Xiaomi has unveiled its new Xiaomi 18 Pro series, featuring a privacy screen — a technology that limits side-angle visibility directly at the display level. Samsung first introduced the feature this year through the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Image generated by ChatGPT.
Xiaomi has unveiled its new Xiaomi 18 Pro series, featuring a privacy screen — a technology that limits side-angle visibility directly at the display level. Samsung first introduced the feature this year through the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Image generated by ChatGPT.

Xiaomi, which has been struggling in South Korea, has unveiled its new Xiaomi 18 Pro series, equipped with a privacy screen.

The privacy screen is a technology built into the display itself that restricts the viewing angle from the sides — a feature Samsung first introduced this year through the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Xiaomi holds a near-zero market share in South Korea's smartphone market. Despite running frequent discount campaigns of up to 400,000 won ($294) depending on the model, industry insiders say the phones sometimes go an entire day without a single sale. Having launched a passport-style foldable phone similar to Samsung's earlier this month, Xiaomi is now pushing further into the domestic market by adopting privacy screen technology as well.

According to industry sources and foreign media, Xiaomi unveiled its new flagship smartphones — the Xiaomi 18 Pro and the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max — in China on Wednesday (local time).

A Xiaomi Store at NC Eastpole in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. [Cha Min-ju]
A Xiaomi Store at NC Eastpole in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. [Cha Min-ju]

Industry watchers are focusing on the hardware-based privacy screen included in the new models. The technology limits the viewing angle so that the display becomes invisible when seen from the side rather than straight on, controlling the spread of light at the hardware level without requiring a separate privacy film. Samsung first introduced it through the Galaxy S26 Ultra, released earlier this year.

Both models are powered by Qualcomm's next-generation flagship chips — the Xiaomi 18 Pro carries the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, while the Pro Max steps up to the higher-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. Qualcomm unveiled the two chips, built on a 2-nanometer process, at Snapdragon Summit 2026, held in Hawaii on Tuesday (local time).

Camera performance has also been enhanced. The phones feature a dual 200-megapixel system co-developed with German camera maker Leica, pairing a 200-megapixel main camera with a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera. The telephoto unit incorporates a floating dual-lens focusing system that enables macro shooting from as close as about 12 centimeters.

A promotional image for the Xiaomi 18 Fold. [Xiaomi official website]
A promotional image for the Xiaomi 18 Fold. [Xiaomi official website]

The industry expects the Xiaomi 18 Pro series to launch in South Korea before the end of the year. The devices completed domestic radio frequency certification with the National Radio Research Agency on Sept. 15.

This is not the first time Xiaomi has released a product closely mirroring Samsung's smartphone technology.

Earlier this month, Xiaomi unveiled the Xiaomi 18 Fold, a new foldable smartphone, at IFA 2026 — Europe's largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition, held in Germany. The Xiaomi 18 Fold adopts a wide "passport-style" design when folded, drawing attention for its resemblance to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the foldable Samsung introduced in July.


chami@heraldcorp.com