Xiaomi has launched the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, both featuring two 200MP Leica sensors alongside a 50MP ultrawide camera. The Pro Max runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 with an 8,500mAh battery, while the Pro uses the standard 8 Elite Gen 6 chip with a 7,000mAh battery. Both models add a hardware privacy screen, a functional rear display, UWB support, IP69 water resistance, and a customizable AI button.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-23
Xiaomi launched the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max in China, adding a hardware-based privacy display that can be set to trigger by app, location or via selfie-camera detection of onlookers. Both phones keep the rear secondary screen from last year's models, pack two 200-megapixel cameras, and use Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chips, with the Pro Max getting the higher-end Extreme variant and a larger 8,500mAh battery. Xiaomi says a global release will follow later this year.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-23
Qualcomm announced two new flagship mobile chips, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the higher-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, both built on a 2nm process for improved speed and efficiency. Xiaomi and Motorola showed off phones using the new chips at the event, including Motorola's Signature 27, which pairs the Extreme Gen 6 chip with a four-camera system and Google's Gemini AI, and is expected to launch by the end of 2026.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-22
Leaker Ice Universe reports that Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra uses four-way baffles to block screen visibility from top, bottom and both sides, while Huawei's Mate XT 2 and Xiaomi's 18 Pro series only block side views. This makes Samsung's privacy screen more thorough, but the tighter light control brings side effects like dimmer off-axis brightness, blurrier images, and reported eye strain or nausea for some users.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-22
Ahead of its launch, Xiaomi detailed the dual 200MP camera system on its upcoming Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max, revealing that the primary sensor measures 1/1.28-inch, slightly larger than the ISOCELL HP2 used in Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra. The phones also feature a Leica-backed camera setup wrapped around a secondary rear display, in a design reminiscent of the iPhone 17 Pro's camera island but repurposed for screen functionality.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-22
Xiaomi has released MiMo-V2.6 Pro and a lighter Flash variant as open-weight omnimodal AI models handling text, images, video and code. The company says Pro tops open-source rankings on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, trailing only closed models like Claude Opus 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol, and it showcased a feature called Vibe World that turns prompts into interactive 3D games, Blender assets or robotic arm controls.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-22
Xiaomi has detailed the Smart Privacy Display on its upcoming Xiaomi 18 Pro series, which alternates standard wide-angle pixels with narrow-angle pixels fitted with microscopic baffles in a 1:1 ratio. When privacy mode is switched on, the standard pixels turn off so only the baffled pixels emit light, cutting visible brightness to about 1% for viewers beyond 60 degrees. The feature can be activated through Quick Settings, the AI key, voice commands, app or page rules, location triggers, or automatic detection of someone looking over your shoulder via the front camera.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-21
Xiaomi Auto has finalized pricing and specs for its SkyNomad N70, a five-seat extended-range electric SUV starting around $31,000. The company unveiled the details in Beijing, positioning the vehicle as a tech-rich rival to luxury Western SUVs at a fraction of their cost.
wired.com
· 2026-09-19
Omdia data show Apple shipped 16.8 million true wireless stereo earbuds in Q2 2026, up 1.2% year over year, giving it 20.5% market share even as the overall TWS category shrank 0.7%. Meanwhile, the open wireless stereo segment—clip-on and ear-hook designs that leave the ear canal open—grew 12%, led by Shokz with a 10.3% share after 107.9% growth.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-18
A security researcher has published a series detailing how an unprivileged Android app can escalate to root access on major OEM devices using one repeatable strategy. The method targets manufacturer-specific kernel driver bugs—specifically page Use-After-Free flaws—reached via OEM-specific sandbox escapes, and was demonstrated on Samsung Galaxy S23 through S26 devices, many Xiaomi mid-range to flagship phones, and recent Oppo, OnePlus, and Realme flagships.
calif.io
· 2026-09-14
Apple unveiled its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, at $2,230 (15,999 yuan) in China, a price that triggered immediate pushback from consumers comparing it to their local incomes and to cheaper domestic rivals. Xiaomi and Huawei had just launched competing foldables days earlier, the Xiaomi 18 Fold at 10,999 yuan and Huawei's trifold Mate XT2 at 19,999 yuan, intensifying the price comparisons. Despite the mixed local reaction, Apple shares rose more than 3% after the launch event.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-11
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro introduces a mechanical variable aperture that adjusts how much light hits the sensor, reaching as wide as f/1.48. The system works automatically but can also be controlled manually in the Camera app, letting users influence depth of field and low-light performance directly.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-09