Xiaomi 17T review: Rs 69,999 phone balances camera, battery and display

The number of people buying premium smartphones has risen sharply in the past few years. Buyers no longer look only for a fast processor or a good camera; they want a phone that offers value in every respect. As a result, people are looking for strong performance, a capable camera and a dependable battery not just below Rs 50,000 but also in the Rs 70,000 to Rs 75,000 range. The Xiaomi 17T, with a starting price of Rs 69,999, is one such phone. The reviewer used it for a few months.

The design is simple and premium. The phone does not look flashy, but feels solid in the hand. The frame is plastic, yet the finish does not feel cheap. The weight is well balanced, so the phone does not strain the hand over long use. It has Gorilla Glass 7i protection and an IP68 rating, meaning Xiaomi has left little out on dust and water resistance. The in-display fingerprint sensor is also fast.

The phone has a 6.59-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, counted among its best features. Colours look vivid and bright, and the screen is easy to use even in strong sunlight. The auto-brightness could have been somewhat better. The 12-bit panel renders colours very well, and watching films and web series on OTT platforms is enjoyable, especially HDR content. The drawback is that the display is not LTPO. The 120Hz refresh rate stays on for long stretches even when not needed, which can affect the battery.

The processor is the MediaTek Dimensity 8500-Ultra. It is not a flagship-class chip, but it is powerful enough for everyday tasks and gaming. Apps open quickly, multitasking runs smoothly and there is no major problem in normal use. In gaming, BGMI can run at up to 120fps on high settings. After about 30 minutes of play the phone became slightly warm, but heat management is good. Frame drops were occasionally seen in long gaming sessions.

The phone has a large 6,500mAh battery. With social media, browsing, photography, messaging and YouTube, testing gave about 9 hours of screen-on time. Gaming drains the battery somewhat faster, but the phone still lasts the full day. It comes with a 67W charger, which takes a little over 40 minutes to charge from 10 to 100 per cent. For a battery this large, that is a good result.

The camera is one of the phone's highlights. It has a triple camera system developed with Leica. In daylight, pictures are detailed and vivid. The colours look suitable for posting on social media, and the image processing has a slight cinematic feel. Portrait mode is particularly good. Even indoors, skin tone, detail and background separation are excellent, and portrait shots at 1x, 2x and 5x can give very good results.

The camera is not perfect. Lens flare can be pronounced when pointing it towards a bright light source, and close-up shots do not always give consistent results. It also lacks an AI feature to remove objects from pictures.

The strengths listed are the portrait camera, the AMOLED display, smooth everyday performance, good gaming, long battery life, fast 67W charging and the IP68 rating. The shortcomings include the absence of an LTPO display, lens flare in bright light, no AI eraser, occasional frame drops in long gaming sessions and the auto-brightness.

Overall, the Xiaomi 17T is not a phone that relies on a single strength. The camera, display, performance and battery together give a good experience. For those who want a good camera, dependable performance and a long-lasting battery for around Rs 70,000, it is a strong option. There are some minor flaws, but the whole package is very good. The review rates it 8.5 out of 10.