These Android phones could shake up the affordable flagship race

In Xiaomi’s T series, the Pro model usually gets the flashy camera hardware while the regular one gets a toned-down experience. That changes with the Xiaomi 17T series. This year, Xiaomi is giving the duo one of its biggest upgrades in the camera department, along with other flagship specs and features.

Xiaomi is bringing its long-range photography setup to the entire T lineup for the first time. The new Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro both pack a Leica-backed 5x telephoto camera with up to 120x AI zoom.

Both phones have a 50MP Leica 5x telephoto sensor with OIS and the ability to shoot macro photography at 30cm, so you can switch from detailed close-up shots to distant zoom shots. The company also introduced something called Leica Live Moment, basically a way for Xiaomi to make photos feel more alive rather than frozen in time. Instead of capturing a single still frame, the feature captures motion and expressions before and after the shot, making photos feel more cinematic. It works with all rear camera focal lengths and portrait mode. Users can mix those shots into collages that can be shared directly to social platforms, says Xiaomi.

Pro still goes harder

Of course, the Xiaomi 17T Pro receives the more aggressive hardware package. It has a larger 1/1.31-inch Light Fusion 950 sensor and Leica Summilux lens and can shoot 8K as well as 4K at up to 120fps. Xiaomi is also bringing 4K 60fps cinematic recording with natural background blur on the Pro model.

Under the hood, the 17T Pro is powered by MediaTek’s new 3nm Dimensity 9500 chip, with the base model getting the Dimensity 8500-Ultra. Xiaomi says the Pro boasts a 32% CPU boost and a 33% GPU rise from the last generation. The regular model also sees a significant graphics boost, with MediaTek claiming a 25% increase in GPU performance.

Another area Xiaomi is clearly trying to flex in is battery life. The Xiaomi 17T Pro comes with a huge 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, which Xiaomi claims is the biggest battery ever to be seen in an international Xiaomi flagship. The regular 17T is not far behind with its 6,500mAh. Both devices support fast charging, but the Pro takes it up a notch with support for 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, while the standard maxes out at 67W wired charging.

Even more impressive than the battery’s size is how Xiaomi managed to keep the phones relatively slim. The 17T Pro measures 8.25mm in thickness, while the 17T is a smidge thinner at 8.17mm.

The displays also sound unusually ambitious for T-series devices. Xiaomi is debuting what it’s calling “Xiaomi Vision Care,” a set of features designed to reduce eye fatigue over long periods of viewing. Both phones are TÜV Rheinland quadruple eye-care certified, including Xiaomi’s first TÜV Rheinland Intelligent Eye Care certification.

The Pro model has a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3500 nits peak brightness, while the standard 17T has a slightly smaller 6.59-inch 120Hz display.

Of course AI is everywhere, too. Both phones are powered by Xiaomi HyperOS and Xiaomi HyperAI, and they come with Google Gemini integration and Circle to Search support. Xiaomi is also offering more benefits in eligible markets, including Google AI Pro trials, YouTube Premium, and Spotify Premium.

Pricing is still under embargo at the time of writing, but we will update this article as soon as we have more information. Deep Blue, Deep Violet, and black are the color options for the Pro model, whereas the standard model comes in violet, Opal White, blue, and black.