Xiaomi has announced two new upper mid-range smartphones. Both are priced in the same range as the Galaxy S26 , Pixel 10 , and Phone 17 , but bring the kind of battery capacities and versatile cameras that you typically won’t find on those mainstream flagship phones.

Like their predecessors, the Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro have a camera system developed in partnership with Leica. And while the hardware isn’t the same as their Ultra sibling , they still offer a flagship-level camera experience.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro gets you a 50-megapixel (f/1.67) main camera, whereas the 17T sports a slightly different 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.7 aperture. Both of them have a 5x zoom-capable 50-megapixel telephoto camera with OIS and a 12-megapixel ultrawide-angle lens with a 120-degree field-of-view. I took them around Vienna and here’s what they’re capable of doing:

Xiaomi 17T And Xiaomi 17T Pro Cameras

Like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 17T Pro has a 1/1.3-inch sensor. It remains one of the most capable shooters in the segment. While there’s not much that’s new on the camera hardware, Xiaomi and Leica have worked together on the color tuning, which now extends to Xiaomi’s version of Live Photos.

The company is calling its new version of moving photos Leica Live Moment. It captures a second or so of video before you press the shutter, and you can extract any frame out of that video. In a way, it is better than Apple’s Live Photos because you can select any frame and it won’t drop the quality of the photo.

I have enjoyed shooting with the Xiaomi 17T series because of their versatility and filters, which are well executed.

As much as I want to apply a filter in the viewfinder and then go around shooting through the day, these aren’t one-size-fits-all. So, I like the flexibility of applying a similar look in post editing and getting such results. The 5x telephoto gives you a very pleasing compression and doubles as a macro shooter (right image in the above collage).

The Xiaomi 17T has a similarly capable main camera. It can detailed, pleasing-looking shots in lowlight but you need to lower the exposure to get better results. Plus, it works in the Portrait mode.

While both phones have the same telephoto camera, there is a slight color tone difference, even if you shoot in the exact same color mode and use the same settings. However, one isn’t objectively better or worse than the other. There were times when I preferred a 17T photo over a 17T Pro shot and vice versa.

Portraits remain a strong point. Both the Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro offer good edge detection, a very likeable bokeh and pleasing colors in Portrait mode – sometimes even on moving subjects.

The ultrawide camera is the weakest of the lot due to its small sensor size but give it enough light and you can get some nice shots. Moving to the front, you get a 32-megapixel selfie shooter, which takes serviceable photos but remains unimpressive.

I have noticed some inconsistent photo processing in every one out of 10 photos but the fast shutter speed, versatility and filters make it look like a minor annoyance. Overall, the Xiaomi 17T and Xiaomi 17T Pro feature an impressive camera setup and they remain one of the best in their respective segments. I love the Leica Authentic mode and can spend days playing around with the phone’s filters and fun watermarks in post editing.

The two new Xiaomi phones differ in size, so you get a different display, battery, and processor combination. However, both share a flat design with curved corners, making them comfortable to hold. They come in multiple color options but the blue on 17T Pro is my favorite.

The Pro model has a 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with up to a 144Hz refresh rate, 1.5K resolution, and 3,500-nit peak brightness for HDR content. It can also go down to 1 nit for comfortable late-night scrolling.

The Xiaomi 17T, on the other hand, has a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with the same resolution and peak brightness, but only goes up to a 120Hz refresh rate, which is more than enough for everyday use. Both offer great legibility outdoors, and I didn’t have trouble navigating or seeing the viewfinder in the bright Vienna sun.

The duo runs HyperOS 3 based on Android 16 and is promised to get five years of OS upgrades. Aside from the bloatware (it is annoying), I like HyperOS for the most part. It is smooth, has plenty of customization options, and offers some great lock screen looks.

Xiaomi has reserved the flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip for its Pro model. It is the same processor you’d find on the Oppo Find X9 Pro and Vivo X300 Pro . You can get the Xiaomi 17T Pro in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage variants, all paired with 12GB of RAM. It runs demanding games with ease and delivers a no-questions-asked everyday performance.

You’re unlikely to notice a difference in performance (unless you’re playing demanding games for 30+ minutes) if you go with the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra-powered Xiaomi 17T, which comes with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage.

Similarly, the two smartphones pack different batteries but offer all-day endurance with ease.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro packs a huge 7,000mAh battery with support for 100W wired charging, which can take the phone from 10% to 50% within 25 minutes. It also supports 50W wireless charging (with a proprietary Xiaomi charger) and 22.5W wired reverse charging. By contrast, the Xiaomi 17T gets a 6,500mAh cell with support for 67W wired charging and no wireless charging.

The Xiaomi 17T starts at 749 Euros for its base variant, whereas the 17T Pro will set you back 899 Euros.