Xiaomi’s latest phones, the 17T and 17T Pro, are here, coming just eight months after the last iteration of the T series. Officially, Xiaomi says the earlier launch is due to Xiaomi and Leica’s progress in their ongoing imaging partnership. Personally, I wonder if it has to do with the ongoing RAM shortage that is said to leave the mobile scene in disarray later, or that Xiaomi simply wanted to escape the shadow of the iPhone, which in previous years goes on sale about the same week the T series is announced.

Xiaomi’s T series sits third in the pecking order of its phone lines (behind the Ultra and standard number series) and usually brings the best overall value for consumers outside China, since Xiaomi handsets are usually priced significantly higher in Europe (and regions like Singapore) than in its home country due to import duties and third-party carrier fees.

Both phones share similar unibody aluminum designs with a flat display. The Pro has a larger 6.8-inch OLED panel that gets up to 144Hz in refresh rate, while the smaller non-Pro sports a 6.6-inch OLED display up to 120Hz. Both panels are wrapped by thin bezels and get up to 3500 nits of brightness, but only the Pro screen can drop to 1 nit of dimness (which is easier on the eyes for use in a dark room).

The two phones are powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity chip, with the Pro model using the newest and highest-tier 9500 chip compared to the 8500 Ultra on the standard model. Both phones also feature an excellent 115mm Periscope zoom lens that captures excellent portraits, but the main cameras differ slightly, with the Pro model using a newer sensor developed in-house by Xiaomi.

The Pro also sports a larger 7,000 mAh battery compared to 6,500 mAh on the non-Pro version. That’s about it as far as differences between the two models.

Xiaomi 17T Pro vs Xiaomi 15T Pro

Now, as for how the 17T Pro differs from the barely eight-month-old 15T Pro: the new model packs a slightly newer silicon (MediaTek 9500 vs 9400+) and main camera sensor (LightFusion 950 vs 900). Both of these changes, I’d argue, are very minor. The bigger updates come in battery capacity, as the new Pro’s 7,000 mAh battery is significantly larger than the 5,500 mAh in the last phone. Despite the much larger battery, the new phone is only marginally thicker at 8.3mm vs 7.9mm, probably due to advancements in silicon-carbon battery tech.

The new battery also charges faster and supports reverse charging. That’s about it as far as hardware differences, everything else from the display panel to memory to zoom lenses remains the same. But the new phones (both 17T Pro and 17T) gain a new software feature that’s very fun and useful: Leica Live Moment, which is really just “Live Photos” from iPhones, but with Leica’s branding.

Essentially, the 17T phones will record a short video clip just before and after the shutter button is pressed for a conventional photo. So you’re not only snapping a still image every time you hit the shutter button, but you’re also capturing a short video.

There are various benefits to this: because you have a short video of the moment the image is shot, you can choose a different frame in the video as the still image. So if you’re snapping a photo of a friend and they blinked, you can easily pick a frame a quarter-second before or after where their eyes are open. Or if you are snapping photos of a lively scene, every still photo you snap will also include a short video clip for social media use. You can see below, I snapped a photo of a cyclist, and I was able to go back into the Leica Live Moment video clip to choose from multiple frames for the still photo.

It’s worth mentioning that Live Photo is not new, and Android brands, including Xiaomi, have offered this in the past, but they never really worked as well as Apple’s version. On Samsung phones, for example, turning on the feature sometimes affects HDR processing. On previous Xiaomi phones, the Live Photo would only capture moments after the shutter, not before. This so-called “Leica Live Moment” works very well, and seems as polished as the iPhone.

There are also a series of filters inspired by Leica’s imaging processing that add additional flair to photos and videos. While the Xiaomi 17T Ultra remains Xiaomi’s mobile camera, the 17T Pro is an excellent camera on its own. I particularly love snapping 115mm portraits and street photography.

Performance and battery life

The 17T Pro and 17T are powered by capable silicon that can handle anything I throw at it. Xiaomi’s UI is fast and fluid, with all of Google’s native AI features baked in.

Battery life on both phones are stellar, with the 17T Pro a particular standout due to that giant 7,000 mAh battery. This is a phone that will last an entire full day outside in most scenarios. And the 100W wired charging tops up the phone from zero to full in under an hour.

The phones run on Android 16 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS on top. HyperOS is fast and fluid, and features a robust multi-tasking system and solid customization options. There are small nitpicks about software from me, but overall the phone performs as a flagship Android phone should.

Both of these phones will go on sale in Europe and Asian regions such as Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia soon. Pricing will vary, but the standard version should convert to about $500 to $600, while the Pro model $800 to $950. The pricier end will be European pricing, while the lower end will be in Southeast Asia.