Xiaomi’s mid-range Redmi Note phones have always done well at Stuff. Some are better than others, but generally they’re an easy recommendation to budget buyers. If the upcoming Redmi Note 17 series — Xiaomi is reportedly skipping the ’16’ — is anything like its brethren, we may have another winner on our hands.
Of course, it’s got to get out of China before we can decide that. As always, Xiaomi’s home country will get a turn to play first before it lands in South Africa. Earlier this month, Xiaomi confirmed that the Redmi Note 17 and Note 17 Pro would debut in China later this month — 14 July, to be specific. The company’s playing coy with the chip that’ll power the Note 17, but it has confirmed a couple of other key specs in the meantime.
Xiaomi’s taking notes
First, Xiaomi confirmed the Redmi Note 17 would be powered by an 8,000mAh battery. It’s an even better showing where the Note 17 Pro is concerned, which will pack a 9,000mAh cell under what we imagine is an all-plastic back cover.
Even if Xiaomi doesn’t want to spill the beans about the chipset, Geekbench has no such qualms. A Xiaomi device with the model number 2607DRA18C was recently spotted in the Geekbench database. Through methods you’d rather not understand, it’s believed to be the Note 17 — sporting the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 chipset. Other rumours point to the Note 17 Pro being powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 SoC. Sounds ’bout right.
The star of the show is the massive 7in OLED display, which Xiaomi confirmed would support a 120Hz refresh rate and go up to 1,200 nits brightness. It’s still unclear whether the Note 17 Pro will stick with the same screen, or up the ante. We’re betting it won’t see any sort of change. The company also confirmed a 50MP rear camera.
