The Xiaomi 18 Pro Max is here with everything it needs to put the Galaxy S26 Ultra in a corner
Xiaomi's two new Android powerhouses come with state-of-the-art chips, amazing screens (front and back), powerful cameras, and Privacy Display functionality.
The Xiaomi 18 Pro Max is one of the world's most sophisticated new Android phones. | Image by Xiaomi
If you thought the Galaxy S26 Ultra was an impressive phone (which it most definitely is) that no Android device manufacturer could possibly eclipse before Samsung itself rolls out an undoubtedly improved Galaxy S27 Ultra in early 2027, wait until you see how insanely sophisticated and advanced the brand-new Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are.
Advertised as the "world's first smartphones powered by Snapdragon Dual 8 Elites"... despite the Motorola Signature 27 also being a thing, Xiaomi's aptly named iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max alternatives manage to somehow make Qualcomm's crazy fast new chips feel like their third or fourth best features, behind stuff like surprisingly large, smooth, and bright secondary screens, trendy Privacy Display technology, and obscenely big batteries.
This is the full (and mind-blowing) Xiaomi 18 Pro Max spec sheet
- 6.9-inch primary AMOLED screen with 2624 x 1208 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate technology, and up to 4000 nits brightness;
- 2.9-inch secondary AMOLED screen with 976 x 596 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate support, and up to 4000 nits brightness;
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor;
- 12 and 16GB LPDDR5X memory options;
- 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB UFS 4.1 storage variants;
- Android 17 with HyperOS 4;
- 200MP primary rear-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture;
- 200MP secondary periscope telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture;
- 50MP tertiary ultra-wide-angle sensor with f/2.4 aperture;
- 50MP front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture;
- 8,500mAh battery;
- 100W wired, 50W wireless, and 27W reverse wireless charging support;
- USB Type-C 3.2 port;
- Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC;
- 163.39 x 77.6 x 8.47mm dimensions;
- 240 grams weight;
- Black, White, Icy Peach Pink, Galaxy Blue, and Transparent color options.
And this is the complete (and only slightly less impressive) Xiaomi 18 Pro list of features
- 6.4-inch primary AMOLED screen with 2436 x 1120 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate technology, and up to 4000 nits brightness;
- 2.7-inch secondary AMOLED screen with 912 x 596 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate support, and up to 4000 nits brightness;
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 processor;
- 12 and 16GB LPDDR5X memory options;
- 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB UFS 4.1 storage variants;
- Android 17 with HyperOS 4;
- 200MP primary rear-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture;
- 200MP secondary periscope telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture;
- 50MP tertiary ultra-wide-angle sensor with f/2.4 aperture;
- 50MP front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture;
- 7,000mAh battery;
- 100W wired, 50W wireless, and 27W reverse wireless charging support;
- USB Type-C 3.2 port;
- Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC;
- 151.8 x 72 x 8.56mm dimensions;
- 208 grams weight;
- Black, White, Icy Peach Pink, Galaxy Blue, and Transparent color options.
The prices are... not that high
If you're expecting the Xiaomi 18 Pro duo to be that type of preposterously affordable China-exclusive high-end affair the brand used to make global waves with just a few years ago, I'm afraid you're likely to be disappointed.
The 18 Pro Max is expensive, but not insanely expensive for some of the things it offers. | Image by Xiaomi
That's because the smaller of the two models starts at 5,999 yuan ($894) while the jumbo-sized Pro Max is already available in Xiaomi's homeland at the rough equivalent of $1,040 (CNY 6,999) for its cheapest variant.
Clearly, you're not looking at a pair of conventionally affordable Android handsets... especially by Chinese standards, but the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max still costs a lot less than Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra while offering a bunch of key advantages over its direct rival (at least on paper).
Would you ever consider the Xiaomi 18 Pro or 18 Pro Max?
11 Votes
The compact Xiaomi 18 Pro, meanwhile, starts at pretty much the same equivalent as the "vanilla" (and significantly humbler in many ways) Galaxy S26 stateside, although that's obviously not a 100 percent fair comparison for a simple reason: the expected lack of official US availability for Xiaomi's newest flagships. On the bright side, these bad boys are set for a "global" release "this year", and that's likely to include a lot of major European territories in addition to India and other Asian countries.
So which of the two models should you buy?
That definitely depends a lot on your size preferences, as the screen diagonal is the number one distinction between the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max. I'm talking about the main screen, mind you, because the secondary display on the back of both devices is equally impressive in terms of everything from size to resolution, refresh rate capabilities, and max brightness levels.
The 18 Pro is relatively small, but so impressive in so many different ways. | Image by Xiaomi
And yes, in case I haven't made that abundantly clear, both the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max come with Galaxy S26 Ultra-rivaling Privacy Display functionality, as well as a Galaxy S26 Ultra-matching primary 200MP rear camera and an additional S26 Ultra-crushing 200MP periscope telephoto sensor.
Obviously, that means Samsung's base Galaxy S26 doesn't even play in the same league as the Xiaomi 18 Pro as far as camera performance is concerned, and the battery capacity and charging speeds (on both the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max) are similarly mind-blowing.
The display on the back of the 18 Pro Max is far more than a gimmick. | Image by Xiaomi
The other big difference between the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max makes the larger and slightly costlier device significantly more powerful with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 SoC under its hood, although the non-Extreme Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipset inside the smaller phone should be more than capable of delivering a satisfactory (at the very least) level of raw speed for all but the most demanding Android users out there.
Oh, and did I mention that the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max also happen to look objectively awesome on the outside too, especially in a "Transparent" red flavor and "Icy Peach Pink" shade? There's legitimately nothing to hate about the brand's latest and greatest (non-foldable) hero devices.
Check out more news stories about Xiaomi products right here:
Popular stories
Latest News
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: