Domestic flagship smartphones are increasingly edging toward the 10,000 yuan price bracket.

On the evening of September 23, Xiaomi officially unveiled the Xiaomi 18 Pro series.

The Xiaomi 18 Pro starts at 5,999 yuan, while the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max begins at 6,999 yuan. As storage capacity increases, prices for both models continue to rise: the Xiaomi 18 Pro 16GB+1TB version is priced at 8,999 yuan, and the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max 16GB+1TB version reaches 9,999 yuan.

This time, Xiaomi has also introduced transparent special editions for both models. Among them, the Xiaomi 18 Pro Transparent Special Edition with 16GB+1TB storage is priced at 9,999 yuan, while the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max Transparent Special Edition with 16GB+1TB storage goes up to 10,999 yuan, pushing Xiaomi's digital series smartphone prices past the 10,000 yuan threshold for the first time.

Behind this upward pricing trend, Xiaomi is also continuing to enhance the specifications of its digital series. The Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are powered by the sixth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite and sixth-generation Snapdragon 8 Super Elite respectively, both built on a 2nm process. The entire lineup incorporates hardware-level privacy screens, AI-adaptive back displays, and further upgraded Leica imaging systems. Additionally, the Pro Max is equipped with an 8,500mAh battery and a dual 200-megapixel main camera and telephoto lens combination.

Lu Weibing describes this generation as "the biggest upgrade in the history of the Xiaomi digital series" and states that the Xiaomi 18 Pro series marks the beginning of Xiaomi's comprehensive AI-powered transformation of its smartphones.

Beyond smartphones, Xiaomi also launched several new home appliance products that day, including televisions, range hoods, smart locks, washing machines, and coffee machines. Similar to its phones, AI has become the focal point of this round of appliance upgrades. For instance, televisions use millimeter-wave radar to detect viewing positions and adjust the picture accordingly, range hoods employ visual models to assess smoke and oil changes, and smart locks incorporate multimodal model capabilities to recognize different visitors and home scenarios.

From a product strategy perspective, Xiaomi is extending its AI capabilities from smartphones further into its "Human, Vehicle, and Home Full Ecosystem." Earlier in September, Xiaomi also unveiled new vehicles and foldable products, with phones, automobiles, and home appliances serving as the main pillars of this new product cycle.

From the traditional thousand-yuan pricing tier of domestic flagships to top-tier configurations now exceeding 10,000 yuan, the Xiaomi digital series is further testing the ceiling for domestic bar-type flagship pricing. Whether this approach gains market acceptance is now under close scrutiny.