Xiaomi has just launched the 15T for the global market, and just a day later, here comes the 17 Series in China. They decided to skip the naming of 16, and jump straight to 17. It feels like Xiaomi wants to compare itself head-to-head with iPhone 17 Series. The naming is not the only odd thing, the lineup is also incredibly similar. There is the Xiaomi 17, the 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max. Tim Cook is like: Seriously bro?

Anyway, jokes aside, we are serious about Xiaomi phone reviews. Gizmochina knows Xiaomi flagships the best, and we make the most comprehensive reviews across the entire internet. After this first hands-on article, we will present you the full review of Xiaomi 17 and the 17 Pro Max, also a comparison between the iPhone 17 Pro. Those reviews are going to be epic! Stay tuned!

Xiaomi 17 Pro Max

Now the Pro and Pro Max are very interesting, because they have a giant screen at the back. Since they are very similar, we will only show the Pro Max here.

Let’s do a quick unboxing. There is the 100W charger and the cable at the bottom, then a clear case. Lastly, the phone.

So just at a glance, people always say it reminds them of the Camera Plato on the iPhone 17 Pro series, it kind of does, as the shape is very similar. But the major difference is that there is a screen there, rather than just a piece of metal. If you have watched some flip phone reviews, you must know what it means to have a smaller screen at the back. It will be so convenient for some notifications, taking phone calls, taking selfies, and even playing some games. Xiaomi has made a similar thing on the Xiaomi 11 Ultra, only it was a tiny screen there. It says the specs of this screen are just like the main screen, same material, same brightness, same refresh rate. And when it comes to selfies, it can provide softer light, to make the selfie look better. There is even a Game Boy case made just for it, for you to play some classic games at the back, or even some new games like Angry Birds. Overall, this back screen is going to be very useful and fun, we will show you more in the full review.

The overall build looks and feels very premium, the screen is made of so-called M10 material, the brightness will boost up to 3500nits max, but consumes less power, and is more eye-friendly. The bezels are very thin, and are also symmetrical at four corners, it looks very good. It says Xiaomi has put a lot of effort and money into the screens, supposedly leading the industry right now.  

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 debuted on the Xiaomi 17 Series, again the most powerful chipset besides Apple’s A19 Pro. The battery capacity is 7500mAh, which is very impressive to have such a big battery in a bar phone, and part of the reason why the battery should be so large is that, there is a second screen there, more battery is needed. Anyway, we should see more phones with over 7000mAh soon.     

It supports 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. And surprisingly it supports the regular PPS protocol, so you can also use regular high-power fast chargers that support PPS to charge this phone. Perhaps you can ditch that annoying Xiaomi one in the box, because it still uses Type-A port.

Finally about the camera system, it is a triple 50MP camera setup at the back, and a 50MP camera at the front. The Light Fusion 950 High Dynamic Sensor debuted on the Xiaomi 17 Pro and the Pro Max, and the LOFIC high dynamic range technology can be used in the main camera, which will benefit both photos and video recording a lot. For other cameras, we will test them out in the full review. And if you are interested in the 17 Pro Max already, you can go purchase it from Geekwills. Another message we want you to know right now, we are going to buy all the flagships that will be released in the next month or so, and do all the thorough reviews. In those reviews, maybe you will find the right phone for yourself for 2026, so make sure you don’t miss out.

Xiaomi 17

Moving on to the 17, as usual, it is made for those who love small phones. It inherits most of the design from the 15, but the color scheme is leaning towards a more vibrant style. Other than the black and white, there are also pink and blue. Xiaomi claims that they have made a change in the corners of the frame, with a new 19.6:9 ratio, meaning it is more rounded, supposedly very friendly to your palm.

It is still a 6.3” phone, you would feel very secure and pleasant holding it in your hand. The chip inside is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the same as the pro models. And the most notable feature is probably the battery size, 7000mAh, which is massive if we talk about a battery in a small body. One thing to mention though, the Xiaomi 17 Pro’s battery is actually smaller than the 17. The size of these two is the same, but the back screen on the 17 Pro takes up some space inside, therefore, the battery is smaller. It’s a slight trade-off, let us know which one you would choose.

When it comes to the camera system. It has a triple 50MP camera setup, the focal length of the main camera and the telephoto camera haven’t changed, but the wide-angle has changed from 14mm to 17mm, not as wide as before. The Light Fusion 950 High Dynamic Sensor debuted on the Xiaomi 17, it says the dynamic range and anti-flare performance are much improved. Together with the overall performance, we will test them out in the full review. The front camera is also a 50MP.

For some details that weren’t mentioned in the 17, they are either similar or the same as the Pro models.  

Summary

Alright, what do you think about the Xiaomi 17 series? Do you like the design and overall performance? Let us know in the comments section. For this series, it really can’t shake off the impression it gives to the tech world, and Xiaomi isn’t annoyed by it apparently. Other than that, they are carrying some interesting features. They have put a lot of effort and money into the new screens and the battery; some praise should be given to them. The 17 Pro Max is a true flagship, and the 17 is still an excellent option for those who prefer smaller phones. Don’t forget that you can order the Xiaomi 17 Series from Geekwills!    

The post Xiaomi 17 & 17 Pro Max Hands On: Seriously Better Than iPhone 17? appeared first on Gizmochina.