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Review: Xiaomi 17T Pro - Challenges the best

The line between flagship models and what we might call reasonably priced flagship models is becoming increasingly blurred. With the 17T series, and specifically the 17T Pro here, Xiaomi challenges its own more expensive flagships as well as its competitors' very best phones.

Erik Mörner Erik Mörner

Published 24 September 2026 - 14:29

Really good telephoto capabilities, ample performance and an impressively large 7,000 mAh battery. Yes, despite being something of a more affordable flagship, it stands alongside — or even surpasses — more expensive phones in several areas.

When I first took a closer look at the phone, I found that its exterior in many ways conveys the same premium feel as, for example, the Xiaomi 17, that both have the same main camera sensor and that both also support 5x optical zoom. When we delve further into the specifications, we do notice differences too, but the similarities are striking. Especially as the design has borrowed heavily from the more expensive models, and at first glance it is not obvious which is the more expensive one and which costs less.

Not just zoom

The 5x optical zoom, combined with software, means that the camera app lets you zoom in up to 120x. It does not produce high-quality images, but I find that photos remain usable and sharp up to 30–40x magnification, which covers more than we would usually need.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro is a phone camera you can rely on in situations other than when you are zooming. I get pleasing colour reproduction, good sharpness and dynamic range, and it is only with the ultra-wide lens that I notice more shortcomings, with softness and noise increasing in lower light.

Several advantages

Compared with the slightly cheaper sister model that we are testing separately, the 17T has several advantages, not just its larger battery. It also supports an always-on display and faster rapid charging, a full 100W. The combination of a large battery and fast charging really makes a difference. There is also support for wireless charging, and performance is noticeably more powerful here, while Xiaomi promises an additional year of system updates, for a total of five years of Android updates.

The phone comes with the latest Android and Xiaomi's HyperOS 3 interface. This mainly adds options for interacting with other devices, sharing files and the screen with your Xiaomi tablet or computer, or sending files wirelessly directly to an iPhone.

Questions and answers

What sets this apart from, for example, the flagship Xiaomi 17?

The answer shows that there are advantages and drawbacks in both directions. The Xiaomi 17 has a more compact form factor, the fastest Snapdragon and Xiaomi's own protective glass. The 17T Pro instead has Gorilla Glass 7i, a larger form factor, a faster screen refresh rate, a MediaTek chip and a lower price tag.

What is included?

You get a rubber case and a USB-C cable in the box, but no charger.

Does Xiaomi's offline communication work here?

Yes, it works somewhat like a walkie-talkie, even without mobile coverage or Wi-Fi, with other Xiaomi phones that support the same feature.