Xiaomi 17T Pro

The Xiaomi 17T Pro is sold in Pakistan in one version, 12GB RAM + 512GB, at Rs. 249,999. That is a lot for a T-series phone, but it brings flagship-level hardware for well under the price of most flagships.

• Strengths: the MediaTek Dimensity 9500, one of the fastest Android chips available, a 50 MP 5x periscope zoom camera, a 7000 mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, IP68 water resistance, and a 100W charger and case in the box. It is also an official Pakistani launch with local warranty.
• Weaknesses: the 144Hz screen is LTPS rather than LTPO, the ultrawide is a basic 12 MP camera, the fingerprint sensor is optical rather than ultrasonic, and the speakers are clear but not loud.

Against the competition, it costs far less than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Rs. 434,999) and the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Rs. 481,499), while offering a newer chip and a much bigger battery than both. Those phones still have advantages: Samsung promises 7 major Android upgrades and has a 200 MP main camera, and the iPhone offers iOS and stronger resale value.

Verdict: a strong buy for anyone who wants top performance, a real zoom camera and long battery life at this price, with official warranty. If you want the most polished screen, the longest confirmed software support or the best resale value, pay more for an older Samsung or Apple flagship.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro has a large 6.83-inch AMOLED screen at 1280 x 2772 pixels (about 447 ppi), a sharp 1.5K resolution. It refreshes at up to 144Hz, so scrolling and supported games look very smooth.

For outdoor use, it is rated at 2000 nits in high-brightness mode and 3500 nits peak, so it stays easy to read in strong sunlight. It supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision for streaming, and its 3840Hz PWM dimming helps people who get eye strain from flicker at low brightness.

Things to know:

• The panel is LTPS, not LTPO, so it cannot drop its refresh rate as low as the S24 Ultra or iPhone 15 Pro Max to save power. At this price, some buyers will see that as a compromise.
• The optical in-display fingerprint sensor sits low on the screen, so your thumb has to reach down a little.
• Wet-touch support keeps the screen usable with damp fingers, and Gorilla Glass 7i protects the front and back.

The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 (3 nm) is MediaTek's top chip, paired here with 12GB of fast LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. In daily use, apps open instantly, heavy editing and multitasking are handled with ease, and nothing on Android struggles to run.

Gaming is a highlight. PUBG Mobile runs at the Extreme frame rate even with Ultra HD graphics, and at Extreme+ on lower settings, while supported games run at up to 120 fps.

A large vapor chamber cools the chip, and it keeps performance well controlled during long sessions. Owners worried about heat should know that no extended stress-test results were available to confirm this over very long gaming sessions.

This is a big jump over the regular Xiaomi 17T, which uses a less powerful chip. It also explains why the Pro can record 8K video while the 17T stops at 4K.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro carries Leica-tuned cameras: a 50 MP main camera with a large 1/1.31" sensor and OIS, a 50 MP periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom and OIS, a 12 MP ultrawide, and a 32 MP selfie camera.

• Daylight: colours are accurate and pleasing, and the old orange tint of older Xiaomi phones is gone. Detail holds up well when you zoom into the image.
• Low light: night shots come out bright and clean, often looking as if they were taken in better light.
• Zoom and portraits: the 5x periscope is the star. Portraits show natural skin texture and smooth background blur, and zoomed shots stay sharp well beyond 5x. Digital zoom goes up to 120x for distant subjects, though quality drops at the extreme end.
• Ultrawide: usable, and it records 4K at 30fps, but at 12 MP it is the weakest camera here.
• Selfies: detailed with good colours, but they can come out soft if your hand moves.

Video is a major strength: 8K at 30fps, 4K at up to 120fps, 10-bit and Log recording, plus a blur-background video mode on both the rear and front cameras at 1080p 30fps. The limit is Night video, which switches down to 1080p.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro uses a 7000 mAh silicon-carbon battery, much larger than the Galaxy S24 Ultra's 5000 mAh or the iPhone 15 Pro Max's 4441 mAh.

In GSMArena's battery tests, its endurance is rated excellent and better than last year's Xiaomi 15T Pro, so most people can expect well over a day of use. Phones with even bigger batteries last longer still.

Charging is generous:

• 100W wired charging, with the 100W charger and cable included in the box.
• 50W wireless charging, rare at this price.
• 22.5W reverse wired charging, to top up another phone or accessory.

One caveat: GSMArena found wired charging slightly slower than on the 15T Pro, probably because of the silicon-carbon battery. It is still very fast by any normal standard.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro runs HyperOS 3 on Android 16, with an upgrade to Android 17.

Useful features:

• HyperAI tools such as AI Eraser Pro, image extender, reflection removal, AI writing and speech recognition, plus Google's Circle to Search.
• Offline communication lets you talk to another Xiaomi phone within about 1.5 to 2 km without a SIM signal, which is useful in an emergency.
• An IR blaster to control TVs and ACs, NFC, and dual physical SIMs with eSIM support.

On updates, reports differ. Xiaomi's security-update list shows support for the 17T Pro running until mid-2032, but we could not find an official count of Android version upgrades for the Pro model, so treat any specific number as an estimate until Xiaomi confirms it.

The software stays close to Xiaomi's usual style, with plenty of customisation options. Pre-booking bundles in Pakistan included a 3-month Google AI subscription, but that offer may have ended.