A week ago, a set of leaked images revealed a yet-to-be-released Xiaomi phone with a display on the rear. Now, the company has confirmed that it will be launching smartphones with a small secondary screen this month. More specifically, these devices are the Pro and Pro Max variants of the Xiaomi 17 flagship series.
In a Weibo post, the brand shared a brief video teaser showcasing the phones. Just as we’ve seen in the leak, the large camera bump spans the width of the devices. Aside from housing two of the three rear cameras, this bump features the secondary display. Unlike in the Mi 11 Ultra, this display fills the entire camera island, minus the cutouts for the lenses.
While Xiaomi did not offer any more details on what it calls the “Magic Back Screen”, the video includes a few of its applications. Among these options are watch faces, notifications, as well as a camera viewfinder. These capabilities aren’t exactly new, since flip phones like the brand’s own Mix Flip 2 come equipped with such features on their cover screens. Still, the company may have some surprises in store.
Of course, the Xiaomi 17 branding is probably a bit of a head-scratcher, given the fact that the lineup’s predecessor is the Xiaomi 15 series. Apparently, skipping the “16” is a deliberate choice, as stated by Xiaomi President Lu Weibing. A reason for this change is that the company seeks to position the Xiaomi 17 series as a rival to Apple’s freshly launched iPhone 17 lineup.
(Source: Xiaomi [1], [2])
