Redmi Note 17 Pro and Pro Max with large Si/C batteries and Snapdragon 6 chips are here
The Redmi Note 17 series is launching globally – these smartphones differ slightly from the Note 17 models we saw in China, which will soon be available in India. We’re focusing here on the two Pro models, but Xiaomi has also unveiled the Redmi Note 17 5G and 4G.
Redmi Note 17 Pro
The Redmi Note 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are the successors to the Redmi Note 15 Pro and 15 Pro+ from the end of last year. Both feature a 6.83-inch OLED display and, this year, offer even larger batteries with faster charging. Both Redmi smartphones are equipped with a Snapdragon 6-series processor. However, the 200-megapixel cameras of the previous generations are missing.
The Redmi Note 17 Pro features an 8,340 mAh silicon-carbon battery – a significant upgrade from the 6,580 mAh battery of the 15 Pro. According to Xiaomi, the smartphone allows for up to 28 hours of video playback on a single charge. The increased capacity is complemented by a faster 67-watt HyperCharge system (up from 45 watts), which charges the battery to 50% in just 34 minutes. The smartphone also supports 22.5W reverse charging, allowing you to charge other devices and even other smartphones.
The Pro model features a 6.83-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 2772 pixels and a 120 Hz refresh rate. It displays 12-bit color and reaches a brightness of up to 3500 nits. It is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The display is essentially identical to that of the Redmi Note 15 Pro, but offers slightly higher brightness.
The smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 chipset, which replaces the Dimensity 7400 Ultra of the previous model. It is available with 6 GB, 8 GB, or 12 GB of RAM (LPDDR4X) and 128 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB of internal storage. All variants except the base model with 128 GB use UFS 3.1, while the base model uses UFS 2.2.
Redmi Note 17 Pro Max
The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max has the same dimensions as the Pro model. The “Max” refers to the larger 9,210 mAh battery with 16% silicon. According to the manufacturer, the smartphone allows for 37 hours of video playback, 19 hours of gaming, and 13 hours of video recording. This is a significant improvement over the 6,500 mAh battery of the Redmi Note 15 Pro+.
Speaking of which, the Max features the same 100-watt HyperCharge function as the 15 Pro+. With the increasing capacities of silicon/carbon batteries, these higher charging speeds are becoming increasingly important. According to Xiaomi, a single 20-minute charge is enough for a full day. Reverse charging is also slightly more powerful at 27 watts.
The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max uses the same 6.83-inch OLED display as the Pro. However, it’s equipped with a newer Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 chipset. This is based on a 4nm process from TSMC, instead of Samsung’s 4nm process like the 6s Gen 4. Both chips use the same CPU configuration with 4x Cortex-A78 + 4x A55 cores, though the Gen 5 has a slightly higher clock speed. It also features a slightly more powerful GPU (Adreno 812 versus 710).
Xiaomi has equipped the 256GB and 512GB versions of the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max with UFS 4.1 chips, enabling sequential read/write speeds of up to 2,100 MB/s. The 128GB version with UFS 2.2, however, only reaches 1,000 MB/s. There is one special feature here, which we will discuss in our review: the RAM is either 8GB or 12GB LPDDR4X.
The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max’s display is also protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Both smartphones are certified to IP66 (water jet protection) and IP68 (immersion protection). However, there is no IP69K certification this time. Xiaomi advertises superior water resistance: the smartphones are said to withstand 72 hours at a depth of 3 meters, compared to 24 hours at a depth of 2 meters for the 15 Pro. Despite different battery capacities, both devices weigh almost the same – 223 g for the Pro and 225 g for the Pro Max. Their thickness is also identical at 8.6 mm.
Both smartphones feature stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. However, the Max is significantly louder with a 400% volume boost compared to the regular Pro’s 300%. There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, but the Pro Max does have Bluetooth 6.0, while the Pro has 5.1. The Pro Max also offers better connectivity thanks to Wi-Fi 6 (compared to Wi-Fi 5 in the Pro). Both smartphones support NFC and dual SIM with optional eSIM.
Another area where the Pro Max has the edge is the camera. Unfortunately, it lacks the 200MP sensors and their zoom function. Instead, both 17-inch Pro models feature 50MP main cameras with optical image stabilization (OIS) and 8MP ultrawide cameras.
The Pro Max’s advantage lies in its larger sensor – it features 0.8 µm pixels compared to the Pro’s 0.6 µm pixels – and its brighter f/1.5 aperture (compared to f/1.8). It also boasts a superior 32 MP selfie camera (f/2.2 lens, 4K video) compared to the Pro’s 16 MP selfie camera (f/2.4). Both smartphones ship with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 3 and receive six years of security updates.
Prices
The Redmi Note 17 Pro is available in five storage options starting at €400/US$400. It comes in four colors: Sky Blue, Satin Orange, Purple, and Black. The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max also offers four storage options starting at €500/US$500. It is still available in Purple and Black, with the other two colors being Cloud Pink and Green.
