Xiaomi's new flagship could be a real match for the iPhone 18 Pro Max

Following the recent launch of the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the new iPhone Duo, we're now properly getting into the season of flagship phone launches. One of the next brands to take its turn is Xiaomi, but this year, the company is doing something a little different. Yes, the Chinese tech giant is launching its most premium flagships, the Xiaomi 18 Pro series, outside of China, and both new phones could prove problematic for Apple's market dominance. With the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max launching back in September in China, we've already got a decent idea of what to expect, and on paper, it looks pretty impressive. The 18 Pro Max in particular sounds like a beast of an Android, with a 6.9-inch AMOLED display, a massive 8,500mAh battery, and, most importantly, the brand-new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip. The Snapdragon processor is a big deal: Qualcomm's latest and greatest chip, and we'd expect to see it in many of the best gaming phones next year. Some specs, particularly battery size, could change for the global launch, but on paper, it could rival the iPhone 18 Pro Max.