The small screen on the back of Xiaomi’s Pro flagships is getting a promotion. In a short teaser video posted on Weibo on September 16, 2026, Xiaomi showed that owners of the upcoming Xiaomi 18 Pro series will be able to use AI to create their own apps for specific tasks, and those apps will run on the rear display.
This was the promised follow-up to Xiaomi’s first teaser for what it calls a “versatile rear display”, published on September 15, 2026. That first teaser confirmed the secondary screen is staying: it sits in a horizontal camera module and takes up most of it. The rear screen in the teaser showed the word “Generating”, which already hinted at an AI feature.
From preset cards to made-to-order tools
The demo apps are small, single-purpose tools, the kind of thing you want to check with a glance at the back of the phone instead of unlocking it:
- a reminder to drink water;
- an egg cooking timer;
- recipe recommendations;
- a helper for learning new English words.
That is a clear step up from the Xiaomi 17 Pro series. There, the rear display could only show a set of widgets and pre-installed app cards. Xiaomi has not said which AI model generates the apps, how much a user can customize, or whether the tool needs a cloud connection. The teaser shows the idea, not how it works.
Xiaomi also said it has partnered with several brands in China to offer custom app cards for the rear display. So the screen will get ready-made third-party content alongside whatever users build themselves. According to Gizmochina’s report on the first teaser, Xiaomi says the previous rear screen already logs over 4 million app card interactions a day, with over 3.5 million wallpapers added daily. That usage is clearly why Xiaomi is keeping the feature and expanding it.
What else is known
Xiaomi has confirmed that the Xiaomi 18 Pro series will launch in China in September 2026. The lineup is expected to include the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, but the exact date has not been announced. Reports mention September 23 and September 24, neither confirmed. Both phones are believed to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, which Qualcomm had not announced when the teaser came out. Xiaomi has not yet published specs or prices.
Rear screens used to be a gimmick. Here, Xiaomi is trying to make one useful: a place for small tools each user builds for their own routine. Whether the AI-built apps are more than a demo will depend on how well the generator handles real requests once the phones ship.
Earlier on GismoLand: Xiaomi 18 Series. The race to be first with 2nm silicon heats up.
