It’s no secret that Xiaomi, like fellow Chinese smartphone makers, has always looked to the iPhone as the benchmark for design and performance. However, Xiaomi has been doing it in subtle ways, unlike its competition. Well, that was then. Today, Xiaomi is shaking off the pretense, and it has laid the cards on the table, making clear that it is coming after the iPhone 17 series. And it is doing so with the new Xiaomi 17 series smartphones.
Wait a minute. So where’s Xiaomi 16 series? Well, the 17 is the direct successor to the Xiaomi 15, so technically it is the 16. The Chinese electronics giant is tweaking the name as a direct challenge to Apple. Coincidentally, or not, this number jumping is kinda Apple’s thing.
The iPhone 2 was released as iPhone 3G (my first iPhone, by the way) in 2008, and then in 2017, the supposed 9 never happened, and jumped straight to iPhone X (pronounced “ten”) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of iPhone. Anyhoo, not only has the series name changed, but even the model names match those of the iPhone 17 series. There is Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Pro, and you guessed it, Xiaomi 17 Pro Max.
Naturally, the Pro models are where Xiaomi is flexing hardest. The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max feature a massive camera bump across the top, housing not only lenses but also a secondary display. Clearly, those are meant to take on Apple’s flagships head-on.
But let’s set those aside for a moment. The real star of this piece is the standard Xiaomi 17 [CH]—the one that carries the family’s new design DNA, but with a personality of its own. Instead of the wide slab-like bump, the 17 rocks a neat square module with four circles, one of which cheekily hides the flash. It’s a familiar iPhone-like layout, yet with Xiaomi’s own spin.
Under that sleek back, the Xiaomi 17 still means business. It is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, built on a 3 nm process, running up to 4.6 GHz with improved GPU and AI performance. A 7,000 mAh Jingsha River battery keeps the lights on, with 100 W wired and 50 W wireless fast charging to top it off before you can finish a coffee. At just 191 g and 8.06 mm thick, it manages to pack power without feeling like a brick.
The display measures 6.3 inches across with a 19.6:9 aspect ratio and slim 1.18 mm bezels. It’s a 1.5K OLED panel with up to 120 Hz refresh, Adaptive Refresh Rate Pro, and a searing 3,500-nit peak brightness. Xiaomi hasn’t forgotten about the eyes either: TÜV Rheinland has given its stamp for low blue light, flicker-free, and circadian-friendly performance.
Photography is handled by a Leica-branded system, headlined by a 50 MP main camera with the Light Hunter 950 image sensor and f/1.67 aperture, plus OIS for steady shots. On the front, a 50 MP ultra-sensitive camera with autofocus ensures selfies aren’t an afterthought. While it doesn’t get the full triple-lens arsenal of its Pro siblings, the 17 still punches well above its weight in imaging.
Other niceties include Xiaomi’s Dragon Crystal Glass, an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, IP68 water and dust resistance, and the new Xiaomi Star Communication System for stronger connectivity.
The Xiaomi 17 comes in several finishes, including White, Black, Snow Mountain Pink, and Glacier Blue, running on HyperOS 3. The new Xiaomi 17 is available to order in China with a starting price of 4,499 yuan [CH] (~631 USD). It is offered in 12+256, 12+512, and 16+512 configurations.
Images: Xiaomi [CH].
