Xiaomi is adding more functionality to the secondary display on its upcoming flagship smartphones. The company has confirmed that the Xiaomi 18 Pro series will launch in China on September 23, while revealing details about the phones' displays, batteries, cameras and privacy features.

The Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will retain the rear display introduced with the previous generation, but Xiaomi is giving the panel a significantly expanded role. The company is calling it a "Versatile Back Screen", with the display now capable of running AI-generated application cards for specific tasks.

Instead of being restricted to a set of pre-installed widgets, users will be able to generate small applications through AI based on their requirements. Xiaomi has demonstrated functions including an egg-cooking timer, water-intake tracker, Pomodoro focus timer, English vocabulary tool and recipe recommendation cards. Frequently used cards can also be pinned to the rear display.

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The rear screen continues to sit alongside the Leica camera module. Xiaomi's latest images show a revised design in which the camera module sits flush with the rear display rather than protruding as much as before. The bezels around the secondary screen have also been narrowed.

Reports suggest the rear panel could also receive a substantial size upgrade, potentially growing from the 2.1-inch display used on the Xiaomi 17 Pro series to around 4 inches. However, Xiaomi has not yet officially confirmed the exact size of the new rear screen.

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Xiaomi says the previous-generation rear display saw more than 4 million daily interactions with its application cards, while users added more than 3.5 million wallpapers each day. The company is now using that usage data to expand the screen's functionality through AI-generated tools.

The company has also confirmed a new hardware-level privacy display for the Xiaomi 18 Pro series. The main screens will use Xiaomi's M11 luminescent material and a new green-emitting material, with the company claiming a 20 per cent efficiency improvement over the previous generation. Xiaomi says the panel can reach a peak brightness of 4,000 nits and uses ultra-thin 0.99mm bezels.

The privacy technology is designed to work at the hardware level rather than relying only on software. Earlier firmware findings indicated that Xiaomi's Smart Privacy Display could be configured for specific applications and could automatically activate when users enter sensitive screens such as password entry, payments, money transfers and private messages.

The Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will be offered in Black, Galaxy Blue and White. The standard Pro model is expected to pack a 7,000mAh battery, while the Pro Max will feature an 8,500mAh battery.

Both smartphones will feature Leica-branded triple rear camera systems, including a 200MP primary camera and a 200MP periscope telephoto sensor.

The Xiaomi 18 Pro series is also confirmed to use a 2nm chipset, with reports pointing to Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.

The Xiaomi 18 Pro series will officially debut in China on September 23, when Xiaomi is expected to reveal the remaining specifications, pricing and availability details.