Xiaomi put the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max on sale in China on Tuesday. Under a day later, CMO Xu Fei posted a video saying the 18 Pro series is going global this year, with more surprises promised. Both phones are leaving China, and that is the part worth paying attention to.
Last Year’s Pro Models Never Left China
The Xiaomi 17 shipped worldwide. The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max did not, so anyone outside China who wanted the better camera had to import one and live without a warranty. This time Xiaomi has committed to a global run for both Pro models, and reports have Malaysia among the first markets on the list.
India Looks Like It Is Getting Only The Smaller One
Here is the wrinkle. Xu Fei said “18 Pro series,” but Xiaomi India’s post mentions the 18 Pro alone. Reports out of India now say the Pro Max has been pulled from the local roadmap entirely, leaving the 18 Pro as the only Xiaomi 18 flagship sold there, with the standard Xiaomi 18 skipping the country too. Xiaomi hasn’t said anything official about that, so treat it as likely rather than settled.
What Separates The Two Phones
They share most of the spec sheet. The differences are size, chip and battery:
- Xiaomi 18 Pro: 6.4-inch LTPO AMOLED, 2.7-inch rear screen, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, 7,000mAh
- Xiaomi 18 Pro Max: 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED, 2.9-inch rear screen, Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, 8,500mAh
Everything else lines up. Both run at 120Hz with 4,000 nits peak brightness, both charge at 100W wired and 50W wireless, both carry a 200MP main camera and a 200MP periscope with 3.2x optical zoom, a 50MP ultrawide and a 50MP selfie camera. Storage tops out at 1TB, RAM at 16GB, and they ship on Android 17 with HyperOS 4. IP68 on both.
Chinese Pricing Is The Only Number We Have
The 18 Pro starts at CNY 5,999 and the Pro Max at CNY 6,999, roughly $899 and $985 at current rates. International prices usually land higher once taxes and import costs are added, and Xiaomi hasn’t given a global date beyond “this year.” Expect the details to firm up over the next few weeks.
