Leading Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has launched the latest additions to its mid range handsets, comprising the Xiaomi 17T Pro and standard 17T.
The T series sits below the top-end Xiaomi Ultra models, which we cite as some of the best smartphones for serious photography.
Xiaomi has a bit of a tough sell on its hands with the 17T Pro as, while the phone is very well equipped for photography and video, it lacks the cachet and imaging firepower of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.
It will have less appeal to very budget-conscious consumers, too; new Android phones won’t get any cheaper this year owing to higher production costs (the booming AI industry is certainly not helping). Then there is Xiaomi’s limited brand recognition in western markets – it’s way lower than Samsung’s, or of course, Apple.
This said, there is a lot to like about the Xiaomi 17T Pro and as we will see, it is good value. I have been using its predecessor, the 15T Pro, since its launch (maybe 16 is an unlucky number in Chinese numerology) and while it’s not a massive leap forward in terms of specifications, there are some noteworthy changes.
Xiaomi 17T Pro key features
- 50MP, f/1.6, 23mm (wide) main camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS).
- 50MP, f/3, 115mm periscope telephoto, OIS, 5x optical zoom, 10x ‘optical grade’ zoom (hybrid)
- 12MP, f/2.2, 15mm ultrawide
- 32MP, f/2.2, 21mm front camera
- Video: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps
- 6.38-inch screen, 3500 nits (peak)
- MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset
- Light Fusion 950 image sensor
- Weight: 219g
- Colours: black/grey, blue, purple
- Price: from £799 (12+256GB)
Xiaomi is claiming the 17T Pro is the ‘telephoto master,’ and while the quality Leica Summilux lens is present and correct, Honor and Oppo are likely to disagree.
Indeed, there is very little difference in terms of telephoto performance from the 15T Pro – 50MP, f/3, 5x optical zoom etc etc. The main changes to the 17T Pro focus on a more powerful battery – you now get a much beefier 7000mAh cell from the Ultra series which Xiaomi claims can support up to 9.5 hours of video recording.
(As for the standard Xiaomi 17T, it has a smaller sensor and less powerful processor and battery, can record only 4K videos at 60fps and has a slightly slower f/1.7 maximum aperture. Its price starts from £649 – we’d probably take the hit and pay more for the Pro version).
Leica Live Moments and Watermarks
The image processing has also been improved to deliver more highlight detail, and there is a Leica-branded portrait mode, but otherwise the changes for photographers are fairly modest.
Xiaomi made a fuss about the inclusion of the new ‘Leica Live Moment’ feature, which allows you to combine and animate stills in a similar way to the Image to Video feature on Honor phones. Leica Live Moment can also be used with the Portrait mode.
The emphasis on Leica aesthestics aside, this is hardly a new feature on an Android phone, but fun to play with nonetheless. You can also add Leica-branded watermarks to Live Moment images and create editable and easily shareable ‘Live Collages.’
Sample image gallery
A Viennese whirl
Leica launched the Xiaomi 17T series in Vienna, and this hugely photogenic city was a great place to discover the 17T Pro’s strengths, and a few weaknesses.
I noticed a definite improvement in the delivery of highlight detail, and the beefed-up battery life is impressive too. As for Leica Live Moment and the fancy watermarks, they are nice to have, but I can’t see many photographers switching to Xiaomi just because of them.
I was much more taken with the excellent telephoto performance, with 5x optical zoom; you can go beyond this with hybrid/in-sensor cropping and the results are still pretty decent so long as you stay within sensible limits.
Autofocus and image stabilisation seem to be better too. One of the highlights of the press launch was a carriage-ride through Vienna’s old town – yes, it’s a tough job but somebody has to do it – and I was amazed by the phone’s ability to lock on to subjects and keep everything stable, even when going over cobblestones. Video stabilisation is impressive too.
First impressions
The main issue with the Xiaomi 17T Pro is that it’s not a major leap forward from its predecessor. I suspect Xiaomi will have a tough job getting existing 15T Pro owners to upgrade, and there are some things about the new phone I don’t like.
Xiaomi’s Android skin, HyperOS, seems more intrusive than on the older phone, and the Google Gemini AI assistant definitely is. Until you figure out how to turn the new phone off, it is annoyingly easy to activate.
If you are new to Xiaomi phones, however, the 17T Pro is a great choice, particularly if you don’t want to pay extra for the all-singing, all-dancing Xiaomi 17 Ultra, or the stunning Oppo Find X9 Ultra. Both have premium prices to match their premium camera features.
With prices starting from £799, the Xiaomi 17T Pro will be a more manageable option for many photographers. Watch out for a full review soon.
Related reading:
- Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review: Simply the best smartphone for photography
- Xiaomi 15T Pro Review – 5x zoom, 8K video, and great price, but there’s a catch
- Xiaomi reveals 35mm lens with 100MP sensor for phones
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