It only took a couple of hours for the first phones with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chips to go official in China. The Xiaomi 18 Pro is the first Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 phone on the market, while the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max claims dibs on the 8 Elite Extreme variant.
Xiaomi 18 Pro (left) and 18 Pro Max (right)
Outside of the new flagship chips, the Xiaomi 18 Pro series brings larger batteries, hardware-level privacy displays, updated telephoto cameras, and they retain the rear screens from their predecessors.
But Xiaomi is adding extra functionality with its new AI capabilities. Users will now be able to create their own rear-screen mini apps with the help of Xiaomi’s Xiao AI assistant. Xiaomi showcased several examples, which include a reminder app for drinking water, an egg cooking timer, and a recipe recommendations mini app.
The rear panel will also allow users to create custom AI wallpapers, display widgets and interact with the Xiao AI assistant. And more importantly, it’s a neat viewfinder for the triple rear cameras.
On the topic of cameras, both phones feature identical triple lens setups. There’s a 23mm equivalent 200MP main shooter (Light Hunter 960) coming in at 1/1.28-inch size. It is joined by a 75mm equivalent 200MP periscope telephoto (1/1.56″) with 3.2x optical zoom. The third module is a 50MP ultrawide lens covering a 102-degree field of view.
Moving on to the main displays, Xiaomi is using LTPO AMOLEDs with 2K resolution and a variable 1-120Hz refresh rate on both models. The one on the 18 Pro now measures 6.4-inches while the 18 Pro Max is still 6.9-inches. Both panels are rated at 4,000nits peak brightness and feature Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 3 protection.
Xiaomi implemented hardware-level privacy screens this time around, which restrict peeping eyes from seeing what’s on your screen when looking from an angle. But the implementation on the Xiaomi 18 Pro series is more capable than the one on Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra, as it allows for location-based triggers and blocks out notifications, floating windows and split-view app configurations. The feature is also easily accessible via the dedicated AI button on the left-hand side.
Elsewhere, both phones get modest battery upgrades over their predecessors. The 18 Pro features a 7,000mAh cell (11% larger) while the 18 Pro Max packs an 8,500mAh cell (13% larger). Both phones feature 100W wired, 50W wireless and 27W reverse wireless charging. They also boot Xiaomi HyperOS 4 and feature IP69 ingress protection.
Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max battery capacities
Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max come in black, white, pink and blue as standard. There’s a special edition red variant which features transparent back elements.
Xiaomi 18 Pro series color options
Pricing starts at CNY 5,999 ($895) for the 18 Pro and CNY 6,999 ($1,045) for the 18 Pro Max in their 12/256GB configurations.
| Configuration | Xiaomi 18 Pro | Xiaomi 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| 12GB/256GB | CNY 5,999 ($895) | CNY 6,999 ($1,045) |
| 12GB/512GB | CNY 6,999 ($1,045) | CNY 7,999 ($1,193) |
| 16GB/512GB | CNY 7,999 ($1,193) | CNY 8,999 ($1,343) |
| 16GB/1TB | CNY 8,999 ($1,343) | CNY 9,999 ($1,492) |
| 16GB/1TB (Special Edition) | CNY 9,999 ($1,492) | CNY 10,999 ($1,642) |
Xiaomi confirmed a global launch will follow later this year.