Xiaomi 17T review: a supremely capable Android phone with a decent price

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Xiaomi 17T: Two-minute review

The Xiaomi 17T is an Android smartphone with an impressive spec, including prestigious Leica lenses in the camera.

It looks almost identical to the iPhone 16 Pro, sharing pretty much the same dimensions and camera design. The bright Violet colorway of my review unit did help to make it a little less anonymous, though.

The 17T seems well-made. The materials feel quite premium, but peer closely and you’ll see it’s not quite on the same level as the best phones. It’s by no means flimsy, but it doesn’t quite match the refinement of others.

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The display is sharp, vivid, and bright — as you would expect from a 1.5K AMOLED. The 120Hz refresh rate makes motion smooth, too. However, shades of black are perhaps a little too muddled, making it hard to discern fine details in dark content.

Xiaomi makes much of the Leica lenses in its marketing for the 17T, and on the surface, it’s right to. There are three rear cameras: a 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and 50MP 5x telephoto.

(Image credit: Future)

Taking photos is a breeze and the results are clear and vibrant, if not quite as stunning as those of other phone cameras. There are several AI features for shooting, but these are relatively basic compared to others — which I’m thankful for. There are also such features for the phone’s system as a whole, but again these are mercifully limited in scope.

The brand’s HyperOS is a superb instance of Android. It’s incredibly smooth and easy to navigate, free as it is from clutter or confusing UI elements. Numerous first-party apps come preinstalled, but they’re largely unintrusive. Many are poor substitutes for Google’s counterparts, although one or two are genuinely useful.

The overall…

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