones run HyperOS 4.
Price and availability
In China, the base 12/256GB configuration of the Xiaomi 18 Pro costs CNY 5,999 (about $895, roughly €780), while the 18 Pro Max starts at CNY 6,999 (about $1,045, roughly €915). Higher-end configurations up to 16GB/1TB are available, along with a special red edition featuring a transparent back. Xiaomi has confirmed a global launch later this year — according to PetaPixel, this would mark the first time since the 2023 Xiaomi 13 Pro that a Pro-series model officially launches outside China. Exact European pricing and dates have not yet been announced.
