Xiaomi 17 Officially Launches: The World's First Smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

Xiaomi has kicked off its highly-anticipated launch event, unveiling three new flagship models: the Xiaomi 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max—a clear nod to the competition with the new iPhones from Apple. The star of the show for the entire lineup is the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, making these the world's first smartphones powered by this new platform.

The base Xiaomi 17 stands out with its combination of powerful internals and well-balanced specs. It features a 6.3-inch display but packs a substantial 7,000 mAh battery—a capacity rarely seen even in larger phones.

The smartphone's screen is an LTPO-OLED panel with an adaptive refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz. The bezels have been slimmed down to just 1.18mm, increasing the screen-to-body ratio. The panel boasts a peak brightness of 3,500 nits, ensuring excellent readability in direct sunlight. For photography, it uses a quad-camera setup, with each sensor at 50 MP. The main Light Hunter 950 sensor was developed in partnership with Leica, and it's joined by an ultrawide shooter, a telephoto lens, and a front-facing camera for selfies and video calls.

The higher-end Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max build on the powerful foundation with unique features. Their standout characteristic is a fully functional secondary OLED display on the back. This screen isn't just for notifications; it also allows for higher-quality selfies using the main camera system. Both models also feature an upgraded Light Hunter 950L main sensor with a wider dynamic range and a more powerful telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom.

The Xiaomi 17 Pro is equipped with a 6.3-inch display and a 6,300 mAh battery. The flagship Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, however, steps up with a larger 6.9-inch screen featuring a unique SuperPixel technology for enhanced image clarity, along with the largest battery in the lineup at 7,500 mAh.

Sales of the new lineup will start in China on September 27, with global availability expected to follow in the coming week. The starting price for the base Xiaomi 17 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is set at 4,499 yuan (approximately $620). The Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max with the same memory configuration will cost 4,999 yuan and 5,999 yuan, respectively (approximately $690 and $825).