Redmi Note 17 and Note 17 Pro officially revealed: the new series starts here, but disappoints

Xiaomi has announced the Redmi Note 17 family but leaves out the flagship model: no Pro+ or Pro Max, therefore, but a pair of fairly basic budget phones.

Meanwhile the series introduces a new aesthetic for the family, and the name represents a generational leap, moving from the previous Note 15 to the 17 number (to echo the leap of the flagship Xiaomi 17 series).

However the “jump” is not felt at all, and what remains are two stylish and affordable phones, very pleasing but certainly far from the splendor of the Note lineup.

Redmi Note 17 and Note 17 Pro 5G: everything there is to know about technical specs, price and release (in China)

The design of the new Redmi Note 17 diverges from that of the previous series: the Redmi Note 15 family adopts wide and square camera modules, positioned at the center of the chassis; in the new phones, they take up less space and are moved to the left corner. The modules have a squircle shape but the sensors are embedded in a capsule-shaped section.

Both devices feature straight edges and a flat display with a central punch-hole for the selfie camera. Colorways vary but all tones are delicate and fresh.

The main differences concern the display, performance, battery, charging, level of protection and memory. Redmi Note 17 Pro is the star of the pair: the phone sports a 6.85″ AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution, a 120 Hz refresh rate and peak brightness up to 3,500 nits. In addition, there is Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection; the body is dust, water and high-pressure jet resistant, with an IP69K rating.

Redmi Note 17 base presents one screen larger, from 7″ Full HD, but less advanced: the OLED panel offers a maximum brightness of 1,800 nits, a 120 Hz refresh rate and touch sampling of 240 Hz. However the PWC Dimming drops to 2,160 Hz (compared to 3,840 Hz of the bigger brother) and the display protection is not specified while the body is IP65.

Performance and battery

Differences continue on the performance side: Redmi Note 17 Pro is equipped with the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4, a more powerful SoC than the Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 of the standard model. Additionally the Pro version offers more RAM (up to 12 GB) and faster storage thanks to UFS 3.1.

The bigger Pro is the first Redmi Note with a massive 9,000 mAh battery, with 67W fast charging; the base model stops at 8,000 mAh, a substantial amount, but with wired charging at 45W. In both cases it uses a silicon-carbon battery, so as not to adversely affect the device thickness.

Cameras

The mid-range pair doesn shine in the camera department, which we could define as “essential”. Both are equipped with a 50 MP sensor, accompanied by a secondary lens; also, the phones are equipped with an 8 MP selfie camera. The absence of optical stabilization on the Pro model is scandalous, as it was present on the predecessor.

And Redmi Note 17 Pro Max?

For months there has been talk of the debut of Redmi Note 17 Pro Max, a device that should appear with a 10,000 mAh battery, a Dimensity 7500 SoC and a triple camera with a 200 MP main sensor.

The debut of the two models without the flagship leaves you astonished but there was talk of a possible split into two events. Anyway it is clear that both the memory crisis (which has led to a sharp rise in production costs and, therefore, to a trimming of specifications) and Xiaomi strategy.

It seems that Lei Jun company wants to divert all attention to the upcoming Note 17 Pro Max: the two mid-range models currently represent the entry level of the lineup, while those aiming higher will necessarily have to wait for the continuation of the series.

Price in China

Redmi Note 17 standard was launched from 1,299 yuan, about 167€ at the current exchange rate; the Pro sibling starts from just over 200€ at the exchange. Below you will find all prices and configurations announced for the Chinese market.

• Redmi Note 17
  • 6/128 GB 1.299 yuan (167€)
  • 8/128 GB 1.399 yuan (180€)
  • 8/256 GB 1.599 yuan (206€)
• Redmi Note 17 Pro
  • 8/128 GB 1.599 yuan (206€)
  • 8/256 GB 1.699 yuan (219€)
  • 12/256 GB 1.999 yuan (258€)
  • 8/512 GB 2.099 yuan (271€)

All specifications

Redmi Note 17 5G (China) Specifications

• Dimensions and weight: 169.70 x 79.14 x 8.26 mm, 225 g
• Colors: Meteor Purple, Light Aqua, Black
• Certification: IP65
• Display: Flat OLED 7″ Full HD (2396 x 1080) with 120 Hz refresh rate, 240 Hz touch sampling, PWM at 2,160 Hz, 1,800 nit brightness, 8-bit color
• Security: under-display fingerprint sensor (optical)
• Cooling: /
• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 4, 4 nm Samsung
• CPU octa-core
  • 2 x 2,3 GHz Cortex-A78
  • 6 x 2 GHz Cortex-A55
• GPU: Adreno 613
• RAM: 6/8 GB LPDDR4X
• Storage: 128/256 GB UFS 2.2 espandibile (micro SD)
• Batteria: 8.000 mAh
• Ricarica: 45W, inversa 22,5W
• Fotocamera: doppia 50 MP (f/1.8) con sensore secondario
• Selfie camera: 8 MP (f/2.0)
• Connectivity and more: Dual SIM 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, GPS, stereo speakers, USB-C, IR sensor
• Sistema operativo: Android 16 with Xiaomi HyperOS 3

Redmi Note 17 Pro 5G (China) Specifications

• Dimensions and weight: 163.45 x 78.27 x 8.46 mm, 226 g
• Colors: Sky Blue, Nebula Purple, White, Black
• Certification: IP66/IP68/IP69/IP69K
• Display: Flat AMOLED 6.85″ 1.5K (2.772 x 1.280) with 120 Hz, touch sampling 240 Hz (instant 3.200 Hz), 3.500 nit peak brightness (from 1 nit), PWM at 3.840 Hz and DC Dimming, 12-bit color, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection
• Security: under-display fingerprint sensor (optical)
• Cooling: /
• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 4, 4 nm Samsung
• CPU octa-core
  • 4 x 2,4 GHz Cortex-A78
  • 4 x 1,8 GHz Cortex-A55
• GPU: Adreno 710
• RAM: 8/12 GB LPDDR4X
• Storage: 128 GB UFS 2.1, 256/512 GB UFS 3.1 non expandable
• Battery: 9.000 mAh
• Ricarica: 67W, inversa 22,5W
• Fotocamera: doppia 50 + 2 MP (f/1.8-2.4) con profondità di campo
• Selfie camera: 8 MP (f/2.0)
• Connectivity and more: Dual SIM 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, GPS, stereo speaker, USB-C, IR sensor
• Sistema operativo: Android 16 with Xiaomi HyperOS 3