Xiaomi has launched its 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max flagships in China, headlined by a pixel-level “Smart Privacy Display” that goes further than Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra implementation, alongside a secondary rear display, dual 200MP Leica cameras and Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 8 Elite chips.
Key Facts
- Smart Privacy Display works at the pixel level using alternating standard and baffled privacy pixels
- Can be triggered per app, per notification, or on a single split-screen pane, including by location
- 18 Pro: 6.4-inch display; 18 Pro Max: 6.9-inch display, both with a secondary rear OLED screen
- Chips: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 (18 Pro), Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 (18 Pro Max)
- Triple 200MP Leica camera system shared across both models
- China pricing: from roughly CNY 5,999 (~$895) for the 18 Pro, CNY 6,999 (~$1,045) for the 18 Pro Max
- International launch confirmed for later this year, exact models and dates not yet set
What Was Announced
Xiaomi unveiled the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max in China, positioning the launch’s headline feature as a hardware privacy display that Xiaomi says outperforms the privacy screen tech Samsung introduced on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
The Details
According to Xiaomi’s own technical breakdown, the Smart Privacy Display uses a 1:1 alternating arrangement of standard and specially baffled privacy pixels, cutting side-angle brightness to roughly 1% beyond 60 degrees when active. Unlike a simple on/off toggle, Xiaomi’s version can be triggered for a single app, a specific notification, or just one pane of a split-screen view, and it supports location-based automatic activation — for instance, switching on automatically in a public place.
Both phones retain the secondary rear display introduced on last year’s 17 Pro series, now built around Xiaomi’s Xiao AI assistant; the Pro Max’s rear screen is larger and runs at 120Hz. The rear camera setup is identical across both models: a 200MP main lens and 200MP periscope telephoto, plus a 50MP ultrawide, developed with Leica. The Pro Max houses an 8,500mAh battery versus the Pro’s 7,000mAh, and both ship on Qualcomm’s newest 2nm silicon, with the Pro Max getting the higher-tier Extreme Gen 6 chip.
Why It Matters
Privacy screens are quickly becoming a genuine flagship battleground rather than a niche feature, and Xiaomi’s more granular, software-driven approach — versus a simple hardware toggle — pushes the category further than Samsung’s initial implementation. Independent hands-on coverage has been cautious about crowning it a definitive win over Samsung’s version pending broader real-world testing, but the underlying feature set is confirmed directly from Xiaomi.
What Happens Next
The 18 Pro series is on sale now in China. Xiaomi has confirmed at least one model will launch internationally, but has not yet specified pricing, timing, or whether both the Pro and Pro Max will make the trip outside China.
Sources: Android Authority, Engadget
