Virgilio Lorenzo Jr

REVIEW: Xiaomi 17T Pro treads the fine line between flagship and midrange

Article (news)

Arthur Fuentes

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1785762760406IMG_20260703_112339.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Xiaomi 17T Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Xiaomi 17T Pro is trying to pull off a classic Xiaomi magic trick: giving you most of what you want in a premium phone at a more wallet-friendly price. </p><p>Historically, the “T Pro” lineup has been the designated &quot;flagship killer&quot; of the brand—the phone you buy when you want blistering performance minus blistering prices. With the 17T Pro, Xiaomi nails the core fundamentals—great hardware, cameras and build quality.</p><div><strong>Hardware and Display</strong></div><p>Let’s talk about the elephants in the room—and yes, there are two. First is the battery. Xiaomi used next-generation Silicon-Carbon battery tech to cram a colossal 7,000mAh battery into this device. This provides genuine multi-day battery life for average users.</p><p>The second elephant is the sheer size. To hold that massive cell and the heavy-duty cooling system required for charging, the phone weighs a substantial 219g inside an 8.3mm aluminum alloy frame. It feels solid, premium, but also undeniably heavy in the hand.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1785763214206xiaomi 17t pro back.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Xiaomi 17T Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>Design-wise, it doesn&#x27;t look too different from the 16T Pro and even the 15T Pro—just minor touches that make it look fresh enough, which is a good thing because the previous generations&#x27; designs already looked pretty good.</p><p>On the front, you’re looking at a flat 6.83-inch AMOLED display with razor-thin 1.29mm bezels. It has a 1.5K resolution, an ultra-smooth 144Hz refresh rate, and maxes out at a blinding 3,500 nits peak brightness. It’s sharp, fluid, and perfectly legible under the direct afternoon sun.</p><div><strong>Performance and Battery Life</strong></div><p>Under the hood sits the 3nm MediaTek Dimensity 9500, paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. </p><p>It&#x27;s not Qualcomm&#x27;s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which is found in pricier flagships, but MediaTek has spent the last few years closing the gap with Qualcomm. On most tasks, the 17T Pro&#x27;s chip eats up resource-heavy gaming and aggressive multitasking without breaking a sweat. </p><p>It runs Xiaomi’s HyperOS 3, which is packed with the obligatory suite of 2026 AI tools like Circle to Search and generative film-crafting options.</p><p>When that massive 7,000mAh tank finally runs dry, filling it up is remarkably quick. The phone supports 100W wired HyperCharge alongside 50W wireless charging. </p><div><strong>The Leica Cameras</strong></div><p>Xiaomi’s partnership with Leica remains the headline feature of its imaging strategy. The rear array features a triple-lens system that throws real hardware at every focal length:</p><ul data-path-to-node="14"><li><p>Main: A 50MP Light Fusion 900 sensor (f/1.62) with OIS. The 23mm equivalent lens is excellent at pulling light out of dim rooms and night scenes while preserving a wide dynamic range.</p></li><li><p>Telephoto: A 50MP periscope 115mm-equivalent lens offers a true 5x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom. It doubles as an excellent close-up macro lens that focuses down to 10cm.</p></li><li><div><strong>SAMPLE PHOTOS</strong></div></li><li><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1785764016096TAIPEI 101.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Taipei 101 shot with the Xiaomi 17T Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div></li><li><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1785764064595KAOHSIUNG STATION.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Train station in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div></li><li><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1785764122577BIRD.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Bird in a park in Taiwan, shot with the Xiaomi 17T Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div></li><li><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1785764224217HAWKER.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Food stall in Taiwan, shot with the Xiaomi 17T Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div></li><li><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1785764282976JIUFEN.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Jiufen, Taiwan on an overcast, rainy day, shot with the Xiaomi 17T Pro. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div></li><li><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1785764343197SELFIE.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Selfie shot with the Xiaomi 17T Pro</span></span></span></div></li><li><p>Xiaomi has dubbed the 17T Pro as the &quot;Telephoto Master&quot; and I&#x27;d have to agree, as it would be hard to find this much zooming capability in a non-flagship phone. I tested it during a visit to Taiwan, and it was hanging right up there with a proper flagship when it came to telephoto pictures.</p></li><li><p>In low-light conditions, the zoomed photo tends to be a little softer than in proper flagships, but even flagship phones from a few years back struggle with this.</p></li><li><p>Ultra-wide: A more standard 12MP (120-degree) shooter with a 15mm equivalent focal length that handles wide landscapes cleanly, though it lacks the sheer sharpness of its 50MP siblings. The wide-angle is definitely the weakest link in the 17T Pro&#x27;s camera array. It&#x27;s quite competent in bright conditions, but when the light gets low, it struggles with capturing details.</p></li><li><p>Content creators will also be happy to know that the 17T Pro can handle 8K (7680 x 4320) video recording at 30fps and 4K video recording at an incredible 120fps. It can also handle 4K HDR10+ video recording at 60fps, 30fps.</p></li><li><p>A 32MP camera, meanwhile, competently handles selfie duties. With a 21mm equivalent focal length, it&#x27;s even wide enough to cover group selfies. It&#x27;s also a competent content creation device, capturing 4K (3840 x 2160) HDR10+ at 30fps.</p></li></ul><p>You can still toggle between the contrasty, moody Leica Authentic profile and the punchier Leica Vibrant look, giving your shots a distinct photographic identity right out of the camera app.</p><div><strong>The Verdict</strong></div><p>The Xiaomi 17T Pro cuts very few corners. It adds a full IP68 water resistance rating and reliable Wi-Fi 7 to round out its premium spec sheet.</p><p>The only caveat is, apparently, the price has also reached flagship levels. From a sticker of P47,999 for the 12GB+512GB model when it was launched in late May, the price has gone up to P53,999.00 today. </p><p>But in fairness to Xiaomi, this is pretty much the same situation for every other smartphone manufacturer right now. AI companies are gobbling up RAM and other components and driving up prices for the rest of the tech industry.</p>

<p>Xiaomi has dubbed this premium midrange phone as "Telephoto Master" and with good reason—other phones in this price segment don't zoom in as much as it does.</p>

Xiaomi has dubbed this premium midrange phone as "Telephoto Master" and with good reason—other phones in this price segment don't zoom in as much as it does.

REVIEW: Xiaomi 17T Pro treads a fine line between flagship and midrange

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REVIEW: Xiaomi 17T Pro treads a fine line between flagship and midrange

Arthur Fuentes,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 04, 2026 08:00 AM PHT

|

Updated August 04, 2026 03:23 PM PHT

Read More:

Xiaomi 17T Pro

Leica camera

midrange phone

flagship phone

premium midrange

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