Xiaomi 17T Pro Review | Geek Lifestyle

After trying out the Xiaomi 17 a few months ago, we have now tested the Xiaomi 17T Pro, another flagship phone from Xiaomi that packs impressive Leica cameras.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Xiaomi’s flagship strategy, the brand typically has two main flagship lines: the standard number series and the T series. The number series phones (like the Xiaomi 17) feature top-notch specs and cameras, all while having a smaller form factor, making them a great option for flagship buyers who want a more portable device. Meanwhile, the T series phones have larger screens, all while having flagship-level cameras and capable chipsets.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro is the latest entry in this lineup, and it has some seriously good cameras on paper, with the highlight being its 50MP 5x telephoto Leica main camera. Thanks to this, the phone promises to be the new Telephoto Master. This is complemented by a main 50MP Leica shooter and a 12MP ultrawide. Along with its cameras, the phone has a large POLED screen, a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 processor, and a massive 7,000mAh battery.

Taking these specs into account, the 17T Pro seems to be a worthy flagship option for 2026. But does it deliver on its camera and performance promise? Here’s what we think!

Geek-sthetic

To start, let’s talk about the phone’s design. This new Xiaomi flagship comes in three colors, with the unit we tested in the Deep Blue colorway. In this color, the 17T Pro looks sleek and subtle, with the only attention-grabbing design element being the camera module on the top left. Even then, this is one of the more low-profile phones we’ve tested in the flagship segment.

For us, this is great as it gives the phone a more elegant feel. It also helps that the phone is nice to use in hand, as its metal build makes it feel premium. You do get a case for extra protection, and while it’s a quality silicon case, our unit came in black. While it would’ve been nice to have a case that better matches the phone’s color, this is far from a dealbreaker.

What we also like about the phone is that, despite its massive battery, it doesn’t feel thick, meaning you can easily put it in your pocket or small bag. Another noteworthy thing about the phone is that it only has the standard power button and volume buttons on the right side, which is the logical placement. We’ve noticed that more and more phones are adding extra buttons, and while this can be nice, we still prefer the standard layout that’s used in the 17T Pro.

As for its screen, the phone has a pretty big 6.83-inch POLED display with a 1.5K (2772 × 1280 resolution). Thanks to this, apps look sharp and clear. Plus, navigation feels smooth as the phone has up to a 144Hz refresh rate.

Binge-Watching Factor

Along with testing the display for typical usage (like opening social media or Office apps), we also tried out the Xiaomi 17T Pro as a movie/series-watching device. For this use, the 17T Pro does not disappoint, as its POLED screen delivered vibrant colors with deep blacks, meaning you get great image quality, especially if you’re playing or streaming a high-res video file. Brightness is also good, as the phone gets plenty bright, enough that you can watch movies or shows outdoors, as long as you don’t watch a video directly under the sun at noon (not that you’d want to do that in the Philippines’ tropical climate).

One thing to note is that, if you’re planning to watch movies or shows on this phone, we suggest bringing wireless earbuds or external speakers for a better binge-watching experience. That’s not only because the phone has no 3.5mm headphone jack, but the 17T Pro’s onboard speakers are just okay. While they’re not bad for casual video-watching, it does lack a bit of low end, meaning you get fairly tinny sound when at max or near max volume. On the flip side, it does get quite loud, which is good if you want to show a video or reel casually to a friend.

Gaming Performance

The Xiaomi 17T Pro is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset, and our unit came with 12GB of RAM. With this configuration, we had high hopes for the phone when it came to gaming. After testing it out, we can confirm that this new Xiaomi phone is indeed a capable mobile gaming partner.

First, we tried out popular multiplayer games like League of Legends: Wild Rift and Call of Duty: Mobile. Both games performed smoothly, even at higher settings. To be exact, Wild Rift ran at a fast framerate at the High graphics quality setting. Meanwhile, we were able to push CODM to the Very High graphics setting while enjoying a smooth framerate.

The phone’s performance also didn’t disappoint for more demanding games. For instance, Genshin Impact ran well at the High Graphics Quality preset (which is the game’s default setting for this phone). We also tried The Division Resurgence, and while we were only able to play on Medium when using the Medium framerate option, we also had the choice to play at a slightly lower framerate, but at the High Graphics quality setting.

Given these results, while the 17T Pro is not billed as a gaming phone, it is powerful enough to be a great gaming partner for most users. And even when you play for hours, it shouldn’t affect performance all that much.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

Before reviewing the phone, we were most excited to try out its photography capabilities. That’s because it has an impressive 50MP f/1.67 Leica main with OIS + 50MP f/3.0 with OIS Leica 5x Telephoto + 12MP f/2.2 Leica Ultrawide triple rear camera setup. Previous Xiaomi flagships with Leica cameras have impressed us, and after trying the 17T Pro out, we can say that this is definitely the phone’s strongest aspect.

The Leica collaboration doesn’t just mean you get Leica watermarks and branding, as you also get a bunch of filters and photography style options. For instance, you can choose either Leica Authentic or Leica Vibrant as a style, with the former having more true-to-life colors, while the latter punches up the vibrancy. When you explore the Portrait mode, you’ll also get a selection of Leica filters, which we had fun using. There are plenty of other filter options, but we like the Leica ones the most.

Most of the camera samples here use the Leica Authentic style, as we prefer the more accurate colors. What’s nice is that you get easy access to the two styles, as you can swap between them by just tapping the top-right corner of the camera app.

For daytime photos, the Xiaomi 17T Pro’s main camera does not disappoint, as the images have accurate colors with plenty of detail. In particular, the top right photo above was taken with a harsh backlight, though the phone managed to turn out an image that’s sharp while still preserving the “against the light” look. We also like that the phone didn’t change the colors too much in the Leica Authentic style, as the photos still have an overcast look (other phones tend to smooth the photos, making them look like they’re taken in sunny conditions).

At night, the results with the main camera are also great, with photos having good colors and retaining plenty of detail. What’s interesting is that the camera app does not have a dedicated Night Mode. Instead, the phone automatically applies Night Mode depending on the scenario. We found that this works well, as the phone takes multiple-exposure shots routinely in low-light scenarios. Thankfully, you can turn this off if you want a less-processed look, so you’re not stuck with Night Mode photos all the time when shooting in low light.

Portraits are also great with the main camera. As you can see in the samples above, the main camera captures faces with lots of detail, all while having a convincing background blur effect. What’s great is that you have two main shooting styles: Leica Portrait and Master Portrait. The former is a more natural style, with the latter being vibrant and ready for social media shares. There are also Leica filters, which give you even more control. So, aside from the good quality photos, the phone excels at portraits thanks to the array of filters and styles at your disposal.

Now, let’s talk about the 50MP 5x telephoto camera. After testing it out, we were definitely impressed by its capabilities. At 5x zoom, you get shots that are crisp with plenty of detail. You can also get a great background blur effect, even when you’re shooting tiny objects instead of people. What’s more, you also get crisp photos when you zoom in at 10x.

As you can see in the images above, 10x zoom photos have near-lossless quality. You can zoom in even more, but in our experience, between 5x and 10x gives you the best results. While you can zoom up to 120x, the results in this extreme zoom level are only good in specific scenarios (such as when taking photos of distant buildings in bright daylight).

At night, the telephoto shooter also works well, which is a pleasant surprise, as even some higher-end phones struggle when taking telephoto shots in low light. The 17T Pro’s 5x telephoto photos at night are quite sharp, with 10x zoom shots also looking pretty decent.

For the ultrawide, photos in daytime are good, and we like that the Leica Authentic style gives photos more accurate colors. At night, you get a dip in quality, but the images it captures are still nice overall for an ultrawide shooter.

Finally, selfies on the phone’s 32MP front camera are good, especially when taking photos with plenty of light. Indoors, you’ll need to look for the right angle to get great results, especially if you want to take portrait selfies. While portrait selfies can be good, the selfie shooter can struggle a bit when shooting with a harsh backlight (like in the image above).

Overall, the Xiaomi 17T Pro excels in photography, as the Leica camera setup takes natural-looking photos, all while giving you plenty of creative filters and other shooting options.

Everyday Reliability

The phone’s MediaTek Dimensity 9500 processor and 12GB RAM combo isn’t just great for games, as this also gives it plenty of power for everyday use. As such, the phone runs smoothly and with no slowdowns. It should also be powerful enough to run the most demanding Android apps, as well as for quickly switching between apps.

When it comes to its UI, Xiaomi’s HyperOS is quite nice. Aside from looking great, the UI is easy to navigate, and it doesn’t have much in the way of pre-installed apps. In fact, it uses many Google Apps as standard, such as the Gallery and File Explorer apps. While there’s still a separate app store (as is the case with most Android phones), this is mostly unobtrusive, except for some notifications.

Finally, let’s talk battery life. Courtesy of its huge 7,000mAh battery, it should come as no surprise that, in our experience, this is truly an all-day phone. You can even get up to two days of use on a single charge if you use the phone lightly. Thus, you won’t need to bring a power bank with you when you go out. When charging, you can also fill up the phone fast thanks to its 100W HyperCharge support. And yes, it comes with a 100W charger inside the box, so you won’t need to purchase a separate charger to enjoy this feature.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

The Xiaomi 17T Pro does not disappoint when it comes to photography, as its Leica camera system can capture excellent photos in a variety of situations. While the 5x telephoto is great, the main camera and the various photography features are just as impressive.

Complementing the cameras is the phone’s capable performance, along with its nice display and good battery life. While the onboard speakers could be a bit better, that shouldn’t be a big issue, especially as the 17T Pro is a great overall package.

At its price tag of PHP 47,999 for the 12GB + 512GB variant, the phone is a bit of an investment, but even then, it’s not as expensive as many other flagships in the market. Thus, this is definitely a worthy buy for users looking for a phone with flagship-level cameras at this price point.

Xiaomi 17T Pro Specs:

• 6.83″ POLED (2772 × 1280 resolution) display with up to a 144 Hz refresh rate
• MediaTek Dimensity 9500 processor
• Mali-G1 Ultra MC12 GPU
• 12GB RAM
• 256/512GB/1TB storage
• Rear cameras: 50MP f/1.67 Leica main camera with OIS + 50MP f/3.0 with OIS Leica 5x Telephoto Camera + 12MP f/2.2 Leica Ultrawide camera
• Front camera: 32MP f/2.2 shooter
• Wi-FI 7 / 5G, LTE, Dual SIM, eSIM (uses SIM slot 2)
• Under-display Fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C port
• IP68 dust and water resistance
• 7,000mAh battery with 100W HyperCharge and 50W Wireless HyperCharge
• Android 16 with Xiaomi HyperOS 3
• Color options: Black | Deep Blue | Deep Violet
• Price
  • 12GB + 256GB – PHP 45,999
  • 12GB + 512GB – PHP 47,999