Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max Launching Today: How to Watch Livestream? Check Expected Specifications & Prices

Xiaomi is gearing up to unveil the first smartphones with the newly announced Snapdragon 8 Elite chips later today. The Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will arrive with major camera and performance upgrades over their predecessors.

The biggest change is the pairing of a 200MP main camera with a 200MP periscope telephoto camera. That gives Xiaomi a clear photography pitch before launch, especially as phone makers continue to focus on zoom quality, low-light performance and portrait imaging in premium devices.

Xiaomi 18 Pro Series Launch: How to Watch the Livestream

The Xiaomi 18 Pro series is launching in China later today at 07:00 pm local time and 04:30 pm IST. Those interested in watching Xiaomi's event live can do so on the company's official website and Weibo account. Following its launch in China, the Xiaomi 18 Pro series will likely make its way to India next year.

Xiaomi 18 Pro Series Pricing: What to Expect

The Xiaomi 18 Pro series is expected to get a major price bump over its predecessor. The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max fetched a starting price of CNY 5,999 (roughly Rs 85,650) in China, while the 17 Pro started from CNY 4,999 (roughly Rs 71,400) at the time of their launch.

However, we expect the Xiaomi 18 Pro price in China to start from under CNY 6,000 (roughly Rs 85,700). On the other hand, we expect the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max to fetch a starting price of under CNY 7,000 (roughly Rs 1,00,000) in China.

Xiaomi 18 Pro Series Specifications

The Xiaomi 18 Pro is expected to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipset, while the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will opt for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 SoC.

The phones will also feature flagship displays using Super Pixel 2.0 and M11 panel technology, with peak brightness of up to 4,000 nits. The Xiaomi 18 Pro could pack a 7,000mAh battery with support for 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, while the higher-end Xiaomi 18 Pro Max is tipped to feature a much larger 8,500mAh battery with the same charging speeds.

The Pro Max is also expected to use a silicon-rich battery architecture, which could allow Xiaomi to increase capacity without significantly increasing the phone's thickness. Both models are likely to run HyperOS 4 out of the box, while the Pro Max is expected to get the higher-tier hardware configuration.

Xiaomi is also expected to highlight rear display functionality, privacy-focused screen features and AI capabilities, although the exact implementation and day-to-day use cases should become clearer at launch.

Xiaomi 18 Pro Series Cameras

According to details shared by Xiaomi on Weibo, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will feature a Leica-branded 200MP primary rear camera with a 1/1.28-inch sensor. The telephoto unit will also use a 200MP sensor, but with a 1/1.56-inch size.

The periscope telephoto camera will offer an f/2.4 aperture and 3.2x optical zoom. Xiaomi says it has a 75mm native focal length, which should make it useful for portraits and mid-range zoom shots. The camera will also support macro focusing from as close as 12cm.

Xiaomi is also claiming major gains in light intake over last year's models. The company says the telephoto camera on the Xiaomi 18 Pro can capture 280 percent more light than the Xiaomi 17 Pro. For the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, the claimed improvement is 83 percent over the 17 Pro Max.

For now, the Xiaomi 18 Pro series appears focused on three areas: high-resolution cameras, unusually large batteries and a more interactive rear design.