Xiaomi 17 review: a compact flagship without compromise | Tech Radar

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I spent a week testing the Xiaomi 17, and it outmuscles the i Phone 17 and Galaxy S26 in several key areas

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If you're looking for a compact flagship phone, the Xiaomi 17 is one of the best options around. It has a bigger battery, faster charging, and better camera specs than any of its mainstream rivals. Sure, it isn't a massive upgrade over the Xiaomi 15, and it doesn't come cheap, but it offers enough to remain competitive.

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There are plenty of amazing flagship phones on the market, but these days, they all have pretty massive screens. If you prefer a smaller phone, but you don't want to compromise on specs, then your options are more limited.

Of course, the i Phone 17, Google Pixel 10, and Samsung Galaxy S26 fit the description, but what if you wanted to try something different? In that case, you might find yourself looking at the Xiaomi 17. It has a 6.3-inch screen, just like the other devices I mentioned, but the specs are much more appealing.

The Xiaomi 17 boasts the speedy Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a massive 6,330m Ah battery, 100W charging and 50W wireless charging, and a triple 50MP camera array with Leica color tuning. On paper, it's the best of the bunch.

After testing the phone for a couple of weeks, I wasn't left disappointed. This is an all-rounder that doesn't fall short in any area. It's fast, the battery lasts well over a day, and it charges extremely quickly.

A solid display and speakers make for a great gaming experience, as does the thermal management. The cameras are easily among the best in their class, too.

My main complaints with the Xiaomi 17 are the lack of autofocus on the ultra-wide camera, which limits its utility, and the fact that it can't zoom as well as its Ultra sibling — but that's none too surprising.

In the past, the best Xiaomi phones have been seen as budget-friendly alternatives to the best i Phones and best Samsung phones, but that's no longer the case. The Xiaomi 17 is on the upper end of the price spectrum. It's certainly not cheap, but considering what's on offer, I think its price tag is justified.

If you're looking for a do-it-all flagship with a smaller footprint, the Xiaomi 17 is very easy to recommend. It's not a massive improvement on its predecessor, but it's still one of the most enticing options around.

The Xiaomi 17 is available to order now in most regions globally, but as always, that list excludes the US. In the UK and Australia, the base model (with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage) will cost you £899 / AU

1,399, rising to £999 / AU

1,599 for the 512GB version.

This pricing puts the Xiaomi 17 in direct competition with heavy hitters like the i Phone 17, Samsung Galaxy S26, and Google Pixel 10. In fact, it's on the more expensive side of that list, but there's a good reason for that.

The Xiaomi 17 has a larger battery, faster charging, and better camera specifications than most of its direct competition. So, while it's certainly not a bargain, the Xiaomi 17 doesn't seem overpriced, either.

50MP (f/1.7) main, 50MP (f/2.4) ultra-wide, 50MP 2.6x telephoto (f/2)

Black, Venture Green, Alpine Pink, and Ice Blue options

One of the defining features of the Xiaomi 17 is its size. It's not a tiny phone, but it's similar to the base-model i Phone 17 or Samsung Galaxy S26. If you have smaller hands or hate carrying a big slab in your pocket, but you still want flagship specs, the Xiaomi 17 will suit you well.

This year, Xiaomi has ditched its usual black rectangular camera island in favour of a much more i Phone-like camera configuration. This design is unlikely to turn heads, but it looks decent enough, and you get an extra camera compared to the i Phone 17.

To be clear, I'm not complaining. The phone looks and feels premium. I've always been fond of Apple's hardware, and it's no surprise that I like this, too.

The biggest design difference between the Xiaomi 17 and the latest i Phones is that Xiaomi's base model lacks the Camera Control and Action Button. All you get here is the volume rocker and a power/lock button. On the other hand, Xiaomi includes a basic clear case in the box, and a factory-applied screen protector; I can't imagine we'll ever see the same from Apple.

When it comes to color options, the Xiaomi 17 is available in Black, Blue, Green, and Pink. I have the green version in for testing, and I'm very fond of the shade. The color is matched on the side rails, no matter which one you pick.

The Xiaomi 17 is IP68 rated, which means you don't need to worry about dust, and it'll even survive brief dips in fresh water. It doesn't quite match the IP69K rating of its Ultra sibling, but it's likely to be water-resistant enough for most people's needs.

The Xiaomi 17 has a 6.3-inch 1220 x 2656 OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. The specs aren't too dissimilar to those of last year's Xiaomi 15, but the display on the Xiaomi 17 has a higher peak brightness of 3,500 nits (up from 3,200 nits), as well as superior 2160 Hz PWM dimming (up from 1920 Hz).

The extra brightness is appreciated, but the Xiaomi 15 was no slouch in that area, either. In any case, the phone is very easy to see outdoors in direct sunlight. I'm not sensitive to flicker, so I can't say I noticed the higher PWM frequency, but some users will certainly appreciate it.

The Xiaomi 17's screen looks excellent straight out of the box, with vibrant, accurate color reproduction and the deep, dark blacks that high-end OLED panels are known for. Of course, if you prefer to tinker, there are plenty of color options in the settings menu, too.

The main thing that sets this display apart is that it's more compact than most. It's large enough so as not to feel cramped, but it's small enough that reaching the top of the display doesn't feel like a chore. If you have smaller hands, I think you'll really appreciate it.

The Xiaomi 17's rear cameras have the same specs as those on the Xiaomi 15. This means you get a 50MP resolution on every camera, with a 17mm-equivalent ultra-wide, a 23mm main camera, and a 60mm telephoto.

My main complaint about the Xiaomi 15 was that the ultra-wide camera lacked autofocus, which meant you could only use it for wide landscape shots. Unfortunately, that hasn't been addressed here, so don't expect to use the ultra-wide for close-ups or group photos.

Otherwise, the cameras on this phone are quite impressive. I especially enjoyed using the 2.6x telephoto, which has macro focusing capabilities and can focus on objects that are just 10cm away from the lens. Funnily enough, the Xiaomi 17 is actually better than the Xiaomi 17 Ultra for telemacro shots, because that clever optical zoom technology in the latter phone increases the minimum focus distance.

The Xiaomi 17's main camera has a respectable 1/1.3-inch sensor size. It's easily the best performer in low-light conditions, and it's capable of producing some authentic background blur when your subject is close enough.

The selfie camera is the only lens that benefits from a spec bump. It's 50MP, up from 32MP, and it now has autofocus. The difference is measurable. Selfies look much sharper and more detailed on the newer model.

In the past, I've found Xiaomi's image processing to be a little hit-and-miss, but that's changing rapidly. The Xiaomi 17 is very consistent, with natural-looking colors and a gently boosted contrast that makes images look eye-catching and exciting.

There are loads of great filters to play with, and portrait mode has excellent subject detection and convincing bokeh effects. You can take some stunning images with this phone.

Video performance is strong, too. The native camera app allows you to shoot in Log at up to 4K 60fps on all of the rear lenses, and gives you full manual controls, if you want them.

The Xiaomi 17 is powered by one of the most powerful mobile chips on the market, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and it's paired with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage.

With specs like these, it's no surprise that the phone is a powerful beast. From complex video editing to high-end gaming, no matter what I threw at the Xiaomi 17, it handled the task with ease.

Being a smaller phone, I was a little concerned about the thermals, but I needn't have been. Even after a solid hour of playing Genshin Impact on the highest graphical settings, the Xiaomi 17 had barely started to warm up.

A decent game overlay and really solid speakers add to the experience as well. The phone's speakers have a better bass response than most rivals', and plenty of clarity, which makes getting immersed in a title easy.

The Xiaomi 17 runs the latest version of Hyper OS, which is a very heavily customized version of Android 16.

If you've used a recent device from Xiaomi, Redmi, or Poco, you won't be in for too many surprises, as the basic layout and functionality remain the same.

Aesthetically, though, there are quite a few changes. The OS feels more i OS-influenced than ever, complete with its own version of the Dynamic Island, a very familiar-looking quick settings panel, and lock screen options with depth effects and oversized clocks.

Personally, I quite like Hyper OS 3, and I also appreciate how customizable it is. If you find something that doesn't look or act in the way you would prefer, there's a good chance you can change it.

It's 2026, and no flagship is complete without a healthy serving of AI features. Here you'll find all the usual tools like translation, transcription, writing assistance, and more.

The features I actually found myself using on the Xiaomi 17, though, were the AI image editing tools. Xiaomi includes all the favorites, like outpainting, object removal, upscaling, beautification, and so on. Everything I tried worked excellently.

Overall, I find Hyper OS 3 very easy to live with; my only major complaint is that the battery optimization measures are a little heavy-handed. You might need to tweak some settings to make sure your notifications arrive promptly.

When it comes to long-term support, Xiaomi promises six years of updates and security patches. That's not a bad offering, but it's slightly behind the updated terms committed by Samsung and Apple.

One of the most surprising things about the Xiaomi 17 is that, despite being a smaller phone, it actually packs a larger battery than the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.

Using the latest silicon-carbon tech, Xiaomi has somehow managed to cram a 6,330m Ah cell into this phone, while the Ultra only gets a 6,000 m Ah equivalent (at least in Europe).

With my normal use, I found myself going to bed with about 40% battery remaining. I wasn't able to get two days on a charge, but the battery would get me well into the second day. So, if you use your phone sparingly, a full two days might be achievable.

Charging is rapid, too. The Xiaomi 17 supports wired speeds of up to 100W, and wireless charging up to 50W. There's no charger included in the box, but thankfully, Xiaomi supports the PPS charging standard, so you won't need an official Xiaomi charger to make the most of that impressive wired speed.

My Sharge Hyper Tower 170 powerbank, for instance, was able to deliver the full 100W, which took the phone from fully dead to around 65% charged in just half an hour.

When it comes to wireless charging, you'll need the official Xiaomi charging stand to get the maximum 50W speed. The phone will still work with Qi 2 accessories, but you'll have to wait much longer to get to 100%.

The Xiaomi 17 is priced similarly to its competition. It's not an outright bargain, but it's fairly priced.

While it might not be the most original design, the Xiaomi 17 looks and feels premium throughout.

It's bright, sharp, the colors are accurate, and best of all, it's not massive.

Not a massive upgrade over the last gen, but an improved selfie camera and refined processing keep things appealing.

This mammoth battery will get you well over a day of use, and it charges in a flash.

You want a smaller phone without the usual compromises

With a massive battery, powerful performance, and top cameras, the Xiaomi 17 gives you a full-on flagship experience in a more pocketable size.

While this isn't the only flagship with a 6.3-inch screen, its cameras make it stand out from the pack. In my opinion, these are the best of the bunch.

The Xiaomi 17 isn't dramatically different from its predecessor. Sure, there are a few upgrades here, but Xiaomi 15 owners can safely skip this one without feeling like they're missing out.

The zoom on the Xiaomi 17 is decent, but it can't compare with the likes of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.

The Xiaomi 17 is an excellent compact flagship, but it's important to consider the competition, too. Here are a couple of competitors that are worth looking at.

The i Phone 17 is the most compelling non-Pro i Phone in a long time. It sports a massively upgraded screen, powerful performance, and great cameras — but it still lacks a dedicated telephoto camera.

Samsung's smallest flagship phone didn't benefit from many upgrades in 2026, but when it comes to software features, it's still on top. Personally, though, I don't think the cameras can keep up with Xiaomi's.

Testing included: Everyday use, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback

Tools used: Geekbench 6, 3DMark, native Android stats

I put my SIM card into the Xiaomi 17 and used it as my main phone for around two weeks. I used it exactly as I would any other phone, taking lots of photos, gaming, messaging, working, streaming video, and navigating with Google Maps and Waze.

I also compared the experience of playing graphically challenging games like Genshin Impact to my experience on other Android flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Oppo Find X9 Pro. I ran lots of benchmarks on the handset, including 3DMark and Geekbench, to confirm my performance findings.

I assessed the battery performance based on my real-world usage, and charging times were measured using PPS-supported chargers from Ugreen and Sharge, along with the included charging cable.

Luke is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience in the consumer electronics industry. Previously Features Editor at Pocket-lint, Luke can now be found contributing reviews and features on the latest smartphones and camera tech to the likes of Tech Radar, Trusted Reviews, Tech Advisor, Pocket Tactics, Digital Camera World, and more. He also runs a You Tube channel called Neon Airship in his spare time, which features deep dives into the latest and greatest smartphone imaging tech.

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Key Takeaways

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest smartphones
News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
I spent a week testing the Xiaomi 17, and it outmuscles the i Phone 17 and Galaxy S26 in several key areas