Xiaomi on Thursday launched its new 17-series smartphones, about two weeks after Apple introduced its iPhone 17 models, as the Beijing-based company ramped up its efforts in the premium handset market.
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The models unveiled at an event in Beijing were the standard Xiaomi 17 and flagship models, the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Pro Max – all of which run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor.
At the launch, Xiaomi founder, chairman and CEO Lei Jun touted the new 17-series models’ thin design and a new imaging system, suitable for backlight photography, that was developed through a partnership with German optical giant Leica.
The standard Xiaomi 17 model starts at 4,499 yuan (US$632), while the 17 Pro and Pro Max models – both of which feature a back screen to display images or notifications – cost 4,999 yuan and 5,999 yuan, respectively.
Xiaomi’s latest devices show the company’s sharpened focus to compete in premium-priced smartphones, handsets that cost more than US$600.
In a rare move, Xiaomi’s latest smartphones jumped from the 15 series, which was launched in October 2024, to the 17 series.
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