In the crowded theater of smartphone rivalry, Xiaomi has stepped forward with its 17 series, skipping from the 15 to a number chosen to mirror Apple's own. Its largest model, the 17 Pro Max, carries a small screen on its back that a reviewer finds quietly useful, as it lets people frame self-portraits with the better rear camera. The phone arrives first in China, with the rest of the world likely waiting until around February, and it is a reminder that even the most advanced hardware still moves through borders and timetables before it reaches everyone.
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max Hands-On: Dual Screens, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and a 7,500 mAh L-Shape Battery
A phone with an unoriginal name and several industry firsts
Mark
What's the headline feature here, the one that actually changes how you use the phone?
Mimi
The rear screen. It's a 2.8-inch OLED next to the camera, and the reviewer's favorite use is as a viewfinder so you can take selfies with the better rear cameras.
Mark
Xiaomi has tried a back display before, hasn't it?
Mimi
On the 2021 Mi 11 Ultra. This one is much bigger and does more: widgets, contextual info, the viewfinder.
Luke
But the useful part depends on where you live. Third-party support is mostly Chinese apps like Didi and Taobao, and Spotify is the only international one Xiaomi named.
Mark
And the phone launches only in China at first?
Mimi
Yes, with a global release likely around February. The reviewer doesn't expect much international app support for months.
Luke
Worth noting that February is a likely date, not a confirmed one. Also, the battery comparison is 7,500 mAh against 4,823 mAh. That's capacity, and the review doesn't report real battery life.
Mark
What about the chip?
Mimi
It's the first Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phone. The reviewer says it performs well but still trails Apple's A19 Pro in benchmarks.
Luke
And that's from limited testing. The claim that it will be the most powerful Android chip for a year is a prediction, not a measurement. The 3,500 nits and 26% power saving are Xiaomi's figures, too.
Mimi
Fair. And the naming, skipping 16 to match the iPhone, is Xiaomi's own explanation.
El Pulso
- A 2.8-inch rear screen wakes up beside the camera, turning a showpiece feature into a practical tool for selfies.
- Third-party rear-screen apps remain largely confined to China, leaving most global buyers with calendars, clocks, and a few exceptions like Spotify.
- Xiaomi is racing to match the iPhone's numbering and launch cadence, adding a Pro Max tier it never had before.
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and a 7,500 mAh battery give the phone serious muscle, with the global release around February the next test.
In the crowded theater of smartphone rivalry, Xiaomi has stepped forward with its 17 series, skipping from the 15 to a number chosen to mirror Apple's own. Its largest model, the 17 Pro Max, carries a small screen on its back that a reviewer finds quietly useful, as it lets people frame self-portraits with the better rear camera. The phone arrives first in China, with the rest of the world likely waiting until around February, and it is a reminder that even the most advanced hardware still moves through borders and timetables before it reaches everyone.
Just days after launching its 15T series, Xiaomi has unveiled the 17 series, three phones led by the 17 Pro Max. The reviewer at Forbes has been testing that largest model, and its specifications stand out even if its name feels familiar. The smaller 17 Pro shares nearly everything with it, except for a smaller body, a smaller battery, and a slightly different telephoto setup.
The most striking change sits on the back. A 2.8-inch OLED panel sits beside the camera module, far larger than the rear display Xiaomi tried on the Mi 11 Ultra in 2021. It shows widgets, a step counter the reviewer uses as a gentle nudge on sluggish days, and most importantly works as a viewfinder, letting you take selfies with the rear cameras, which are better than the front one on nearly every phone. Third-party support is more limited. For now it runs mostly through Chinese apps like Didi and Taobao, and Spotify is the only international app currently supported.
That restriction follows the launch plan. The series goes on sale in China first, with a global release likely around February. The main 6.9-inch OLED reaches 3,500 nits and draws 26% less power, and the reviewer calls it gorgeous. Inside, it is the first phone with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which trails Apple's A19 Pro in benchmarks but should lead Android for about a year. Its 7,500 mAh battery, fitted into a conventional body through an L-shaped design, dwarfs the iPhone 17 Pro Max's 4,823 mAh.
The reviewer is not fond of how closely Xiaomi now follows Apple, but concludes these are no gimmicks and carry some of the best hardware available. The next thing to watch is the February launch and whether the rear screen opens up beyond China.
Just days after Xiaomi launched its 15T series, the Chinese phone maker has introduced another lineup: the 17 series. It has three models, a standard 17, a 17 Pro and a 17 Pro Max. Forbes' reviewer has been testing the biggest of them, the Pro Max, and describes specs that stand out even if the name does not. The smaller 17 Pro is nearly identical apart from a smaller body, a smaller battery and a slightly different telephoto camera setup. The reviewer plans to cover it later.
The most visible change is on the back. The Pro Max carries a second screen beside the camera module, a 2.8-inch OLED panel at 976 x 596 pixels. Xiaomi tried a rear display before, on the 2021 Mi 11 Ultra, but this one is considerably larger. It can run widgets, show contextual information and serve as a viewfinder. That last use matters most to the reviewer: it lets you take selfies with the rear camera system, which on nearly every phone is better than the front camera. The reviewer calls the viewfinder use genuinely useful.
The widgets include the expected calendar, clock and timer. The reviewer keeps a step counter on the back screen as a nudge to move on sedentary days. Third-party support is a different matter. It will mostly be limited to China for now, through apps such as Didi and Taobao. The screen could, for example, track an incoming Didi ride or show an airline boarding pass with gate information. Xiaomi says Spotify is currently the only international app that supports the rear screen.
That limit follows from the launch plan. The 17 series is going on sale only in China at first, and a global release is likely around February. Given that, the reviewer does not expect much non-Chinese app support for the second screen for at least the next few months.
The main display is a 6.9-inch OLED panel. Xiaomi says it reaches up to 3,500 nits of brightness while using 26% less power than earlier panels of similar size and resolution. The reviewer finds the bezels as thin as those on the iPhone 17 Pro Max and calls the panel gorgeous.
Inside, the 17 series is the first to ship with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, a 3nm chip that is expected to power the major Android flagships in 2026. In limited testing it has performed very capably. Benchmark numbers still trail Apple's A19 Pro, but the reviewer expects it to be the most powerful chip in any Android device for roughly the next 12 months.
The two Pro models also use what Xiaomi presents as the industry's first L-shape battery, a design that fits a larger cell into a conventional phone body. The 17 Pro Max holds 7,500 mAh while being no bigger than other current flagships. The iPhone 17 Pro Max, with very similar dimensions, has a 4,823 mAh battery. The included charger supports 100W charging.
Then there is the numbering. Xiaomi went straight from the 15 series to the 17, and says the aim is to catch up with the iPhone's model number so it can launch a direct rival each year at about the same time. It also added a Pro Max tier that did not previously exist in its lineup. The reviewer says he is not a fan of following Apple so closely, but concludes the 17 Pro phones are no gimmicks and carry some of the best hardware in phones today. The next thing to watch is the global launch expected in February, and whether the rear screen gains support beyond China.
Citas Notables
Xiaomi says skipping to the 17 is meant to catch up with the iPhone's model number so it can launch a direct competitor each year at about the same time.— Xiaomi, as reported by Forbes
The 17 Pro phones are no gimmicks, and the second screen is very useful as a camera viewfinder.— Forbes reviewer
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