By Bettina V. Roc, Assemble the Editor
GLOBAL TECH BRAND Xiaomi recently launched its Xiaomi 17T Series phones, 17T and 17T Pro, updating its T Series line after less than a year. The series sits in that middle ground between midrange and high-end flagships, promising solid performance at an accessible price point.
And the base model Xiaomi 17T, which we’ve been testing for a few weeks now, embodies that philosophy perfectly. Call it what you will: premium midrange, almost flagship, flagship killer. With the world’s memory chip shrinking already driving up device prices (and expected to continue to do so over the next year or so), the Xiaomi 17T hits that sweet spot between price and performance.
CAMERA SYSTEM
First is the Xiaomi 17T Series’ main selling point: the triple camera system integrated with Leica Camera AG. The two brands’ long-standing photography partnership has entered its fifth year, and in this refresh of the T series, they’ve brought Leica’s 5x telephoto camera to every model in the lineup.
Besides the 50-megapixel Leica 5x periscope telephoto lens with telemacro capability, the three rear cameras include a 50MP main lens and a 12MP ultra-wide camera.
Even as a camera enthusiast, I prefer to test smartphones using basic shooting modes as this allows me to test usability. Smartphones positioned as photo-first devices shouldn’t need extensive processing and settings to show what they’re made of.
The Xiaomi 17T does that and more. The main camera is a 50MP lens with a Light Fusion 800 image sensor, and it’s perfect for all-round photography and photography. It captures nice and clear detail, especially during the day and in good light, and the phone renders colors well – just enough contrast for that pop without feeling artificial. Leica’s built-in color modes, Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic, also bring that unique beauty to shots.
Leica Live Moment, a feature introduced in this series, is a great addition, delivering still shots without sacrificing image quality.
Where this phone really shines is the 50MP Leica 5x telephoto camera. Few phones in this price range offer 5x optical zoom, and with the rapid advancement of smartphone photography technology, I personally feel that the ability to zoom without sacrificing quality is becoming a must-have and a little bit of a good-to-have.
Using a 5x periscope telephoto, the Xiaomi 17T captures images with stellar clarity and minimal vignetting. A telemacro lens brings good separation of the subject’s background for those who want that bokeh but can also handle depth of field well. Optical image stabilization also helps with normal shakes when shooting telephoto. This is true up to 10x digital zoom, but beyond that, detail is understandably soft.
With all three rear lenses, there is a slight lag when shooting in low light or under unfavorable conditions, especially when shooting moving objects. The phone’s imaging technology compensates for this by correcting the texture, but I noticed chromatic aberration at times when I moved my internal pixel peeper (which one shouldn’t really do with phones, but I digress).
Those looking to maximize these Leica cameras can also shoot with Pro Mode, which offers extensive setting controls. The Camera app also has various Scene capture modes such as Stage and Silhouette with fine-tuned settings.
BET AND PERFORMANCE
The Xiaomi 17T sports a 6,500mAh silicon-carbon battery that supports 67-watt HyperCharge wireless charging. An adapter is included in the box and can fully charge the phone in less than an hour.
Battery life is very good on this phone. Even if you try the camera and use mobile data to watch videos, doomscroll, and light gaming, it has enough juice for a day and more. With normal use, I suspect you’ll be able to get more than 24 hours of power if you’re not really trying to run these batteries down like I was during testing.
The phone’s MediaTek Dimensity 8500-Ultra chip combined with 12GB of RAM makes for a smooth and fast performance. It can handle many tasks well, including light gaming. And it’s not that hot (yes, even in this climate).
It runs on HyperOS 3 based on Android 16 with Google Gemini and their Circle to Search feature, and comes with other AI features.
Bloatware is also minimal – and that’s always a plus in my book.
SHOW AND HIS
For the first time in the T series, Xiaomi offers two phone sizes. The base model Xiaomi 17T is a compact version and comes with a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
With a maximum brightness of 3,500 nits, HDR10+ Dolby Vision, and DCI-P3 color gamut, the screen offers bright and sharp details with accurate colors, even under daylight. Navigating between apps and menus is easy and fast, even if not all apps support 120Hz.
The Xiaomi 17T also features eye care technology with the Xiaomi Eye Care Shield with various TÜV Rheinland certifications, making the user experience easy on the eyes (literally).
The phone itself is very easy on the eyes. The test unit came in the color Violet, which for me leans more towards lilac. It features a smooth, matte finish and thin bezels.
It also weighs just 200 grams and is 8.17-millimeter thin without the case, making it easy to hold with just one hand, and fit into pockets or most sensible bag sizes. The feel in the hand is good – enough weight for stability, but light enough to reduce weight. With a smooth frame, it can be a little slippery, but the slightly rounded edges help with grip.
The Xiaomi 17T still comes with a square camera island in the upper left corner, which protrudes slightly when used without a case.
The placement of stereo speakers helps with the sound quality of this phone. It delivers crisp and clear sound, even with the volume turned up.
So, should you buy the Xiaomi 17T? Priced at P33,999 for the 12GB+256GB variant and at P37,999 for the 12GB+512GB model, this is a smartphone you should look into if you’re looking for a device with stellar cameras, solid performance, and great battery life. It can hold its own even in the face of a high-end flagship, which is very expensive, bringing in a lot of money.
The Xiaomi 17T is now available in the Philippines, and the brand is offering various promos and deals.
