I got the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, and it’s been an interesting experience. Many call it an iPhone clone, but does it live up to the hype? After spending time with it, here’s my take on design, display, camera, performance, and more.
Unboxing: A Premium Package with Everything Included
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max box feels premium it’s long and sleek. Inside, you’ll find a charger, unlike Apple and Samsung.
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Phone: The star of the show, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max.
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100W Charger: Compact and powerful, charges from 0 to 100% in about 20 minutes.
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USB Type-A to Type-C Cable: Standard but reliable.
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Hard Transparent Case: A solid cover for protection.
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SIM Ejector Tool: For easy SIM card access.
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Quick Guide: Basic setup instructions.
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Unique Cover: Also works as a gaming accessory—what a cool touch!
The packaging feels luxurious, and including a charger is a jab at competitors. Xiaomi aims to make a strong first impression.
Design:
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max feels familiar. Its flat edges, matte glass back, and metal frame look like the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Their cases are nearly interchangeable.
Here’s what stands out about the design:
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Weight: At 223 grams, it’s lighter than the iPhone’s 233 grams. It feels surprisingly light in my hand.
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Build: The glass back and metal frame give it a premium feel. It also has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
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Thickness: At 8mm, it’s sleek and comfortable to hold.
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Button Layout: The power and volume buttons are on the right side, unlike the iPhone. The bottom includes the SIM slot, Type-C port, microphone, and speaker.
I’d rate the design an 8.5/10 for its quality and thoughtful construction. What would you rate it?
Display:
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max’s display starts to carve its own path. It features two displays, a feature that even Apple hasn’t touched yet.
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Front Display:
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Size: 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED
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Resolution: 1.5K
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Refresh Rate: 1Hz to 120Hz for smooth scrolling
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Brightness: Peaks at 3500 nits; vibrant outdoors
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Protection: Xiaomi’s Crystal Glass 3
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Rear Display:
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Size: 2.9-inch LTPO AMOLED
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Functionality: Serves as a notification panel, music controller, and selfie preview
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Customization: Allows wallpapers, themes, and always-on display
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The front display is vibrant. YouTube videos in 2160p HDR look great. The rear display is handy for selfies, notifications, and more.
Camera:
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max has a quad-50MP camera system. This includes a main, ultrawide, 5x periscope, and selfie camera. Leica’s expertise boosts performance. Here’s how it did:
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Main Camera:
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Delivers vibrant colors, especially in Leica Vibrant mode.
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Edge detection and HDR are great. However, the Authentic mode makes shadows too dark.
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Close-up shots show detail, but there’s slight softness due to a beauty filter-like effect.
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Ultrawide Camera:
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Oddly placed at the bottom of the rear display, which can cause fingers to slip into vertical shots.
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Still produces sharp, vibrant photos with good dynamic range.
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5x Periscope Lens:
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The star of the show. Photos at 5x zoom have incredible detail and natural skin tones.
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Supports up to 120x digital zoom, though quality drops beyond 10x.
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Selfie Camera:
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The 50MP front camera takes soft selfies, perfect for social media, with a slight yellowish tone.
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Using the rear display with the main camera for selfies yields better results.
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Video:
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Rear: Up to 8K at 30fps with good stabilization and balanced colors.
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Front: 4K at 60fps, but HDR struggles, often overexposing backgrounds.
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I compared photos from Xiaomi, iPhone 17 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Xiaomi’s photos are vibrant with strong shadows. iPhone’s colors are consistent but struggle with shadows. Samsung balances realism and detail. Xiaomi’s 5x telephoto lens captures stunning shots. The rear display is great for selfies, making it ideal for creative photography.
Performance:
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max is the first phone with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Qualcomm’s latest flagship chip. Paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, it’s a beast. Here’s how it performed:
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Gaming:
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Played smoothly at 60fps in HDR and Ultra HD settings, with no noticeable lags.
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Gaming mode offers performance boosts and a voice changer for fun.
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The chipset isn’t fully optimized yet. This can cause occasional throttling during long sessions.
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Benchmarks:
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Geekbench: 3352 (single-core), ~9700 (multi-core).
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GPU: Over 23,000, solid for a flagship.
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Storage: Over 2300, blazing fast.
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AnTuTu crashed due to overheating, but I estimate a score around 3.3–3.4 million based on similar devices.
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Multitasking:
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App opening animations and UI navigation on HyperOS 3.0 are smooth.
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The Chinese variant has pre-installed apps (like TikTok), which I uninstalled.
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The phone feels quick, but it has thermal issues. Long gaming or camera use leads to noticeable heat. The AnTuTu crash was disappointing. I hope Xiaomi optimizes this for the Indian version.
Battery and Charging:
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max packs a massive 7500mAh battery, dwarfing the iPhone’s 5000mAh. Charging is where it shines:
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100W Wired Charging: 0 to 100% in about 20 minutes—insanely fast.
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50W Wireless Charging: A nice bonus for wireless charging fans.
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22.5W Reverse Wireless Charging: Handy for charging accessories.
The battery lasted all day with heavy use. This included gaming, video streaming, and camera tests. The Xiaomi charges faster than the iPhone, which takes longer to reach 50%. This charging speed is a game-changer.
Software:
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max runs HyperOS 3.0, a mix of Android and iOS. It takes iOS’s Control Center and animations but keeps Android’s customization options. My Chinese version had removable bloatware. Animations are smooth, but frame drops happen when the phone gets hot.
Pricing:
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max prices: 12GB RAM/256GB storage starts at 5900 Yuan (₹75,000) in China. In Nigeria, my 16GB/512GB unit cost 1.8 million Naira ($1,200). In India, expect ₹90,000–₹1 lakh due to taxes and import costs.
Final Thoughts:
I’m impressed with the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. It takes Apple’s formula and adds its own flair, like the rear display and fast charging. The design is premium, the displays are stunning, and the camera system is versatile. Performance is top-tier, but optimization issues need fixing. Battery life and charging speed are unmatched, making it great for heavy users. Despite some drawbacks, the phone competes with the best and offers unique features.
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