Xiaomi Brings Back Transparent Phones After Six Years With Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max Special Editions

Xiaomi has unveiled Transparent Special Editions of the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max – the company’s first flagships with a transparent look in roughly six years. The last model of this kind was the Xiaomi 10 Ultra Transparent Edition, released in 2020.

Both new models feature a deep red finish and a transparent back panel. However, this is not simply a matter of showing off the phone’s actual internal components.

Xiaomi used a micron-scale film with a three-dimensional relief, and the structural elements under the glass are artistically stylized. As a result, the body gives the impression of an exposed internal architecture, but in reality it is a separate design effect.

As IT Home reports, the visual concept is carried through by special “transparent” wallpapers for both the main display and the secondary screen on the rear camera module.

Even the charger gets the transparent treatment

Xiaomi has styled the entire package around the special series. Buyers get a semi-transparent red charging adapter, a cable and separate gift packaging in the same style.

In terms of specs, the Transparent Special Edition is no different from the standard Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. All the changes are limited to the exterior finish, the software theme, the accessories and the packaging.

The special versions come only in the top configuration with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage:

• Xiaomi 18 Pro Transparent Special Edition – 9,999 yuan;
• Xiaomi 18 Pro Max Transparent Special Edition – 10,999 yuan.

For comparison, the standard Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max with the same 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage cost 8,999 and 9,999 yuan respectively. That means the premium for the special finish alone is 1,000 yuan on each model.

After many years, the transparent version is back! Hands-on experience with the Xiaomi 18 Pro Transparent Special Edition! #Xiaomi18Pro #DigitalTechnology #XiaomiPhone pic.twitter.com/5E1R8VhfIP

— techway1 (@Techway0) September 23, 2026

The first batch has already sold out

Interest in the unusual version has run high. Xiaomi President Lu Weibing said the first prepared batch of the Transparent Special Edition sold out quickly after sales began.

Xiaomi has not disclosed how many devices were in the first shipment or how limited the overall run will be. A date for the next batch has not been announced either.

Xiaomi had already played up the return of the transparent design as a nod to its own earlier flagships. Before the Xiaomi 18 Pro, the company released the Xiaomi 8 Explorer Edition, the Xiaomi 9 Transparent Edition and the Xiaomi 10 Ultra Transparent Edition.

The current version builds on the same idea but puts even more emphasis on visually imitating the internal structure rather than just a transparent back cover. Photos and details of the design were published in a Gizmochina article.