Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has long focused on photography with its flagship Android phones, with versatile camera systems housed in large circular modules on the back. The freshly unveiled 17 series represents a real leap (perhaps it’s fitting the company skipped 16) to an entirely new design that’s more in line with other 2025 smartphones.
The Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max feature a second screen on the back that displays the time and notifications, can be used for selfies with the main camera, and can even run some games. Folding phones have made dual-screen designs familiar, but despite carving out a healthy niche, it’s clear the folding design (and price bracket) isn’t for everyone. But there are certain advantages to having more than one screen, and Xiaomi has distilled them into a surprisingly polished candy-bar package in the 17 Pro Max. The usefulness of this second screen is a bit hit and miss, but it's something different, and that's refreshing.
Second Screen
Photograph: Simon Hill
At first glance, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max is very on trend with a flat screen and a comfortable metal frame. Switching from Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL, I am struck by how similar the 17 Pro Max feels in hand, not unlike its Apple namesake. (And yes, Xiaomi switched its naming structure to mimic the latest iPhone to prevent being seen as a generation behind.)
The 17 series heralds an overdue design overhaul, ditching the circular camera carbuncle and switching to a rectangular lozenge with two prominent lenses on the left rising out of the touchscreen. Xiaomi calls it the Dynamic Back Display, and it’s around 2.5 x 1.8 inches, but the rounded corners and camera lenses eat into the usable space.
Xiaomi has limited the functionality and tailored content for its Dynamic Back Display. The second screen does five things: