Xiaomi 18 Pro series will be the first to bring both Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 to market

At the 2026 Snapdragon Summit, Zeng Xuezhong, Senior Vice President of Xiaomi Group and President of the International Department, announced that Xiaomi will be the world’s first to launch phones powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series. The Xiaomi 18 Pro will use the standard chipset, while the 18 Pro Max will step up to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.

Here’s exactly what’s different between the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.

Lu Weibing, Partner, President of the Mobile Phone Division, and General Manager of the Xiaomi Brand, put it this way: “Xiaomi has always been committed to bringing groundbreaking innovation to consumers through its flagship product portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies’ new multi-flagship strategy allows us to achieve this goal more flexibly.”

He added: “By adopting the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the higher-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 in our upcoming devices, Xiaomi can bring a tailored and differentiated flagship experience to a wider range of users. We are working with Qualcomm Technologies to drive the development of the next generation of AI-powered smartphones, delivering unprecedented personalized and responsive experiences.”

The dual-chip approach gives Xiaomi more flexibility to differentiate models within the series while pushing on-device AI, performance, and efficiency. The platforms are expected to support more advanced agentic AI features, better gaming, and overall snappier responsiveness.

The Xiaomi 18 Pro series is scheduled to launch in China this evening (September 23). A global rollout is planned for later this year. More details on specs, pricing, and regional availability should come out during and after the Chinese launch event.

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(Source: Lu Weibing on Weibo | ITHome)