These Android flagships pair the latest Snapdragon chips with not one, but two unique displays

September has quickly turned into Pro Max season. Apple kicked things off with the iPhone 18 Pro Max; vivo followed with the X500 Pro Max, built around a 200MP ZEISS telephoto; and OPPO then went even further with the Find X10 Pro Max, featuring three 200MP rear cameras. Now Xiaomi has entered the increasingly crowded fight with the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, pairing two 200MP Leica cameras with huge batteries, upgraded rear displays, hardware-level screen privacy, and Qualcomm’s latest flagship chips.

Xiaomi is going hard on cameras

Both phones use the same Leica triple-camera setup: a 200MP 1/1.28-inch, f/1.67 Light Fusion 960L sensor with LOFIC and OIS; a 50MP OV51D Leica Ultrawide sensor with a 102-degree FOV and f/2.4 aperture; and a 200MP 1/1.56-inch periscope telephoto. The latter has OIS, an f/2.4 aperture, a native 75mm focal length, a 3.2x optical zoom, and a claimed 12.8x lossless zoom. That telephoto also uses a dual-group floating-focus design, letting it focus from 12cm for close-up shots. Xiaomi says the Pro Max telephoto captures 83% more light than its predecessor, which should help with portraits and longer-range shots in poorer lighting.

Then there’s Legendary Moment, Xiaomi’s new imaging model. The company says it uses large-scale training to recreate more camera-like rendering, including more natural depth and optical-style background blur. The rear display doubles as a viewfinder for selfies using the main cameras, while both phones also get 50MP selfie cameras.

Xiaomi’s dual-200MP setup arrives during an unusually camera-heavy Pro Max season. Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max uses three 48MP rear cameras, including a variable-aperture main shooter. The vivo X500 Pro Max counters with a 200MP ZEISS telephoto, 4K/240fps video, and an optional 400mm extender, while OPPO’s Find X10 Pro Max goes even further with three 200MP rear cameras.

None of that tells us which phone takes better photos, but Xiaomi is clearly competing at the aggressive end of 2026 flagship camera hardware.

New Snapdragon chips, giant batteries, and smarter screens

The Xiaomi 18 Pro uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, while the Pro Max steps up to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. The AI-powered 2.86-inch 120Hz rear OLED display with AI-generated app cards returns beneath a one-piece transparent glass panel, joined by a customizable AI button. Both also support UWB, ultrasonic fingerprint readers, and IP66/IP68/IP69 protection. Xiaomi has also fitted larger linear motors for improved haptics, while the 18 Pro Max gets a three-speaker system.

Battery capacity is another standout. The Pro packs 7,000mAh, while the Pro Max stretches to 8,500mAh, with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging on both. However, these figures will likely be lower in the global models.

The 18 Pro gets a 6.4-inch 2436 x 1120 display, while the 18 Pro Max stretches to 6.9 inches at 2624 x 1208. Both use flat 120Hz LTPO Super Pixel 2.0 RGB OLED panels with 4,000-nit peak brightness, 2,160Hz PWM dimming, BT.2020 coverage, Dragon Crystal Glass 3.0, and Xiaomi’s hardware-based smart privacy display. LIPO packaging helps trim the bezels to 0.99mm on the main and rear screens.

Xiaomi also revealed a transparent-backed “Satellite” edition, reviving a design last seen on the Mi 10 Ultra Transparent Edition in 2020.

Xiaomi 18 Pro pricing and availability

The Xiaomi 18 Pro starts at CNY 5,999 (~$895), while the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max starts at CNY 6,999 (~$1,045). Here’s how the rest of the configurations are priced:

Reservations for the Xiaomi 18 Pro series are already open in China through Xiaomi’s online store, so interested buyers can already secure their place ahead of general sales. The phones will be available in Galaxy Blue, Ice Peach Pink, White, and Black.

While Xiaomi is the first to use the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, Motorola’s Signature 27 will debut the Extreme variant globally when it reaches the US in November. Xiaomi says the 18 Pro series will reach global users later this year, but hasn’t given markets or dates.