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Xiaomi 17T: Two-minute review

The Xiaomi 17T is an Android smartphone with an impressive spec, including prestigious Leica lenses in the camera.

It looks almost identical to the iPhone 16 Pro, sharing pretty much the same dimensions and camera design. The bright Violet colorway of my review unit did help to make it a little less anonymous, though.

The 17T seems well-made. The materials feel quite premium, but peer closely and you’ll see it’s not quite on the same level as the best phones. It’s by no means flimsy, but it doesn’t quite match the refinement of others.

The display is sharp, vivid, and bright — as you would expect from a 1.5K AMOLED. The 120Hz refresh rate makes motion smooth, too. However, shades of black are perhaps a little too muddled, making it hard to discern fine details in dark content.

Xiaomi makes much of the Leica lenses in its marketing for the 17T, and on the surface, it's right to. There are three rear cameras: a 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and 50MP 5x telephoto.

(Image credit: Future)

Taking photos is a breeze and the results are clear and vibrant, if not quite as stunning as those of other phone cameras. There are several AI features for shooting, but these are relatively basic compared to others — which I’m thankful for. There are also such features for the phone’s system as a whole, but again these are mercifully limited in scope.

The brand’s HyperOS is a superb instance of Android. It’s incredibly smooth and easy to navigate, free as it is from clutter or confusing UI elements. Numerous first-party apps come preinstalled, but they’re largely unintrusive. Many are poor substitutes for Google’s counterparts, although one or two are genuinely useful.

The overall performance of the 17T is excellent. Zipping between apps is seamless, while streaming Ultra HD content is entirely feasible. It’s even exceedingly capable when it comes to gaming, and best of all the unit keeps cool throughout all these tasks.

Battery life is also quite good. It lasted about three days straight on a single charge. And during this time, I used it for a variety of everyday tasks. Charging is quick, taking just over an hour to fully replenish the battery.

There’s no denying that the Xiaomi 17T offers plenty of performance and features for the price. There are a few niggles here and there, but not many Android phones offer better value for money.

Xiaomi 17T review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Starts from £649 (about $870 / AU$1,200)
• Available in the UK in various colors
• Reasonable price for the spec

The Xiaomi 17T starts from £649 (about $870 / AU$1,200) and is available now in the UK, but not currently in the US or Australia. Four colorways are available: black, white, violet, and blue. The base model features 256GB of storage, while the top model has 512GB, and costs £699 (about $940 / AU$1,300).

Given the spec, this is a reasonable price for an Android phone. It’s more expensive than the Xiaomi 15T, which features a less powerful processor, although it does have a bigger screen. It’s also more expensive than the Honor 600, which has similar specs, but doesn’t have as powerful a telephoto lens.

Xiaomi 17T review: Specs

Dimensions

6.20 x 2.96 x 0.32 inches / 157.6 x 75.2 x 8.2mm

Weight

7.1 oz / 200g

Screen

6.59-inch AMOLED

Resolution

2756 x 1268

Refresh rate

120Hz

Chipset

MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra

RAM

12GB

Storage

256GB / 512GB

OS

Android 16 (HyperOS 3)

Rear cameras

Main: 50MP (f/1.7); 5x Telephoto: 50MP (f/3.0); ultra-wide: 12MP (f/2.2)

Front camera

32MP (f/2.2)

Battery

6,500mAh

Charging

67W wired

Xiaomi 17T review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• iPhone-esque looks
• Well-made
• Included case is sufficient

At first glance, it’s hard to not see the similarities between the 17T and many iPhones — specifically, the iPhone 16 Pro. Both share virtually the same rounded corners, large square camera cluster, and dimensions. It weighs about the same, too, which is to say that it’s fine to hold and carry around in your pocket.

The design is neat and functional, if a little bland — although the Violet colorway of my review unit did lend some vibrancy. Every surface is flat and there are only three buttons: one for power and two for volume. The word ‘Xiaomi’ emblazoned on the back is quite small.

The 17T also comes with a case, which is a simple affair. It doesn’t feel particularly premium, but it should provide adequate protection for everyday use. I wouldn't trust it to protect the 17T from more extreme knocks and drops, though. Also, the case doesn't sit flush with or extend beyond the camera bezel; this part still sticks out, which means those lenses are more likely to take the brunt of any fall or slam.

Like the iPhone, the 17T feels quite premium in the hand. The body material is smooth to the touch and feels very solid. It’s not made from a single piece, though; the back panel is separate from the sides, and there is a small but noticeably gap in between the two, which is bound to fill with debris over time.

Xiaomi 17T review: Display

(Image credit: Future)

• Bright and vivid
• Sharp resolution
• Useful Reading Mode

The Xiaomi 17T features a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with a 1.5K (2756 x 1268) resolution. Given these specs, it’s no surprise that content looks sharp and vibrant, making it great for productivity and entertainment. The 3500 nits peak brightness means you’re never wanting for more brightness, either. However, I did notice that shades of black are a little unrefined, meaning that details in dark content can get lost.

With a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, the screen provides supremely smooth scrolling and navigation as you flit around app windows. In its default setting, the 17T will automatically switch between refresh rates based on scenario, in order to balance performance and power usage. However, you can fix this to 60Hz or 120Hz at all times, and can even set it on an app-by-app basis.

There’s also a Reading Mode that can be set to turn on at certain hours or toggled manually. It filters out blue light and adds a slightly grainy texture, similar to that of paper. I did find this helped when reading reams of text, but that graininess isn’t great when viewing other kinds of content.

However, you can adjust this texture using a slider, letting you disable it altogether. You can also adjust the strength of the blue light filter, and even change the output to black and white only.

In use, I found the screen a little grabby at times, with my fingers and thumbs sticking slightly as I scrolled up and down. However, the effect wasn’t too egregious, and a quick wipe often remedied the issue.

Xiaomi 17T review: Cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• 50MP rear cameras
• Ultrawide and 5x Telephoto lenses
• AI enhancements available

The Xiaomi 17T features three rear cameras with lenses made by Leica. Aside from the main lens, there’s an ultra-wide lens and a 5x telephoto lens. The main and telephoto lenses are capable of shooting at 50MP, although this drops to 12.5MP when selecting an aspect ratio other than 3:4, which is disappointing.

Given this impressive spec, it’s no wonder that the photos I shot turned out very well. They were sharp, and colors were vivid, although I can’t say they were as rich and as detailed as those taken with the best cameras phones. Shots that utilized the 5x zoom were great as well, although there was a slight but noticeable loss in clarity (we tested the Xiaomi 17T Pro's equivalent telephoto lens in detail elsewhere on TechRadar).

The camera app itself is easy to use. There are plenty of settings and adjustments available, and they’re readily available without digging too deep. On top of this, there is a range of filters available to change the tone, as well as a Beautify feature. There are various modes, too, such as a super macro mode for extreme close-ups, and a Pro mode that lets you make more advanced tweaks, from changing the ISO to setting the focus manually.

There are some AI features for shooting, but mercifully these aren’t as bloated or as useless as those on other smartphones. You can toggle AI recommendations, which can improve low-light and zoomed-in photos, among other automations.

Rather disconcertingly, there’s also a mole removal setting when taking selfies. As someone with moles on their face, I can say that this feature actually worked. Video can be shot in 1080p and at 30fps or 60fps. The results from my videos were smooth and sharp.

Xiaomi 17T review: Software

(Image credit: Future)

• HyperOS is excellent
• Xiaomi’s apps less so
• Various but basic AI features

Despite its terrible name, the Xiaomi 17T’s HyperOS is fantastic to use. It has a soft visual theme that’s easy on the eye, and it’s simple to navigate, thanks to the uncluttered and intuitive layout. There are also plenty of explanations for many of its settings. It’s fast and smooth, responding quickly to gestures and when switching between apps.

Unlike some Android phones, the Notification Bar and the Quick Settings panel are separated. Both are easy to access, though, since you simply drag down from the left to access the former, and from the right to access the latter.

(Image credit: Future)

The Quick Settings panel has plenty of actions on hand, including the aforementioned Reading Mode and a screenshot tool (if you don't like using the power and volume button combination). You can of course substitute the default actions with a plethora of others, and thanks to that aforementioned separation between the Notifications Bar and the Quick Settings, the 17T squeezes in more than other phones can. However, unlike some phones, you can’t have multiple pages of these actions.

There are numerous first-party apps preinstalled on the 17T, but unfortunately many of these aren’t very useful. This is a problem for every Android phone that isn’t made by Google, since you get an unnecessary doubling-up of many apps, from file managers and photo galleries to note-takers and calendars.

And as with virtually all of these ersatz apps, I can’t recommend any of them over Google’s equivalents, especially if you have a Google account and want to sync your data over the cloud. Xiaomi even has its own app store, Get Apps, but having pursued its selection, I’m not sure I would trust downloading any of them.

There are some useful first-party apps, though. There's an app called Mi remote, which can be used to control all sorts of devices from all kinds of brands. I was quite amazed that it worked with my Sony Bravia TV, which is over a decade old.

On top of this, there's the Security app, which can scan for viruses. I can’t speak to its effectiveness in this regard, but the app has other functions besides this, such as app management, battery monitoring, drive cleaning, and speed boosting.

The 17T also comes preinstalled with popular third-party apps, such as Amazon Shopping, Facebook, Spotify, TikTok, Instagram, and AliExpress, to name a few — and none of which I asked for when setting up the phone.

Since this is 2026, you won’t be surprised to hear that the 17T has AI features, too. Mercifully, these are basic and unobtrusive, and are largely confined to speech and text functions, including AI-generated subtitles.

Xiaomi 17T review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Fast for all kinds of tasks, even gaming
• Stays remarkably cool
• Interesting haptics

Perhaps the strongest aspect of the 17T is its performance. No matter the task, it handled it well. I managed to stream 4K content without a hitch. Meanwhile, switching between apps was seamless, no doubt thanks to the 12GB of RAM on board, which is quite high for a smartphone.

What impressed me even more, though, was how well it gamed. I managed to play graphics-heavy titles such as Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal and Asphalt Legends without issue. Both looked fantastic and ran as smoothly as I could’ve wished for. It also paired brilliantly with the GameSir X5 Lite, which is one of the best mobile controllers around in my view. Equally impressive was just how cool the 17T remained, with only the back warming up slightly.

One odd thing I noticed about the 17T, though, was its haptic response. It’s not bad, but I think it’s best described as springy, which is especially evident when typing. In one way, this prominent feeling is quite good for feedback, but it can feel like a slightly odd sensation at times, and is unlike the response from other smartphone haptics.

Connectivity also seemed to work well. I didn’t have a problem connecting to my Wi-Fi or to my Bluetooth earphones.

Xiaomi 17T review: Battery life

(Image credit: Future)

The battery life of the 17T is quite good. It lasted just over three days, during which time I used it for a whole host of tasks. This included streaming video, gaming, and web browsing, as well as connecting to Bluetooth earphones.

The battery saver feature turned on at 19%, and made the bold claim that it could eek out eight more hours. But this did indeed seem to be the case, which impressed me. Charging is quite quick, too, taking just over an hour to fully recharge.

Should I buy the Xiaomi 17T?Scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

Like the iPhone in pretty much every way, but it doesn’t exude that same premium feel.

3.5/5

Display

Sharp and vibrant, but shades of black are a little harsh. Can be a little grabby at times, too.

4/5

Software

HyperOS is superb, but most first-party apps are surplus to requirements. AI features are basic and functional.

4/5

Cameras

The Leica lenses impress, but photos aren’t quite as spectacular as those taken with the best phone cameras.

4/5

Performance

Capable of all kinds of tasks, even high-end mobile gaming. It stays remarkably cool, too.

4.5/5

Battery life

Lasts for several days on a single charge, and recharging is very quick.

4/5

Buy it if…

You want great performance
Streaming and high-end mobile gaming are possible with the 17T, and it doesn’t seem to break a sweat when doing either.

You want a great OS
HyperOS is slick, fast, and very easy to use. It’s one of the best instances of Android I’ve used.

Don't buy it if…

You want a unique design
The 17T is virtually indistinguishable from the best iPhone models, so you better be okay with that.

You want the very best phone camera
Don't get me wrong, the camera in the 17T is very capable and impressive, but there are a few that can beat it for camera quality and features.

Xiaomi 17T review: Also consider

Xiaomi 15T
Despite the lower model number, the 15T actually has a bigger display than the 17T, at 6.8 inches. Other than that, though, its specs are remarkably similar. The biggest difference between the two concerns the CPU: the 15T has the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra, while the 17T has the 8500 Ultra. Both have the same RAM, storage, and very similar camera arrays. However, the 15T only has a 2x Telephoto lens, whereas the 17T has 5x.

Read our full Xiaomi 15T review

Honor 600
Another budget-conscious Android phone, the Honor 600 eclipses its price tag in some key areas. We were impressed with its luminous display, long battery life, and capable AI features — although some are a little disconcerting. Like the 17T, though, it also has an uninspired design, ripped straight from the Apple playbook.

Read our full Honor 600 review

Xiaomi 17T Pro
If you're after a slightly more premium experience, the Xiaomi 17T Pro packs a larger display, a bigger battery, and a slightly more powerful chipset than its non-Pro sibling. Its camera setup is identical, however.

Read our full Xiaomi 17T Pro review

How I tested the Xiaomi 17T

I tested the 17T for several days, during which time I used it for a variety of tasks. I browsed the web using Google Chrome, streamed video on YouTube, including 4K content, and played demanding mobile games.

I also shot numerous photos, including those with the 5x Telephoto lens and the selfie camera, as well as video. I tried out as many of the phone’s features as I could, including its AI ones where possible. I also paired my Bluetooth earphones to test connectivity.

I’ve used numerous Android phones for over a decade, and currently use a Google Pixel 7a as my daily phone. I've also reviewed Android tablets.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: June 2026

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Jobber is not trying to be everything to everyone.

It's a CRM and field service management (FSM) platform built specifically for the people who keep the world running — plumbers, HVAC techs, landscapers, cleaners, and electricians. It makes no apologies for that narrow focus. After putting the platform through its paces in a live environment, I can say it largely delivers on its promise to its audience. Whether it delivers enough value at the price you'll actually pay, however, is a much more complicated question.

Jobber CRM: Plans and pricing

Jobber's pricing structure is split into individual plans and team plans, and this is where things get complicated fast. In June 2026, the entry point is the Core plan ($49 per month billed annually). For a solopreneur just starting out, it's a revelation. You get basic scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and the mobile app. It's enough to get you off paper and onto a screen.

But here's the kicker: Jobber is fantastic for solo operators, but as soon as you hire your first helper, the "Jobber Tax" kicks in. You are forced off that $49 solo plan and onto the Connect Team plan ($199 per month annually) just to give that new hire a login. That's nearly a 300% jump in overhead before your new employee has even picked up a wrench.

From there, the ladder continues:

Grow Team ($399 per month): Includes up to 10 users and adds job costing, two-way SMS, and automated quote follow-ups.

Plus ($699 per month): For up to 15 users; this is the "all-in" tier that finally includes the AI Receptionist and the Marketing Suite.

The "hidden" costs are what usually cause bill shock. Every user beyond your plan's included seats costs an additional $29 per month. A twenty-person team on the Plus plan, for instance, could easily be paying over $740 per month before you even look at payment processing fees.

Then there is the AI Receptionist ($99/mo add-on). It's a lifesaver for catching leads while you're under a sink, and in 2026, it's remarkably good at understanding accents and technical jargon. But don't expect it to do your outbound cold calling or complex project management — it's strictly an intake valve. For $99 a month, it's cheaper than a human, but it won't replace a real office manager when a job goes sideways, and you need to shuffle five crews at once.

Jobber CRM: Features

(Image credit: Jobber)

Jobber is built around the idea of letting field service businesses manage the entire lifecycle of a job from one screen. At this price point, it gets closer than most. Scheduling and dispatching use a drag-and-drop calendar that is remarkably fast. If a tech calls out sick, you can drag their entire day's worth of appointments onto another tech's column, and Jobber automatically asks if you want to notify the affected customers.

The mobile app is what your crews will actually live in. It lets them access job details, capture "before and after" photos, complete safety forms, and log their time. For 2026, Jobber has leaned heavily into "Tap to Pay." Techs can collect credit card payments directly on their phones without needing those finicky Bluetooth card readers that always seem to die in the middle of a job.

Client records are where the "CRM" part of the name earns its keep. You get a full service history, communication logs, and property-specific notes (like "gate code is 1234" or "dog is friendly"). The Client Hub is perhaps the best feature for reducing office overhead. It's a self-service portal where customers can view their quotes, approve work, and pay invoices. It effectively ends the "I never got the email" excuse.

However, Jobber's limits become clear when you look at the data. Quoting and invoicing are muscular — quotes support photos and "optional" add-ons that are great for upselling — but the reporting and analytics are surprisingly shallow. You can track revenue and basic job history, but if you want a detailed performance analysis across different service types or crews to see who is actually your most profitable tech, you'll find the tools frustratingly basic. You get the "what," but rarely the "why."

Jobber CRM: Getting set up

Jobber has put real effort into onboarding, clearly understanding that their users don't have time for a three-month implementation. A setup wizard walks you through the core configuration, and the platform is intuitive enough for non-technical business owners.

Importing existing client data via CSV is a standard affair, but the Jobber support team offers "white-glove" migration assistance on the Plus plan, which is a massive help if you're moving from a mess of spreadsheets. Most small teams are operational within 48 hours. This is the primary reason people choose Jobber over ServiceTitan — you can learn Jobber while you work, whereas ServiceTitan often requires pausing your business for a week of intensive training.

Jobber CRM: Ease of use

(Image credit: Jobber)

The Jobber dashboard is modern and clean, surfacing the most important information — today's schedule, outstanding quotes, and unpaid invoices — at a glance.

That said, the platform has some rough edges that only show up once you're in the field. The mobile app is mostly solid, but if you're working in a basement or a rural area with one bar of service, the syncing spinner can become your worst enemy. I've seen more than one technician get frustrated because a job photo they took in the field didn't actually hit the office dashboard until they got back to Wi-Fi.

There's also the lead-capture form. You can embed it on your business website, and it works, but it's remarkably inflexible in its layout. If you've spent money on a beautiful, custom-designed website, the Jobber form will stick out like a sore thumb because you can't easily style it to match your brand.

Jobber CRM: Support

Jobber provides chat and email support across all plans, with phone support available on Connect and above.

The Plus plan adds "Premium Support," which effectively moves you to the front of the line. Response times are generally praised in user reviews, and the help center is a goldmine of video walkthroughs. For a business owner who is usually fixing a leak or pruning a tree while trying to run an office, having a support team that actually picks up the phone is a major selling point.

Jobber CRM: Security and privacy

Jobber uses standard encryption for data during transit and at rest, and the platform is compliant with GDPR and CCPA. Role-based permissions allow you to control what your techs can see; for instance, you can let them see their schedule and customer notes without giving them access to the company's total bank balance or other crews' schedules.

While Jobber Payments is PCI compliant, the company is still relatively quiet on formal SOC 2 Type II certifications or public penetration testing results. For a local 10-person HVAC shop, what's here is more than enough. But for a larger enterprise looking to manage hundreds of technicians and high-value government contracts, the lack of published high-level security audits might be a sticking point.

Jobber CRM: The competition

Jobber's most direct rival is Housecall Pro. They sit at a similar price point and offer a nearly identical feature set. The choice between them usually comes down to "vibe" — Jobber feels a bit more modern and clean, while Housecall Pro often feels more feature-dense but cluttered.

Then there is the elephant in the room: ServiceTitan. It is the gold standard for large operations (50+ trucks), offering advanced dispatching, inventory management, and deep ROI tracking for marketing. ServiceTitan is significantly more powerful, but it's also dramatically more expensive and carries a learning curve that can break a small business.

FieldCamp and Tradify are newer, leaner options that compete on price, but they lack the massive integration library and established community that Jobber offers. For businesses already in the QuickBooks ecosystem, Jobber's integration is so tight that it's almost always the natural choice.

Jobber CRM: Final verdict

Jobber earns its reputation as the go-to platform for home service businesses that are ready to ditch the whiteboard. The combination of fast onboarding, a genuinely useful Client Hub, and a mobile app that your least tech-savvy tech can figure out in a lunch break makes it the easiest recommendation in its category for solo operators and small crews. The 2026 additions — particularly the improved AI Receptionist and Tap to Pay — show a company that understands what its users actually need in the field, not in a boardroom.

The pricing requires a clear warning: the jump from solo to team plans is sharp, and adding users or features quickly drives up the monthly cost well beyond the base price. It’s easy to be surprised by your bill if you don’t calculate future growth up front. Reporting is also weaker than that of some competitors. For a plumber, landscaper, or HVAC tech with a crew of fewer than 15, Jobber is the standard—but go in fully aware that costs scale quickly as your team grows.

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