The launch of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 unleashed a torrent of new flagships – among the first were Xiaomi’s revamped 17 series. The series has a slightly different makeup this year with a vanilla and a premium 6.3” model, in addition to a large model (named Pro Max this time).
Starting with the new one, the Xiaomi 17 Pro drew people in with its more advanced camera system. It’s not equal to the Pro Max camera as that one packs a beefier telephoto module (larger sensor, wider aperture), though the sensor resolution and focal length are the same.
Some were tempted by the larger battery inside the vanilla Xiaomi 17, though even the 17 Pro model has a larger battery than the Xiaomi 15, its immediate predecessor. However, the most popular alternative by far is the larger Xiaomi 17 Pro Max – it has the better camera and the bigger battery, avoiding any “either-or” conundrums.
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max itself has a bigger sibling to worry about – some are anticipating the arrival of an Ultra model, which will have superior cameras. The Pro and Pro Max cameras look quite capable, but the promise of a 1” sensor and dual telephoto cameras (one of which has a 200MP sensor) is hard to pass up for those looking for a cutting edge camera experience. That was what the Xiaomi 15 Ultra brought, anyway, we’re yet to see what the 17 Ultra will look like.
As for the new feature on the Pro and Pro Max, the rear display – is it a gimmick? Some think it’s amazing for the main camera selfies that it enables, but the majority is leaning towards “not useful”. It’s not necessarily a gimmick, but why have a less capable selfie camera that puts a hole in the screen when you can use the rear cameras? Why not an under display camera? Right now people are not convinced that this new setup is worth it.
The Xiaomi 17 skips the rear display and packs a massive 7,000mAh battery – not that long ago we would have thought it impossible to fit that much battery in a 6.3” phone. You do lose the 5x/115mm telephoto camera with this one, getting only a 2.6x/60mm module, but the phone is also slightly cheaper than the Pro.
Judging by the poll results, Xiaomi was right to divide the 17 series into three models – each has found an audience. And there is an audience for the Ultra model, eagerly awaiting its arrival (Xiaomi hasn’t said anything, but it probably won’t arrive before early 2026).
In China, the Xiaomi 17 series is already a hit, surpassing 1 million sales in record time. Now it’s up to Xiaomi to handle the global launch well – will all three models be available globally or will it skip one? And how much will they cost?
