Xiaomi is all set to unveil its all-new flagship, the 17 series, later this month. Ahead of the launch, a new video of Lu Weibang, the company’s president, comparing the upcoming phone with the iPhone 17 Pro Max on has been doing rounds on Weibo. The video has been circulating widely on the internet as iPhone 17 sales have recently started, generating a lot of buzz around the new flagship entrant.
According to a report by GSMArena, the objective behind the video was to assure that Xiaomi did not copy the camera island design from Apple. The president emphasized that both phones have different design languages. However, apart from the screen that occupies the camera island, the design of both phones closely mimics each other.
Xiaomi has stated that the phone’s design was inspired by the Mi 11 Ultra from 2021. The company also mentioned that it did not skip the 16 series to match Apple’s ongoing chronology, even though they are planning to launch a Pro Max version as well.
Lu Weibang has stated that the 17 series will be available in China before October 1 and confirmed that they will be the first devices equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, which is due to be unveiled on September 23. The report also mentions that Xiaomi has secured a longer-than-usual exclusivity period for the chip, so users should not expect competing devices to launch before October.
The Xiaomi 17 Pro will be priced between CNY 5,000 and CNY 6,000 ($700 to $850), while the Pro Max will be priced between CNY 6,000 and CNY 7,000 ($850 to $1,000). These are Chinese market prices, and if these phones launch internationally, they are expected to cost significantly more.
According to the report, the new smaller screen added to the rear of the phone can be used for music control, displaying information and countdowns, and it can also act as a viewfinder, allowing you to elevate your selfies by using the rear cameras.
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