Xiaomi 17T Pro review - a flagship killer with a slight price problem

Of all the cell phones that have arrived in the last few years, I've got a real soft spot for Xiaomi's T-series devices. The first phone I ever reviewed was the Xiaomi 13T, back in late 2023, and every year since then, I've been impressed with the brand's mid-range offerings. Things are a bit different this year, though. For one, the Xiaomi 17T and the subject of this review, the Xiaomi 17T Pro, are arriving months earlier than we expected. Not only that, but they're both more expensive than their 2025 equivalents, putting them in the strange place between the mid-range and the flagship prices.

Still, a higher price point isn't as much of an issue if it feels worth it, and, without spoiling the rest of this review too much, I think this phone is worth going over budget for, at least for the most part. Whether it's powerful enough to compete with the best gaming phones or impressive enough of an all-rounder to draw Apple users away from the best iPhones is another, more complicated question. Fortunately, it's one I'm here to answer. So, let's get to it.

Price and availability

Okay, I've already touched on this, so let's get it all out of the way nice and early. For as long as I've been covering them, Xiaomi's T-series phones have landed squarely in the mid-range price point, which I've traditionally judged as the region of around £400 to £700, but that isn't the case with the 17T Pro. Even in its cheaper configuration, this phone is £799, which, if you don't know, is more expensive than the lowest-priced Xiaomi 17. Yes, it's a bit confusing. Here are the full prices:

• 12GB+256GB - £799
• 12GB+512GB - £849
• 12GB+1TB - £949

As ever, these phones won't be widely available in the US, so we've only included the UK pricing. If you'd like to get your hands on one, the best option is to look at an import. For this review, we received the 16GB+512GB version in Deep Violet. It's also available in Deep Blue and Black colorways.

Specs

Here are the Xiaomi 17T Pro's specs:

Performance and gaming

The Xiaomi 17T Pro utilizes MediaTek's most powerful chipset, the MediaTek Dimensity 9500. That meant I went into this review expecting competitive, if not groundbreaking, performance compared to flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S26 and the iPhone 17. The good news is that this is exactly what this phone delivers, and I don't just mean it's snappy when scrolling social media or switching between multiple apps. It's also a surprisingly capable mobile gaming device.

I had Honkai Star Rail running at maximum settings, including the bump up to 60 frames per second, and the 17T took it all in its stride. The only slight instances of slowdown I noticed were when I had the game running at twice the speed, with a couple of iffy moments in character animations, but it was still barely noticeable. Like so many other modern handsets, it serves as a reminder as to why the gaming phone niche is slightly on its way out. You don't need a gaming phone to experience most of the best mobile games at high settings, and, in the case of the 17T Pro, you don't even need an out-and-out flagship.

As for thermals, I didn't feel the phone get all that toasty while gaming, but I will note that the back panel got pretty warm when downloading the resources required to play Honkai Star Rail. The 17T Pro isn't the only phone I've noticed this with; in fact, it's becoming more common as mobile games require more and more gigabytes worth of data to play. Still, it's not ideal, especially as you can feel the heat even through the nifty little plastic case that Xiaomi bundles with the phone. In all other use cases, though, the Ice Loop system keeps the phone nice and cool.

Features and software

In terms of software, the 17T Pro uses the latest version of Xiaomi's HyperOS Android skin. It's a pretty clean operating system, and no matter whether you're coming from an iPhone or another Android, it shouldn't take you long to adjust. Like a lot of phones these days, there's a bit of bloat after you've set up for the first time, but it's hardly egregious, and it should only take a couple of minutes to clear out the apps you don't need.

As for AI, which is inescapable in the world of modern cell phones, you've got Google Gemini, which comes pre-installed, and a few of Xiaomi's own tricks. The image tools are particularly impressive, such as AI Erase Pro and AI Image Expansion, which both do what they say on the tin and to a standard that rivals similar software from Google Pixel and Samsung. Then you've got some writing, interpretation, and translation tools, which is all you can really ask for. I'm a bit of an AI cynic, so I didn't use them all that much, but it's nice to have them there if required.

Finally, for gamers, the 17T Pro comes with Game Turbo pre-installed. It's a useful app for gamers, as you can use it to tune performance to your liking or launch your favorite games without flicking through your app drawer. You can even customize your GPU settings, including frame rates and texture quality. That's a nifty feature, especially when you consider this isn't a gaming-specific phone.

Design

When it comes to design, Xiaomi has played it very safe with the 17T Pro, in that it looks almost identical to the 15T Pro. It's got the same rounded corners, the same squircle-shaped camera island, and the buttons are in the same place. I wouldn't exactly call the 17T Pro's design inspired, except maybe if I were to call it 15T Pro-inspired, but it's not a massive criticism. I liked the design of last year's inoffensive premium mid-ranger, so I like this one, too.

What is worth talking about is the Deep Violet colorway, which is a lovely touch from Xiaomi. I can imagine that, like the Cosmic Orange version of the iPhone 17 Pro, it'll be the most popular option for those looking for something a little more stylish. Fortunately, whichever version you opt for, this phone is IP68 rated for dust and waterproofing, which is the gold standard, so you don't have to worry if you find yourself accidentally submerging your phone.

Display

The Xiaomi 17T Pro's display is big, bright, and beautiful. Honestly, I could finish this section here, because that's all you really need to know. Still, I suppose I should do my job and get into the proper details. It's a 6.83-inch AMOLED panel, with very slim bezels, so you're getting plenty of screen space and visuals with rich colors and inky blacks. Not only that, but this screen boasts a 144Hz refresh rate, which makes for fluid, seamless visuals, no matter whether you're gaming or doomscrolling on social media.

The 17T Pro also serves as an introduction to Xiaomi's new Vision Care technology, which is, as the name suggests, intended to reduce eye strain. It's not a particularly exciting feature, but it is a useful one. I noticed that even after long gaming sessions or streaming a couple of episodes of Welcome to Wrexham on the 17T Pro, my eyes felt a bit fresher than they did when doing this sort of testing with other devices, including my iPhone.

Xiaomi 17T Pro's cameras

The success of the Xiaomi 17T Pro hinges on how impressive its cameras are, as the brand's continued collaboration with Leica is one of its big selling points. Fortunately, you only have to use this phone to take photos for more than ten minutes to realize that it's no wonder Xiaomi wants to shout from the rooftops about how great this phone is for amateur photographers and selfie enthusiasts.

Almost every picture I captured on the Xiaomi 17T Pro looks fantastic. If it didn't, it was my fault, not the phone's. It's a flagship-level camera experience, offering high-quality images that have that lovely level of contrast that adds a sense of dynamism to each image without looking overdone. Take this image of the Vienna skyline from just before sunset as a shining example. I won't lie, I'm no amateur photographer, but with the 17T Pro in my pocket, I wanted to capture everything.

The star of the show, though, is the 5x telephoto lens. In combination with the other cameras, it makes this phone ideal for taking super-close-up pictures or snapping something off in the distance. The 120x AI Ultra Zoom feature might be one of the most impressive bits of camera and software tech I've seen in a long time; it's this phone's party trick, and everyone I've shown it to has been just as impressed by it as I am. Combine that new camera with the new Leica Live Moment feature, which is pretty similar to the iPhone's Live Photos, and you've got essentially everything you could ask for in a flagship camera setup.

There is, though, a bit of a low-light issue with this phone. I took this phone on a trip up Snowdon, the UK's biggest mountain, with me on a nighttime hike, and the results were mixed. The problem is with the camera's night mode feature, which is great but requires you to be completely still while taking a shot, which isn't ideal when it's freezing cold, and you're on the move. As a result, I've got a few pretty decent pictures from that night and a bunch of semi-blurry ones. I've still seen worse, but it doesn't fare quite as well as the iPhone 17 Pro Max in this department.

The selfie camera is, as you might expect, great. Unlike a lot of phones I've used from other Chinese brands, there's no uncanny AI-smoothing going on as default. The selfies I captured were all nice and clean, with minimal processing, and there are plenty of in-app features to touch up your images before uploading them to social media.

Battery

I've never used a Xiaomi phone that isn't an absolute tank when it comes to battery life, and the 17T Pro is no different. It just goes and goes. I mean it; I accidentally left the phone on standby for three days, and it barely lost any juice, less than 20%. When you are using it more frequently, you can expect about two days of sporadic use from a full battery, or around eight to ten hours of continuous game time, depending on your settings.

As for when it's time to juice back up, the 17T Pro supports 100W fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging, so whichever method you choose, you won't be waiting around long for a full battery - well under an hour, if you're opting to connect via USB-C cable. Those are speeds that Apple and Samsung, despite their dominance in the market, just can't keep up with, serving as one of this phone's biggest selling points.

Should you buy the Xiaomi 17T Pro?

If you need an all-rounder phone, great for gaming and taking photos, that offers top-tier battery life and rapid charging, you can't go wrong with the Xiaomi 17T Pro. I've only spent a couple of weeks with it, but I'm wildly impressed, and I'd be happy recommending it to almost anyone. Especially the Deep Violet version. I just love it.

On the other hand, the Xiaomi 17T Pro's slightly perplexing price point makes it a bit of a harder sell, as, for the same price, there's plenty of true flagships on offer from the likes of Samsung, Apple, and Google Pixel. It also feels very similar to last year's Xiaomi 15T Pro, so if you already have one of them, I'm not entirely sure that it's worth upgrading to the latest model. Still, I'm considering using this phone as my daily driver going forward, and that's the best compliment I can pay it.

Alternatives

If you're still not sure about the Xiaomi 17T Pro, here are some viable alternatives.

iPhone 17

If you're looking for something a little more compact than the Xiaomi 17T Pro but at the same price point, the iPhone 17 is the way to go. Each has its advantages, with the iPhone offering slightly more user-friendly software features versus the Xiaomi phone's slightly superior cameras, so it all depends on which you value more. If you're a gamer, the iPhone 17 also gives you access to the ever-expanding library of Apple Arcade games, including some Pocket Tactics favorites such as Stardew Valley and Balatro.

REDMAGIC 11S Pro

Considering that its selling point is its camera capabilities, the Xiaomi 17T Pro is a pretty decent gaming phone. Still, if you're looking for elite performance, the REDMAGIC 11S Pro is the way to go. The trade-off here is pretty substantial, as the 11S Pro's cameras pale in comparison to what the Xiaomi phone has to offer, but if you spend more time playing games than taking photos, it might suit you better. For more details on this pick, check out our REDMAGIC 11S Pro review before pre-orders begin.