Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max are here. They feature new Snapdragons and a display that hides content from prying eyes

Xiaomi has officially introduced a new generation of flagship smartphones in China. The Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max models, following the example of new iPhones, were introduced without a base model this time and target only the most demanding users. Their main display can hide content from the surroundings, they are powered by the newly launched Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chips, and they again feature a second display on the back. This time, the series is also expected to head to the global market, so it is very likely that we will see these phones on the shelves of Czech stores.

A display that protects privacy

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra introduced the “anti-shoulder surfing” technology earlier this year, and it has long been rumored that Chinese manufacturers, including Xiaomi, are also preparing their response. However, the anti-peeping protection here is not just at the software level. Xiaomi states that the Super Pixel 2.0 panel can control the direction of light emission for individual pixels. When you turn on the protection, a person sitting next to you will only see a dark area, while you will continue to view a normal image. According to the manufacturer, the viewing angles return to their original state when turned off.

What’s particularly interesting is how precisely the protection can be applied. Applications you add to the list will only be dimmed where they are currently displayed – in notifications on the lock screen, in a floating window, or on one half of a split screen. The rest of the display remains normally readable. For banking, payments, system passwords, and selected social media pages, the privacy filter can turn on automatically, and you can hide the entire screen with a single press of the new AI button.

Furthermore, the phone can use its front camera to monitor if someone is looking at your display. If it detects a foreign gaze within approximately one meter, it will alert you with a vibration or a bubble at the top of the display. Privacy rules can also be set by voice via the Super XiaoAI assistant, for example, based on your current location. However, its expert mode consumes credits, which Xiaomi is giving away for free until the end of the year, and then they will need to be purchased as part of a subscription.

In terms of specifications, it’s an OLED panel with a brightness of up to 4,000 nits, a refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz, and subpixels arranged in a full RGB layout. The smaller model has a diagonal of 6.4 inches, the Pro Max 6.9 inches, and the bezels around the screen are only 0.99 mm thin on both.

Each model has a different powerful Snapdragon

For the first time this year, Qualcomm split its flagship chips into two versions, and Xiaomi immediately took advantage of it. The smaller 18 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, while the more expensive Pro Max received the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. Both are manufactured using a 2nm process by TSMC, and their strongest cores run at up to 5 GHz. For the smaller model, the manufacturer states 35% more powerful and 40% more energy-efficient graphics compared to last year’s generation. The Extreme version, according to Qualcomm, has 44% stronger graphics.

We cannot independently verify the manufacturers’ figures yet, but the phones’ specifications show that neither model will utilize everything the chips are capable of. Both Snapdragons support LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage, yet Xiaomi stuck with LPDDR5X and UFS 4.1. And although the Extreme version can record 8K video at 60 frames per second, Xiaomi promises 8K at only 30 frames for both phones. Temperature is managed by a liquid cooling system, with the Pro Max having a larger cooling area (5,513 mm² compared to 4,355 mm²).

Two 200Mpx Leica cameras and LOFIC on the Pro Max model

On the back of both models sits a trio of Leica cameras. The main 200Mpx 1/1.28″ sensor is complemented by a periscope with the same resolution, 3.2x optical zoom, and a 75mm focal length, which focuses from as close as 12 cm. The third is a 50Mpx ultrawide lens. On the Pro Max, the main sensor also features LOFIC technology, which captures more details in backlight. The manufacturer first deployed it in the Xiaomi 17 Ultra camera phone.

A new AI photography mode saves unprocessed sensor data and offers three styles that mimic classic cameras. For those who want more, the image can be sent for cloud processing, where artificial intelligence is supposed to adjust it to look like it came from a large camera.

The small display next to the cameras also returns from last year’s models, this time with a diagonal of 2.7 inches (Pro) and 2.9 inches (Pro Max) respectively. It displays notifications, serves as a viewfinder for selfies with the main cameras, and can now store over a hundred application cards – from quick controls to simple games. You can have wallpapers generated by artificial intelligence, for example, to match your phone case.

How else do Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max differ?

Apart from size and chip, the main difference between the models is the battery. The smaller Pro has 7,000 mAh, the Pro Max even 8,500 mAh. Both use silicon-carbon cells with a 32% silicon content. Charging is the same: 100 W wired and 50 W wireless. The Pro Max also adds a third speaker, and its IP68 rating applies to a depth of 6 meters, while for the smaller model it’s 1.5 meters.

They will be released globally this year

In China, the Xiaomi 18 Pro will cost approximately 23,000 to 25,000 CZK including VAT (5,999 to 8,999 yuan) depending on memory. The Pro Max costs roughly 27,000 to 39,000 CZK with tax (6,999 to 9,999 yuan). Compared to last year’s 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max models, this is about 4,000 CZK with VAT (1,000 yuan) more for both.

The Verge reports that the Xiaomi 18 series will arrive on the international market later this year. Last year’s Pro and Pro Max models, however, never left China. The August certification already hinted that the 18s could reach us. However, Xiaomi has not yet announced the European price or which features will remain exclusive to China.

Would you opt for the Xiaomi 18 Pro for its privacy-protecting display?

Sources: Xiaomi (1, 2), IThome, The Verge