Xiaomi 17 Review

Design 

• 151.1×71.8×8.1 mm, 191g
• Aluminium frame, glass fibre back
• IP68 rated

As mentioned, the Xiaomi 17 has roughly the same footprint as its predecessor, which means it’s refreshingly compact. If you want a smaller handset, but you don’t want to skimp on specifications, your options are quite limited, and this phone is one of the top contenders.

While the phone is smaller, it strikes a nice balance. The screen doesn’t feel too cramped, and there’s a bit of heft to it, which adds to the premium feel.

Aesthetically, there has been a pretty big change with this generation. Xiaomi has done away with the black rectangular camera island and switched to a more iPhone-like “plateau”. The notable difference here is that there’s an extra lens compared to the base-model iPhone 17.

The rear panel has a frosted matte finish, while the camera surround and Xiaomi logo are glossy – again, just like the latest iPhones. My test sample came in a fetching green colour, which is new for the global release. It’s also available in Blue and Black.

The phone has a flat front and rear with flat side rails. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s basically iPhone-shaped. It’s no bad thing, I like the way iPhones look and feel, and unsurprisingly, I like this, too.

There are, however, a few differences between this and Apple’s latest. For starters, there are no additional buttons, just the usual power button and volume rocker combination. You also get a hard-shell clear case included in the box, and a factory-applied screen protector; there are no such goodies in Apple’s packages.

The Xiaomi 17 is IP68-rated, which means it’s basically immune to dust ingress, and it can withstand brief dunks in fresh water. It doesn’t get the higher IP69K rating like the Ultra, but since that’s mostly to do with hot water jets, it’ll have little effect on the durability in most circumstances.

Screen 

• 6.3-inch 120Hz 1220×2656 OLED
• Flat display
• 3500 nits peak brightness

The Xiaomi 17 has a 6.3-inch flat OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 3500 nits. It’s about 300 nits brighter than the last generation, and it also has a higher PWM dimming frequency of 2160Hz, up from 1920Hz.

The extra brightness is the most impactful change. It’s not worlds apart from the previous generation, but it’s easier to see in direct sunlight, and that’s always a good thing.

The most unique thing about the display is that it’s on the smaller side. It’s much easier to reach the top of the screen if you have smaller hands, and the slim symmetrical bezels and small punch-hole camera cutout mean that it doesn’t feel cramped or undersized.

Colours appear accurate with plenty of vibrance, and the black levels are excellent, as you’ll find with most modern OLED panels. Whether you’re playing games, watching YouTube, or catching up on your favourite Netflix show, you’re in for a visual treat.

I didn’t feel the need to adjust the default colour profile, but if you want to calibrate further, Xiaomi gives you plenty of options to tweak the output.

Cameras 

• 50MP main camera (1/1.3-inch sensor)
• 50MP ultrawide (1/2.76-inch)
• 50MP 2.6x telephoto (1/2.76-inch)
• 50MP selfie camera (AF)

The Xiaomi 17 has a triple 50MP camera setup on the rear. There’s an 17mm equivalent ultrawide, a 23mm main and 60mm telephoto camera.

The specs are essentially the same as last year’s array, and the shortcomings are the same, too. For me, the biggest disappointment was that the ultrawide lens is fixed focus. That’s fine for landscapes and architecture, but it means close-ups and group photos are out of the question.

Thankfully, macro duties are taken on by the telephoto camera, which can focus as close as 10cm from the lens. I prefer to use the telephoto for macro shots anyway, so I’d chalk it up as a win overall.

The only camera to receive a proper spec bump is the selfie snapper. It’s now 50MP, up from 32MP, and it also has autofocus, whereas the previous generation was fixed-focus. It makes a big difference; the results from the selfie camera are noticeably sharper and more detailed than the previous model.

Just as I found when testing the 17 Ultra, Xiaomi’s image processing feels more refined than ever, and it’s now easily among my favourites. Colours are life-like without looking dull, and if you want to add a little more flavour to your shots, you have a wide array of stylish filters to choose from.

Of course, this camera array isn’t quite on the same level as Xiaomi’s Ultra flagship, but the shared DNA is plain to see. The main drawbacks, comparatively, are the smaller sensor sizes, which means the Xiaomi 17 doesn’t do quite as well in low light conditions, and the shorter reach of the telephoto lens.

If you’re zooming over long distances, the base model can’t compete with its Ultra sibling. It’s not bad, but you’ll start to see a lot of image degradation once you move past 15x or so.

That being said, on the other end of the spectrum, the base model is actually much more impressive for macro photography. It may not have the same reach, but it can focus much, much closer and capture some excellent details.

While the camera system might not bring any exciting features along with it, it’s definitely amongst the best available in a compact flagship handset. I was really pleased with the results I got from it, and solid portrait mode effects and filters only add to the appeal.

It’s no slouch in the video department, either. You can shoot in Log at 4K60 on all of the rear lenses with full Pro controls. You can even shoot at 8K, if you feel the need.

Performance 

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
• 12GB RAM, 512GB storage
• Dual stereo speakers

The Xiaomi 17 is powered by Qualcomm’s most powerful SoC to date, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The global release pairs it with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

As you might expect, it’s a super-powerful phone. Whether you’re multitasking heavily, editing videos on the go, or playing the most demanding mobile games, the Xiaomi 17 handles everything readily.

Just as I found with its Ultra sibling, the Xiaomi 17 stays impressively cool under load, too. With the settings maxed out on Genshin Impact, the phone had barely begun to heat up after half an hour of play. 

That’s not to say it never heats up. It got very toasty during our new AI benchmark test, for example, but in actual use, the phone stayed cool as a cucumber.

The speakers on this phone also impressed me. They’re not the loudest around, and rivals compete well in terms of detail, but the Xiaomi 17 has the upper hand when it comes to bass response. The phone manages to add some real thump to the lower frequencies without sounding too boomy or distorted.

Software & AI

• HyperOS 3, based on Android 16
• New iOS-like styling
• Lots of AI features

The Xiaomi 17 runs HyperOS 3, Xiaomi’s custom software built on top of Android 16. If you’ve used a recent Xiaomi device, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect, but the latest version comes with some nice visual tweaks and of course, plenty of AI functionality.

HyperOS 3 looks and feels more iOS-inspired than ever, but personally, I’m fine with that. It has its own version of the Dynamic Island, lock screen options with depth effects and widgets, and a very Apple-looking quick settings panel.

Possibly the best thing about HyperOS, though, is how customisable it is. You can change just the way everything looks using the various themes and settings menus, even the animations can be swapped around.

What I don’t like so much are the aggressive battery-saving measures. You’ll need to do some fiddling with background power use options for various apps to ensure that your notifications remain timely.

There are lots of AI tools for image editing, ranging from simple things like object removal to outpainting, beautification, upscaling, and more. There are also plenty of productivity tools, including the usual AI-powered transcription, translation, and writing assistance options.

Of course, you get the standard Google goodies, too. Gemini is set as the default assistant, and you can use Circle to Search to quickly find information about anything on your screen.

Battery life 

• 6300mAh battery
• 100W charging
• 50W wireless charging

Bizarrely, the Xiaomi 17 base model outperforms the Ultra in the battery department. Not only does it feature a larger 6300mAh cell, compared to the Ultra’s 6000mAh, but it charges quicker, supporting up to 100W speeds, rather than 90W.

With my typical use, the Xiaomi 17 got me through the day with no difficulty. Often, I would end the day with well over 40% remaining. I couldn’t quite squeeze two days from it, but if you’re more considerate with your usage, it may be within reach.

There’s no charger included in the box, just a USB cable, so you might want to budget for a speedy wall adapter to make the most of it. I was happy to see that it still charges extremely quickly with third-party PD chargers, though, so a Xiaomi-branded one might not be a necessity.

My Ugreen Nexode 200W desktop charger was able to take the phone from fully flat to almost 65% charged in just half an hour. Not a bad showing considering the capacious 6300mAh tank.

The phone also supports blazing-fast 50W wireless charging, but you’ll need a Xiaomi charging pad if you want to reach such speeds.

Should you buy it?