The next flagship release from Xiaomi is going to be its 18 series, and one of the phones in the lineup is going to be the Xiaomi 18 Pro. It is expected to come with some noticeable upgrades over its predecessor, but the one I am personally excited about is the rear screen that is reported to get bigger and come with privacy protection.
The screen size is getting even bigger
Xiaomi released the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max phones last year, and one of their major highlights was the rear display. It was integrated into the rear camera island of these devices and served multiple purposes. It could be used as the selfie viewfinder, where you could use the back camera setup of the smartphone to take high-quality selfies and videos.
The display also shows notifications and can be customized with different wallpapers and animated pets. The size of the screen is just 2.7 inches, ensuring that everything feels natural and you don’t get the feeling that something extra has been added to the back.
All that said, a reliable tipster, Smart Pikachu, claims that the Xiaomi 18 Pro is going to have a 4-inch rear display panel. It will be a massive jump from its predecessor if the claim actually pans out to be true. The tipster further mentions in their post that the display will be brighter and offer higher resolution than what last year’s model delivers.
The rear display might get one more important upgrade
Smart Pikachu post about Xiaomi 18 Pro rear display. | Image by Weibo
In addition to getting a change in the size, Smart Pikachu also claims that the upcoming Xiaomi phone will get a privacy protection. However, it’s not clear whether it will be added to the rear or the front display. Either way, it will be a really important addition to the phones.
I’m really excited to see how Xiaomi actually approaches this: whether it takes the Samsung route and relies on the hardware to offer the privacy protection feature, or does some software-related innovation and makes the capability available to all the Xiaomi phones compatible with the latest HyperOS update. The possibility of the latter turning out to be true seems more likely, as it was recently reported that the company could introduce its own version of the Galaxy S26 Ultra privacy display through a software update.
Other rumored specifications of upcoming Xiaomi phones
Xiaomi is expected to unveil its 18 series sometime in September. Since we are still months away from the release window, there is very little known about the devices. Still, a few details have definitely surfaced online that you must be aware of if you are considering buying the upcoming flagship devices from Xiaomi.
First of all, the lineup will initially consist of three devices: the base Xiaomi 18, Xiaomi 18 Pro, and the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max. A well-known leakster, Digital Chat Station, recently posted that the Pro Max variant will feature a 200 MP main camera that will have a 1/1.2″ sensor. It will work on the LOFIC technology, which basically allows the phone to capture better photos in challenging lighting conditions.
The device is believed to come with a 200 MP 1/1.56″ telephoto sensor with a 3x focal length and an F2.4 aperture. Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro will reportedly power the Pro Max variant. It could have an 8500 mAh battery that would support 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Apple might never build something like this
I really like Apple products, but when it comes to innovation, I don’t think it comes even close to Chinese brands like Xiaomi. The Cupertino giant is definitely coming up with its foldable, but is it a one-of-a-kind innovation? Definitely not, as we already have plenty of foldables in the market.
Having a rear display is a kind of innovation you wouldn’t really find helpful until you use it yourself. I would personally use it to take high-quality selfies using the rear camera, and since the Xiaomi 18 Pro is expected to get an even bigger rear display, it would likely make framing yourself for selfies easier. Furthermore, the high sales of the 17 Pro Max have given Xiaomi a green signal that users are absolutely loving the tech, and they could continue using the rear display in their phones.
Get Visible as low as $20/mo for 1 year. Limited time offer with code: FRESHSTART
Offer Ends 6.1.2026 at 11.59pm ET. New members get $5/mo off the $25/mg Visible plan, $35/mo Visible+ plan, or $45/mo Visible+ Pro plan for the first 12 months. Promo code FRESHSTART required at checkout.
