Xiaomi is Going to Kill Apple with 17 Pro’s Rear Screen, Retro Case & Giant Battery!
Marking an aggressive push against Apple, Xiaomi skipped 16 series and unveiled its 17 series on September 25, introducing a pair of flagships that include a small secondary display on the rear, exceptionally large batteries, and a retro handheld controller case that turns the phone into a pocket console.
Company leadership framed the launch as a value and capability play designed to close gaps with rival devices on battery endurance and camera features that takes direct aim at Apple’s latest iPhones.
Xiaomi presented three models at its event:
- the Xiaomi 17,
- the 17 Pro,
- and the 17 Pro Max.
The Pro and Pro Max carry the new rear panel display, which sits inside the rectangular camera module and can show time, notifications, media controls and a selfie preview when the main camera is used as the viewfinder.
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| Image: Xiaomi |
The firm says the small screen also supports widgets and limited interactive features, including gaming when paired with the companys accessory case.
Battery capacity is central to Xiaomis pitch. The standard Xiaomi 17 ships with a 7,000 mAh cell, the 17 Pro is also offered with a notably large power pack, and the 17 Pro Max reaches as high as 7,500 mAh according to specifications released at the launch.
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| Image: Xiaomi |
Xiaomi pairs these capacities with fast wired and wireless charging options, citing up to 100 watt wired charging and 50 watt wireless charging on the higher end model. The company used side by side comparisons in demonstrations to highlight multi day endurance versus recent rivals.
The retro handheld accessory is an explicit attempt to make the rear display useful beyond occasional notifications. Priced at roughly 299 yuan, about 40 US dollars, the case clips onto the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max and supplies physical controls including a circular directional pad, face buttons and start and select buttons.
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| Image: Xiaomi |
The case connects by Bluetooth and adds a hardware power button configured as a game launcher shortcut. Xiaomi displayed the accessory running simple titles such as Snake and Angry Birds 2 while the phone used the rear display as the screen.
Coverage from multiple outlets observed that the case reproduces the look and ergonomics of classic handheld consoles, while also obscuring a portion of the back panel when attached.
Hardware choices put emphasis on photographic capability and peak performance. All three phones include Qualcomms new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in the Pro models, Leica co engineered camera modules with multiple 50 megapixel sensors, and a range of RAM and storage options that extend to 16 gigabytes of memory and 1 terabyte of storage.
Xiaomi also emphasized display improvements on the primary screen using its M10 panel technology to raise brightness and efficiency.
Pricing and timing were positioned to be deliberately competitive. Lei Jun, Xiaomis founder and chief executive, presented the lineup live and placed the new models against Apples recent releases during the event.
The Chinese market starting prices were announced at 4,499 yuan for the base model, rising to 5,999 yuan for the top specification, a level Lei Jun framed as undercutting equivalent iPhone configurations on price while expanding battery and camera capability.
Xiaomi also signaled a broader strategy tying the phone launch to its ongoing investments in in-house silicon and automotive projects.
Early hands on reporting noted trade offs. Reviewers praised the ingenuity of adding a rear screen and the convenience of a built in selfie viewfinder, and they flagged the raw battery figures as a meaningful differentiator in everyday use.
At the same time reviewers warned that the secondary display has limited scope compared with full sized foldable external displays and that the retro gaming case constrains the viewing area because of its physical button layout.
Observers also pointed to the practical questions that will shape adoption: international availability, long term software support for the rear screen, and how developers will make meaningful use of the new surface.
Xiaomis approach combines conspicuous hardware innovation with a pricing strategy that aims to reframe the flagship conversation. Industry analysts will watch sales and software uptake to judge whether the rear screen and gaming case become novelty items or genuine differentiators in a crowded market.
For customers who prize battery life and who value quirky accessories, the 17 series presents a clear option; for those who prioritize ecosystem polish and App Store parity, the phones raise new questions about real world trade offs.
The 17 series goes on sale in China on September 27 with preorders already open and a global rollout slated for the months ahead. Observers say the models are notable not solely for a single headline feature but for the way Xiaomi is packaging multiple hardware bets together to challenge the assumptions that usually guide premium smartphone design.
