Xiaomi 17T Review – Flagship Killer with Leica Cameras Tested

Xiaomi has grown from strength to strength, leveraging their close association with Leica in recent years to create a memorable line-up of phones with powerful cameras enhanced with the German brand’s unique colour science and imaging know-how. 

Last year’s Xiaomi 15T proved to be a surprisingly good premium midranger that brought a lot to the table for what you paid for, offering imaging performance and that unique Leica look in photos that gave even the most normal looking shots tuned until it looked like it was snapped by Steve McCurry.

Its successor, the Xiaomi 17T that we had in for review ahead of its official Malaysia launch, aims to continue that illustrious legacy and elevate it to new heights with a host of hardware and imaging improvements. After taking it for several photo walks and toting it around as a daily driver, here’s our Xiaomi 17T review where we share if it’s worth its asking price.

Xiaomi 17T Review – Build and Design

Astute readers will note that Xiaomi has skipped an entire number series and hopped straight from the 15T to the 17T, presumably for branding reasons. In terms of build and design, our Xiaomi 17T review sample bears a faint resemblance to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 15T, but has more compact dimensions with a smaller 6.59-inch Xiaomi-custom M10 display panel, which is the brand’s proprietary AMOLED display panel that makes it more of a compact camera phone versus the larger dimensions of its predecessor. 

However, the 17T is slightly thicker at 8.17mm and a wee bit heavier too at 200g though this is justifiable as the phone has a larger 6,500mAh battery versus its predecessor’s smaller 5,500mAh cell.

At a glance, our Xiaomi 17T review sample adheres to the same aesthetics of its predecessor with rounded corners, straight edges and a flat backplate and front display. Its signature square-shaped camera housing emplaced in the upper rear of the backplate remains intact.

Rather than the same plain metallic finishes like the prior generation, the phone has an eye-catching pale blue finish with iridescent metallic highlights spread across it that subtly glints in the sunlight that Xiaomi has designated as Opal White. If that doesn’t quite float your boat, Xiaomi also has more conventional colourways for the Xiaomi 17T that include a matte shade of Black and a rather attractive shade of Violet too.

The finish is also remarkably resistant to smudges too. Beyond its aesthetics, the Xiaomi 17T also retains the same respectable IP68 dust and water resistance of its predecessor which allows it to survive in up to 3m of freshwater for up to 30 minutes at a time.

The left and top of the Xiaomi 17T are clean with the right featuring the customary volume rocker and power button while the base hosts a SIM card tray, a USB-C port and a grille for the speaker.

Up front, the Xiaomi 17T hosts a smaller display with a 120Hz refresh rate while retaining a similar FHD+ (2,756 x 1,268 pixels) resolution that’s also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. Beyond its more compact dimensions, the Xiaomi 17T’s display is actually brighter than the panel used in the 15T with a quoted 3,500 nits brightness.

Prolific doom scrollers and those who tend to Netflix binge will also appreciate the fact that the display itself is also the industry’s first phone display to have a TÜV Rheinland Quadruple Eye Care Certification that vouches that it is easy and safe on the eyes for extended gaming or viewing sessions. Interestingly, Xiaomi also pre-applied a screen protector onto the main display which is a welcome touch to further protect the screen.

In terms of overall build quality, our Xiaomi 17T review sample with its revamped finish and dimensions offered excellent tactility and held up well under extended use without apparent scratches even when used as a daily driver while retaining an even heft and good ergonomics for one-handed use.

To further add to its value proposition, Xiaomi 17T units for the Malaysia market get a soft rubber casing in dark grey, a SIM eject pin, a USB-C cable, the usual quick start literature and the notable inclusion of a fast 67W charger bundled in the box.

Xiaomi 17T Review – Specifications and Performance

While the Xiaomi 17T has a smaller and more compact design than its predecessor, it doesn’t pull punches in terms of its hardware and has an improved MediaTek Dimensity 8500-Ultra processor paired with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of fast UFS 4.1 storage. 

On paper, the new Dimensity 8500-Ultra offers a fast 3.4GHz clock speed on its prime core (the 8400-Ultra features a 3.25GHz clock speed) while retaining the same architecture while integrating an improved Mali G720 MP8 GPU for better graphics performance.

Running under the hood is the latest Android 16 with Xiaomi’s latest HyperOS 3 firmware which confers access to Google Gemini and their Circle to Search feature along with a smattering of the customary AI features like AI writing, conversation translation and the like. This time around, Xiaomi has guaranteed that the 17T will get 5 OS updates and 6 years of security updates which means it’ll get updated all the way to Android 21 and stay safe and secure until 2032.

Fortunately, the implementation of HyperOS 3 on the Xiaomi 17T is relatively clean of bloatware and erroneous pop-ups, which made using the phone over a period of a week a joy.

Here’s how our Xiaomi 17T review sample stacks up on paper:

Price	RM 2,499 (12GB+512GB), RM 2,399 (12GB+256GB), with digital benefits up to RM 1,256 and free REDMI Pad 2 9.7 (4GB+64GB) worth RM 569 for every Xiaomi 17T series purchase (valid until 11 June 2026, while stocks last).
Display	6.59-inch Xiaomi-custom M10 AMOLED, 2,756 x 1,268 pixels, 3,500 nits peak brightness, 120Hz refresh rate,TÜV Quadruple Eye Care Certification
Processor	Mediatek Dimensity 8500-Ultra
OS	Android 16 w/ Xiaomi HyperOS 3
Memory	12GB LPDDR5X RAM / 512GB UFS 4.1 storage [256GB variant available]
Cameras	50MP f/1.7 1/1.55” sensor w/ Light Fusion 800 sensor & OIS, 50MP f.3.0 telephoto w/ 5X optical zoom & OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultra wide camera [rear] / 32MP f/2.2 [front]
Battery	6,500mAh Silicon Carbon battery w/ 67W HyperCharge, 22.5W reverse wired charging
Size/Weight	157.7 x 75.2 x 8.17mm / 200g

The Xiaomi 17T also allows for a modicum of virtual RAM assigned off the onboard 512GB storage with 6GB of virtual RAM assigned by default. Unfortunately, our test sample is an early review unit with the inability to run any synthetic benchmarks as the firmware did not allow for 3D Mark to run though we were able to get a single and multicore benchmark score on Geekbench 6 and PCMark’s performance score which managed to work. 

In Geekbench 6, the phone managed to get a single core score of 1,733 points and a multicore score of 6,742 points as well as a PCMark Work score of 15,344 points. Based on what data we have, this places it a step above the Dimensity 8400-Ultra from the Xiaomi 15T in single and multicore performance but still a step behind an older flagship chipset like the Snapdragon 8 Elite but around the capabilities of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

In more practical terms, our Xiaomi 17T review sample acquitted itself well when tackling the tasks expected of a flagship killer phone at a more modest price point. Web browsing and swapping between multiple tabs was a smooth affair, heavy video editing on CapCut in 1080P wasn’t an issue and the phone was also able to tackle extended gaming too. While it isn’t intended purely for gaming, Games like Where Winds Meet and Wuthering Waves ran smoothly without issue. 

The more compact and brighter 6.59-inch AMOLED display offered vibrant colours and pin-sharp text with good brightness even under daylight conditions which helps when trying to frame shots outdoors under the noonday sun when we went for a photowalk out in Petaling Street. The screen is also rated for 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut which also makes it ideal for content creators as it offers accurate colour rendition when editing videos and also for watching movies. Not all apps support the full 120Hz refresh rate and the majority of apps and even YouTube default to 60Hz but it made navigating the menus a snappy and pleasant affair.

The provided stereo speakers also offered good detail with a balanced mids and moderate bass with the ability to be cranked up to maximum volume without distortion. For tackling your Spotify playlist or catching up on a TikTok video or two, the speakers did a solid job.

Of note are the larger 6,500mAh batteries. While they did contribute to making the phone a bit thicker and heavier than the prior 15T, the trade-off is well worth it as our Xiaomi 17T offered excellent endurance.

We weren’t able to run the PCMark Battery life test during the duration of our testing but it was able to handle a full day of web browsing on data, liberal social media use and heavy usage of the cameras for stills and videos.

This time around, the Xiaomi 17T and its larger sibling the Xiaomi 17T Pro both support Power-Delivery Programmable Power Supply (PD-PPS) charging standards, which allows compatible chargers that support the standard to offer faster, cooler and more efficient charging.

While we did not have a charger bundled with our early Xiaomi 17T review sample, Xiaomi 17T series phones for the Malaysia market will have the charger in the box for added value. From dead zero, we managed to use a third-party 100W UGreen charger to charge it up in under an hour.

Xiaomi 17T Review – Cameras and Improved Telephoto Zoom

The Xiaomi 17T has a different emphasis in its imaging setup compared to the prior Xiaomi 15T with improved telephoto zoom capabilities while retaining Leica’s distinctive colour science and enhanced low light capabilities. 

The primary camera is still a 50MP sensor with a slightly darker f/1.7 aperture while retaining the same 1/1.55” Light Fusion 800 sensor and optical image stabilisation (OIS) while retaining the same 12MP f/2.2 ultra wide angle camera. 

The key difference here is the Xiaomi 17T’s telephoto camera that has been upgraded to a 50MP f/3.0 camera with 5X optical zoom and OIS; the older 15T model only has a 2.6X telephoto zoom. Short of the highest end flagships, few phones and almost no midrange phones actually have a 5X optical zoom camera, putting the Xiaomi 17T into a league of its own. 

 

Combined, this camera setup allows the Xiaomi 17T to capture photos with 5x optical zoom, 10x lossless zoom and up to 120x digital zoom and up to 4K@60fps video with up to 5x optical zoom and about to 15X digital zoom. Of note is the ability to capture videos in LOG format for easier colour grading in post production, which will endear the Xiaomi 17T to serious content creators. 

Up front, our Xiaomi 17T review unit has a single 32MP f/2.2 camera for selfies and up to 4K@60fps video calls.

Xiaomi has also added a new Leica Live Moments mode when capturing shots in Portrait mode that also captures a second or two of video before you capture a photo to lend it a more lifelike feel when you preview it later in your image gallery. Users also get the choice of either Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant styles to choose from with the former offering more muted but realistic colours and the latter brighter, more vibrant colour rendition. The following test shots were captured primarily with the Leica Vibrant setting.

When tested, the ultrawide, main and telephoto cameras offer consistent colour rendition with the improved 50MP telephoto camera offering better opportunities to capture portraiture and scenery with a 115mm equivalent focal length. In brightly lit scenarios, our Xiaomi 17T review unit delivered excellent shots out to 10x zoom with crisp detail and Leica’s distinctive colour science with its rich and deep tones and balanced interplay of light and shadows. Shots at 120x only work best with architecture with the AI helping to steady the shot and yield more detail. Subjects with finer details like people or scenery tend to end up soft and noisy but that’s to be expected even from far higher end phones.

Images captured in low light scenarios offered excellent detail and rich colour rendition and dynamic range while being able to salvage a lot of detail from what are otherwise poorly lit setups without blowing out the rest of the image like shots of this temple that had bright neon lighting at dusk. The ultrawide camera delivers shareable results with the best results from the main and telephoto camera out to 5x zoom. Beyond that, shots get softer and at 120x zoom are mostly for novelty purposes.

Video capture in 4K@60fps out to 5x zoom on the Xiaomi 17T’s rear primary and telephoto cameras are smooth on account of OIS with plenty of detail and colour with judder-free footage. However, the ultra wide angle camera lacks OIS and doesn’t perform as well with lower levels of detail though colours are still consistent with the other two cameras, making it better for wider scenery shots. Selfies on the 32MP camera offer good detail and skin tones even in challenging light conditions like bars and backlit scenarios.

Overall, the Xiaomi 17T offers consistent performance across all lighting scenarios and improved telephoto zoom capabilities compared to its predecessor, making it a very versatile imaging option for content creators who love Leica’s distinctive look.

Should you buy the Xiaomi 17T?

The Xiaomi 17T features modest but meaningful upgrades, featuring a more compact and brighter screen that makes it easier to wield, an upgraded chipset for better overall performance, improved battery life and an enhanced rear camera array with 5x telephoto zoom. 

As it stands, it makes for a tempting near-flagship workhorse with good performance, respectable endurance and cameras though it isn’t as compelling an upgrade for those who already own the prior Xiaomi 15T. For others, it’s an otherwise sound choice for those looking for a capable compact near-flagship phone.

Xiaomi 17T review sample courtesy of Xiaomi Malaysia. For more details please visit https://www.mi.com/my/