I tried Xiaomi's new Samsung-rivalling phone with Privacy Display, but is it actually better than the Galaxy S26 Ultra's attempt?

Xiaomi revealed its latest flagship, the Xiaomi 18 Pro, at a major launch event in Beijing – but, as the first brand to launch a handset with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, also showed it off in the USA at Snapdragon Summit.

I was invited to a behind-closed-doors meeting during Summit to take a look at the new handset, which will be launching outside of China – and imminently, within the year, according to Xiaomi spokespeople – and aims to rival Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra with some familiar features, such as Privacy Display.

Not only that, the 18 Pro features a second display on the rear. That echoes what the previous Xiaomi 17 Pro also featured, but as that was a China-only handset – the base Xiaomi 17 model was the only one to come to Europe – its presence also feels like a significant point of distinction.

HyperRGB Privacy Display

A quick explainer about what Privacy Display actually does first, though: when activated, it limits the angle of view by deactivating portions of pixels, preventing potential snoopers from seeing what's on the screen.

While I didn't have long to explore the Xiaomi 18 Pro, I quickly dove into its Privacy Display settings to see what it was all about. Xiaomi has deployed its own technology here, in what it calls a HyperRGB panel.

Why does this matter? HyperRGB offers a full red, green and blue composition in every 'pixel' – unlike the sub-pixel structure in a typical pentile array, where green has to be 'shared', causing a notable resolution loss with Privacy Display activated.

I must admit, with Xiaomi's feature activated, the perceived resolution does appear very clear – more so than Samsung's equivalent feature in the S26 Ultra. So that's one tick in the box.

However, my other immediate observation was that Xiaomi's method is less effective than the Samsung equivalent. It doesn't hide what's on the display nearly as well, in my view, with even acute angles not fully hiding the display's content.

From a software perspective, though, Xiaomi has really opened up more customisation options than Samsung is able to offer. While both offer per-app selection, even the ability to dynamically block out notifications, the Xiaomi can also handle split-screen and floating window situations – which is a very neat take indeed.

I pulled up two apps in a split-screen view, 50/50 down the middle of the display, one of which had Privacy Display enabled, the other not, and the device can differentiate. It's a dynamic take that shows off the brand's HyperOS very well. That said, I still don't think the effect is strong enough in this solution.

Rear display

It's impossible to not talk about the rear display on the Xiaomi 18 Pro, too, as while it's been featured in some devices previously, it's a very uncommon addition.

I can see why it makes sense, though, as you can forego the need for a lower-quality selfie camera within the display and use the top-tier cameras on the back of the device instead.

Beyond that, Xiaomi's point of view is that this display is an opportunity to cut down on phone use. Think of, say, Motorola's Razr flip phone, where the small window in its closed format offers a pared-back glance rather than full-on experience. This can do much the same.

It's also a place to add customised wallpapers, clocks and such like – to make the phone feel more uniquely yours. I was able to swipe between some camera settings and the calendar, finding it a very responsive experience – far better than I'd anticipated.

With many other brands deploying their own equivalent features – think Nothing's Glyph or Google's HiLight on the Pixel 11 Pro – it seems that 2026 has been a bigger year for more expansive ways to interact with your phone. And while Xiaomi's is arguably the most in-your-face solution, it's also the most sophisticated of the lot.

Serious spec

• Battery: 7000mAh silicon-carbon / 100W HyperCharge / 50W wireless
• Cameras: 200MP f/1.67 main, 200MP f/2.4 75mm zoom, 50MP wide-angle
• Display: 6.4-inch, 2436 x 1120 HyperRGB 2.0, 4000 nits max brightness, 1-120Hz
• Power: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.1

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The full spec of the Xiaomi 18 Pro is now out in the wild, with some headline features that I've highlighted in the bullet points above. This is one seriously powerful phone – and the first that will ship with Qualcomm's latest and most powerful hardware.

There are a lot of other eye-grabbing features, though, from the huge battery capacity – no word on whether that can be delivered to an international market, though, as EU regulation caps 20Wh (around 5,000mAh) in single cells – to the incredibly fast charging times.

The cameras, too, are top of the line. Xiaomi continues its collaboration with Leica, adding another standout reason to consider the brand beyond its competitors. In the Xiaomi 18 Pro the triple sensor arrangement comprises two 200-megapixels and one 50MP – with the main and telephoto getting the big resolution.

There is also the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, which is even larger and more considerable – with yet more display and battery packed into its larger shell – and I do wonder if both models will make their way to international markets. Right now, Xiaomi isn't saying – just "stay tuned", as the global launch will be "within the quarter" for an official on-the-shelf release before the year is out.

That will likely mean that Samsung's rumoured incoming Galaxy S27 Ultra then won't be far away from its own early 2027 launch. It's expected that the Korean brand will deliver a product that considerably differs from its current design – and, given the current advanced nature of its competition, I think that can only be a good thing.