What you need to know
- Xiaomi’s president, Lu Weibing, hosted a livestream overnight, announcing that the 17 series has shattered “first-sale” records minutes after going live.
- The true highlight here is the 17 Pro Max, which, like the 17 Pro, features a 2.1-inch Dynamic Back Display, according to Lu Weibing.
- Xiaomi states it plans to continue this design for future flagships due to the positive surge in market performance.
Xiaomi is reportedly pleased with its 17 series performance thus far, and it’s making a strong claim about the future of its phones.
The Chinese publication MyDrivers tuned into a livestream by Xiaomi’s president, Lu Weibing, where he revealed the early positive performance of the 17 series (via 9to5Google). In a livestream overnight, Lu Weibing revealed that the Xiaomi 17 series “broke the first-sale record” for phones in the Chinese market for 2025 (machine-translated). The series was so popular that records were broken merely five minutes after the devices went live for purchase.
The standout here is the 17 Pro Max, which Lu Weibing reportedly said broke “first-day sales” records and sales records for “domestic phones.”
While the 17 series boasts a few improvements over the 15 series, the true showstopper was the “Dynamic Back Display” on the 17 Pro and Pro Max. This is a 2.1-inch display on the back of the phone that wraps around its dual camera array, delivering a unique set of interactions that (in some ways) mirror a foldable experience. According to Lu Weibing’s statement during the livestream, it’s the rear display that’s caused such an influx of consumers migrating toward the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Pro Max.
As a result, the publication cites Lu Weibing in saying that Xiaomi will reportedly “continue to use” this Dynamic Back Display on future flagship phones. Additionally, the company is already planning to increase its R&D budget to ensure quality for the next wave that utilizes this extra screen.
Everything’s clicking now
The funny thing is that when confirmation was given that the Xiaomi 17 Pro would use a rear display, it brought us back several years to the Mi 11 Ultra. This device launched in 2021, and it had a rear display alongside its camera housing system. However, the display was vertical and small, only offering a glimpse of the time and date—the necessities, one might say.
It kind of feels like Xiaomi was ahead of its time with that device, as the tech that it has available now wasn’t like that back then. Now, with it surging ahead with foldables, it can bring those lessons learned and intelligence to the newer 17 series, a slab phone with a foldable touch.
The Chinese publication mentions that Xiaomi is already preparing even more updates for the Dynamic Back Display, as well.
We’ll have to wait for now to see what Xiaomi ends up cooking for next year’s launch. In the meantime, what we have are rumors that the company might release a Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Early rumors claim the device could support satellite text and calls, as well as an added 200MP camera with the expected 50MP trio.