Flagship model at a low price

Review: Xiaomi 17T - Blurring the lines

A more affordable flagship phone with a clear camera focus, and here Xiaomi manages to close the gap with both more expensive competitors and its own more premium flagship models.

Erik Mörner Erik Mörner

Published 24 September 2026 - 12:22

The tradition is established, and Xiaomi does as many of its competitors do. There is a clearly defined family of flagship models and, a couple of months later, the phones we are testing now arrive: a slightly cheaper, more pared-back variant. This is that phone, the Xiaomi 17T, and its sister model, the Xiaomi 17T Pro, which we are testing separately. However, the two are very similar, particularly when it comes to the cameras and the most important overall characteristics, such as the display and design. The Xiaomi 17T is slightly smaller than the Pro, though, so if you want a more manageable phone, this may be the right choice.

Moves up in comparison

Perhaps even more interestingly, they take a noticeable step up in the hierarchy with their optical zoom. Together with Xiaomi's collaboration with the classic camera manufacturer Leica and their joint development of the mobile cameras, this means that the phone keeps pace with the Xiaomi 17 in many areas, not to mention many of its competitors' true flagship models.

When I hold the phone in my hand, I do not think I can see or feel anything that reveals this is anything other than a true flagship. The design is similar to that of the top models in the more expensive 17 series, but when we examine the specifications, we naturally find differences. A different protective glass is used here, but performance is the clearest difference, and in tests the Xiaomi 17T achieves only half of what the more expensive models deliver in graphics-intensive tasks. It handles other computationally demanding tasks more comparably. However, this difference compared with the more expensive models does not necessarily have to be a disadvantage for this phone, because depending on what you use it for, the power here may still be more than sufficient.

Generous battery

As development has progressed, the 17T has also gained technology that surpasses the top models released at the beginning of the year. The 17T has a battery capacity of no less than 6,500 mAh, while its sister model has a full 7,000 mAh.

The cameras do not only show their strengths when zooming in. When I compare images from the other cameras, the Xiaomi 17 consistently produces images with good contrast and sharpness, natural colour reproduction and good dynamic range, even in more challenging situations, such as with several light sources in different colours. It is noticeable that the 17T is a somewhat stripped-down version of Xiaomi's very best camera phone, so we do not get the same large one-inch sensor as in the flagship, but the images are still good.

I clearly notice that the ultra-wide camera has more difficulty reproducing subjects in poorer light. Noise and blur increase in the darkest parts of the image and around the edges, but not to a level that causes any major problems. This is one example where more expensive flagships perform significantly better, but the colour reproduction is still true to life.

Meets the requirements

In many respects, the Xiaomi 17T meets the most important requirements you should have of a phone today, with a focus on the camera and an attractive price. In terms of software, the phone is delivered with the latest Android, and Xiaomi promises four years of updates, which is on the stingy side. Nor do they do very much to improve the interface, as Xiaomi's system has looked similar for many years. Above all, the settings menu is divided into many different sections, making it rather difficult to navigate.

Among the unique services, Xiaomi does at least add a range of features for sharing content and the screen not only with other Xiaomi devices, such as a tablet, but also with a computer, whether it is a PC or Mac. This way, you can keep an eye on the phone, open apps and read messages while you are working, even if the phone is, for example, charging in the next room. If you play music or video clips on the phone this way, the sound and, of course, the picture are shown on the computer while the phone remains silent with its screen switched off.

Questions and answers

Is the performance sufficient?

Very few people probably really need the very highest performance available, so the phone feels fast in everyday use, and unless you have specific requirements and need demanding apps, it goes a long way.

Wireless charging?

No, nor does it have charging via cable that is as fast as the sister model.

Which colours?

Purple, blue or black.