Xiaomi’s biggest mistake this year? The special display feature on Xiaomi 18 Pro didn’t really work out

The biggest display upgrade in the Xiaomi 18 Pro lineup is anti-peeking protection built directly into the panel. During the launch, Xiaomi claimed you won’t pay for it with image quality. But early comparisons with the older Xiaomi 17 Ultra suggest you do pay a price after all. And you pay it even when you never use Privacy Mode.

The comparison with 17 Ultra didn’t go well

The issue was first flagged by the well-known leaker Ice Universe, who’s been focusing on displays for a long time. He put Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Ultra side by side and gradually tilted both phones. According to him, the newer model’s display loses brightness and readability faster when viewed from the side. The picture also looks worse with Privacy Mode turned OFF.

This post shows just how big the difference in Privacy Display tech is between Xiaomi 18 Pro and Galaxy S26 Ultra:

Ice Universe called it maybe Xiaomi’s biggest mistake this year. The problem likely comes down to the panel construction itself, not the software. So it probably can’t be fixed with an update.

Half the pixels are to blame

Xiaomi built privacy protection into two types of pixels: normal and cloned. They alternate inside the panel in a ratio of 1:1. The cloned pixels light up almost only straight ahead. When you turn on Privacy Mode, brightness when viewing from the side drops by about 60° to about 1 % of what you see from the front, according to the manufacturer. Normal pixels then turn off.

With normal use, both sets are lit at the same time. From the front, that doesn’t matter. But when you look at the screen at an angle, half the pixels send almost no light toward you. That’s likely where the darker and less readable image Ice Universe showed comes from. Samsung uses the same principle in the Galaxy S26 Ultra under the name Flex Magic Pixel.

Xiaomi promised an image without losses

At launch, the manufacturer claimed the opposite. Xiaomi said a panel with a full RGB subpixel layout doesn’t lose quality when protection is off. In terms of sharpness, it’s supposed to match 2K displays, but it only consumes as much energy as a 1,5K panel. Peak brightness is 4 000 nits. The larger Xiaomi 18 Pro Max reportedly has around 9,5 million subpixels, according to Android Authority.

The number of 4 000 nits doesn’t disprove the criticism. That figure applies when viewed from the front. The criticism is about the side view. Privacy Mode can be enabled in quick settings, via an AI button, by voice, with an app-specific rule, or based on location. The phone can also detect with the front camera when someone is looking over your shoulder.

Measurements are still missing

All the criticism is based on photos and video from comparing two phones. No one has published independent lab brightness measurements at angles yet. Xiaomi hasn’t responded to the complaints. Also, the camera can exaggerate brightness differences, so you’ll have to wait for a more accurate verdict.

This applies to both models. Xiaomi 18 Pro has a 6,36-inch and 18 Pro Max has a 6,9-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with 144 Hz. Both use the same technology. In everyday use, when you hold the phone in front of you, you’ll hardly notice the difference. You’ll feel it more when the phone is lying on a table, mounted in a car holder, or when you show photos to a friend side by side. Whether the global version will get the same panel is something Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed yet.

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