Last night, Johannesburg played host to Xiaomi’s higher-ups as the company unveiled the Redmi Note 17 Series. Comprising the Redmi Note 17, Note 17 Pro, and Note 17 Pro Max, the trio represents Xiaomi’s mid-range smartphone line in the country. All of ’em are 5G-capable, with the cheapest of the lot starting at R10,000.
Xiaomi hasn’t priced buyers out of the rest of the line-up either. The midder-range Redmi Note 17 Pro will set you back R13,000 locally, while the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max is available for R16,000. Whether they’re actually worth the investment is another matter entirely, one that we’ll only determine after spending more time with them.
Redmi Note 17
At first glance, though, the offering seems… decent. We’re specifically talking about the Redmi Note 17, the only member with a (technically) four-digit price tag in the country. It’s most proud of the 7,700mAh battery under the hood, though the Note 17 Pro and Pro Max will do their best to convince you that you need a larger battery.
Also worthy of note is the larger-than-average 6.99in FHD+ AMOLED display, which tops out at 120Hz. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 SoC powering the device — accompanied by 6GB RAM and 256GB storage — is admittedly a little disappointing. Here’s hoping that it’ll at least fly through the basics, even if gaming is out of the question.
Xiaomi’s cut corners in the camera department to make that price attainable. Only one 50MP shooter sits on the rear, offering video recording at 1080p at 30fps. Flip it ’round, and you’ll get your selfie shots from the 16MP sensor under the display. A word of warning: you’ll want to keep the Redmi Note 17 away from large bodies of water. The IP65 rating won’t be much use there. The Redmi Note 17 is available for R10,000 starting 9 October.
Redmi Note 17 Pro
For an extra R3,000, the Redmi Note 17 Pro appears to be a genuinely solid upgrade from where we’re standing. The biggest upgrade is easily the 8,340mAh battery powering the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 chipset. Xiaomi’s 67W ‘HyperCharge’ standard also means it’ll charge faster than its brethren. 22.5W wireless charging is also an option.
Two cameras take up real estate on the rear, sharing the same 50MP sensor as the cheaper Note 17. The Pro kicks it up a notch, adding Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) into the mix. It’s joined by an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, too, while the front is home to the same 16MP front-facing sensor found on the more budget model.
You’ll look at your photographic marvels through the Note 17 Pro’s slightly more compact 6.83in display. It’s still an AMOLED affair, not sporting a 1.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Present it with HDR content, and it’ll get as bright as 3,500 nits. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 Pro can be had for R13,000, starting 9 October.
Redmi Note 17 Pro Max
The most expensive of the bunch is also the most competent. The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max lives up to that name with a 10,000mAh battery and 100W wired charging. We’d have liked to see a ‘Max’ display, but the recycled 1.5K 6.83in AMOLED will do the job just fine, we guess. It’ll go as high as 3,500 nits, too, to complete the picture.
It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max is also the most robust. It’s got the 4nm Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 to keep it plugging away. 8GB of RAM is also an upgrade, though Xiaomi’s kept storage to a minimum. Unlike the regular Note 17, this one doesn’t support expandable storage via an SD card slot.
Finally, rounding out the device is yet another dual-camera set-up, led by the 50MP primary shooter. It’s also joined by the same 8MP ultra-wide that Pro buyers will get. The selfie camera has, at least, seen an update, now offering a 32MP sensor under the display. The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max is on sale for R16,000, starting 9 October.
