Xiaomi 17T and 17T Pro: giant batteries, MediaTek chips, and a steep price hike

Xiaomi's T-series has long been the smart buyer's shortcut to near-flagship performance at a saner price. That era looks to be ending. A detailed leak from Dealabs puts the Xiaomi 17T at €749 (256GB) and the 17T Pro at €999 (512GB) — both roughly €100 more than their predecessors — with a May 2026 launch, four months ahead of the T-series' usual September window.

The hardware

The standard 17T pairs a 6.59-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel (1268×2756) with a MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra chip, 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and UFS 4.1 storage in 256GB or 512GB configurations. It weighs 200g and measures 158×75×8mm.

The 17T Pro steps up to a 6.83-inch 144Hz display and the Dimensity 9500 — MediaTek's current top-end processor, positioned to rival Qualcomm's best. Both phones run Android 16 with Xiaomi's HyperOS 3 skin.

Notably absent: Qualcomm Snapdragon silicon, which featured in previous T-series models. The switch to MediaTek across both tiers is a deliberate move to differentiate the 17T line from the Xiaomi 17 and 17 Ultra flagships.

The battery leap

The biggest story here is capacity. The 17T carries a 6,500mAh cell with 67W wired charging. The 17T Pro goes further — 7,000mAh, 100W wired, and 50W wireless. That's a record for the T-series, and puts the Pro among the highest-capacity mainstream flagships available.

Camera hardware follows a similar split: the 17T uses a 50MP Light Fusion 800 main sensor, while the Pro gets the newer Light Fusion 950 with an f/1.74 aperture. Both share a 50MP 5× optical zoom telephoto, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 32MP front camera.

The price shift

At €749–€999, the 17T line is no longer budget-adjacent. Per Tech Advisor, UK pricing is expected around £649 for the 17T and £865 for the Pro — putting the Pro within striking distance of the base iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S25. That's new territory for a series that built its reputation on undercutting the premium tier.

Whether the massive batteries and upgraded chips justify the cost depends on how you weigh brand cachet against specs-per-pound. Xiaomi UK availability and exact retail pricing remain unconfirmed; an official announcement is expected around April or May 2026.