Xiaomi 17T Pro and the shadow of price hikes: price increases on the horizon for the mid-range flagship

Now that the 17 series has arrived in Europe and Italy, one would almost relax, waiting for the next flagship generation. And yet we know well that the news isn’t over: in the coming months there will be the launch of the mid-range flagships Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro.

They have not yet been officially confirmed, but the “T” lineup is now a tradition; however this year things could get more complicated, due to the memory crisis and its impact on smartphone prices.

Redmi K90 Ultra will cost more, and the price increase should reflect on the global twin, Xiaomi 17T Pro

Various manufacturers have already started applying price increases on devices — flagships but also mid-range devices. Samsung has amortized part of the costs with the latest Galaxy S26 lineup and Xiaomi has done the same with Xiaomi 17 and 17 Ultra (sold at the price of the previous generation).

However the future appears uncertain and not exactly rosy: Lu Weibing, a key figure of the Chinese company, confirmed that Redmi K90 Ultra will undergo a price increase — following the price hikes carried out also by OPPO and vivo. The current Redmi K80 Ultra was launched in China starting from 2,599 yuan, but for now we do not yet know the new price.

If the name of this top-of-the-line model doesn’t ring a bell, know that it actually concerns us Westerners as well. The Redmi Ultra models serve as the base for our Xiaomi T lineup, therefore Redmi K90 Ultra should arrive here as Xiaomi 17T Pro.

This means that even the flagships coming to us will be subject to a price increase, unless the Chinese company again chooses to amortize the costs (as happened with the 17 series). Remember that Xiaomi 15T and 15T Pro debuted in Italy starting from €649.9 and €799.9 respectively.

Another strategy to keep prices affordable could be launch offers, valid only for a limited period of time and quite advantageous to entice Mi Fans. Xiaomi is not new to this stratagem, but for now there is no information about the next T family.

The memory crisis

For months now in the tech world there’s been nothing else talked about: the memory chip shortage — largely absorbed by the explosion in demand for AI and data centers — has created a real crisis that has led to a spike in prices. This could stretch to the end of 2027, marking a dark page for sales in these years.

The targets include hardware such as LPDDR5X memory and next-generation UFS storage solutions; furthermore the crisis affects not only the mobile and tablet sector but the entire consumer electronics landscape.

Staying focused on the Chinese market, there are talks of price increases of varying amounts from 500 to 2,000 yuan (therefore from about €60 to €250 at the current exchange rate).

What to expect from Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro

Returning to the upcoming mid-range flagships, the Xiaomi 17T series is expected in the month of May, in clear advance compared to the usual timelines. Usually the launch window for the T family is September but this year there are various clues pointing to a closer release.

The Pro version would rely on the Dimensity 9500 from MediaTek, with a 6.8″ diagonal display with a 165 Hz refresh rate. Among other features there would be not a missing battery with 100W charging and a triple camera with tele periscopico and optics Leica.

The little brother — following what has happened so far — should offer less battery, a mid-to-high-end SoC (it seems the Dimensity 8500 Ultra) and a standard telephoto lens. No compromises for Leica components, but as usual the final word always rests with the brand.