The Xiaomi 17 Series lands with a potentially game-changing 'Dynamic Back Display'

Xiaomi has just announced the Xiaomi 17 Series in China (with a global version likely announced next year). The 17 Series aims to redefine the next generation of premium smartphones with its attention-grabbing 'Dynamic Back Display'.

This isn't the first time Xiaomi has included this on one of its phones. The Xiaomi 11 Ultra was the first, but that was a much smaller screen and far less versatile in its use cases. The rear-facing screen on the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max is housed within a 'notch' that looks reminiscent of the plateau found on the iPhone 17 Pro, with the 17 Pro screen measuring 2.7 inches, while the 17 Pro Max jumps to 2.9 inches.

As well as viewing text messages and playing games, the rear screen will be particularly useful for users wanting to capture selfies using the superior rear-facing cameras. It is also enhanced with advanced beauty algorithms and a wide choice of filters for clearer and more natural-looking shots.

Just like the iPhone lineup, there's the entry-level Xiaomi 17, the more premium Xiaomi 17 Pro, and a super-sized Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. If you're wondering what happened to the Xiaomi 16, then you'll have to keep wondering. Maybe they were keen to align themselves with the latest from Apple, or maybe they just thought 17 sounded more appealing. Your guess is as good as mine.

Cameras

Naming conventions aside, the Xiaomi 17 Series boasts a Leica Summilux imaging system with Xiaomi's new Master Portrait Mode, which offers "professional-grade" imaging with what Xiaomi claims are natural skin tones and detailed hair rendering.

The Xiaomi 17 has a main camera that uses a 50MP 1/1.31-in Light Fusion 950 sensor with f/1.67 aperture and OIS. The telephoto lens adopts a Leica 60mm floating lens design with an f/2.0 aperture and 10cm close-focus capability. The entire 17 Series shares the same 50MP ultrawide-angle sensor with f/2.4 aperture.

However, the 17 Pro bumps the main camera's 50MP sensor size up to 1/1.28in, achieving an impressive 16.5EV dynamic range, and adds a 5x telephoto lens. Finally, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max takes things a step further, with a more powerful 5x periscope telephoto lens featuring the largest 1/2-inch sensor combined with an f/2.6 aperture, which adds a 30% increase in light intake over the previous model.

These cameras are capable of recording at an impressive 8K resolution and at 30 fps. For front-facing selfies and video calls, the phones have a 50MP wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

It's an impressive set of cameras with flagship quality written all over it.

Other Specs

Away from the cameras, the Xiaomi 17 has a 6.3-inch compact design that weighs just 191g and is 8.06mm thick. The 17 Pro opts for a higher resolution 6.3-inch panel with a faster 144Hz refresh rate, while the 17 Pro Max features the same specs, but in a larger 6.9-inch size.

Other notable highlights are the newly announced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform and an incredibly impressive 7500mAh Xiaomi surge battery on the Pro Max, with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.

The Xiaomi 17 series is available in four colors – Black, White, Purple, and Green – while the regular 17 comes in Black, White, Pink, and Blue. The phone has already launched in China, with the phones going on sale there starting on September 27 – costing from 4499 yuan (~$630) for the base 17 to 5999 yuan (~$850) for the 17 Pro Max.

Global availability is expected next year – with Xiaomi often saving its announcements for MWC in March.

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