MANILA, Philippines – Xiaomi has surprised the world of photography with its new phone, the Xiaomi 17T series. Built with a telephoto lens, this device that can fit in your pocket can now take the most gorgeous photo of the country’s most famous volcano from a distance.
Xiaomi’s partnership with Leica has created a photography-engineering marvel. I was stunned by the quality of photos this could produce and the insane zoom it can achieve.
Telephoto master
The Xiaomi 17T’s main selling point was its telephoto lens through Leica.
It was built to be a phone that’s made to capture everyday memories and expand the limits of phone photography.
I wanted to keep trying to test its limits. I wanted to see how far it can go, how steady it can be on a zoom, and how clear my photos could be.
The lens boasts up to 10x optical-grade zoom and up to 120x AI Ultra Zoom. In its maximum zoom, it does lose a few of its sharpness and its stability. Similar to that of a DSLR camera, a tripod or stabilizer can help with this.
The render, however, remains beautiful. Powered by Leica’s UltraPure optical design with a 1G + 6P hybrid Leica Summilux lens structure and AI, I saw how this can affect the final quality of the photo while zoomed in.
The bokeh is also one of the best I’ve seen on a phone.
To test how beginner friendly it is as well, I let my 10-year-old take photos with the Xiaomi 17T Pro. This is what he took:
The background remained sharp, while not losing the edges of the foreground as well. The Xiaomi 17T makes landscape photography easier, enjoyable, and one that even a kid could try.
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There are options to enter pro-mode for the professionals who can specify their needs, and the regular photo mode that can automatically adjust.
Xiaomi 17T vs. Xiaomi 17T Pro
The Xiaomi 17T Pro has minor differences with its external features.
The phone is slightly bigger as the 17T’s height is at 157.6mm; the 17T Pro is at 162.2mm, but the weight won’t feel too different.
The 17T Pro comes in three colors: black, deep violet, and deep blue, and the 17T has black, opal white, and blue, and violet.
Internally, the Xiaomi 17T Pro has added specs that maximizes its camera capabilities. It can capture live moments in 4K and an enhanced low-light, night-time viewing.
The phone for beginner photographers
The 17T series are for those that love to capture moments. It’s a beginner photographer’s start to any kind of photography: profiles, landscape, urban, and more.
It’s unique in its focus for the visual experience.
While it’s capable for gaming, simple office work-on-the-go, or casual social media scrolling; but its main highlight is its camera.
Check out the full specs here: Xiaomi 17T Pro | Xiaomi 17T
The Xiaomi 17T Pro 12GB+512GB is priced at PHP 47,999, the 12GB+256GB variant will be available exclusively on Shopee for PHP 45,999.
The Xiaomi 17T comes in two variants: 12GB+512GB for PHP 37,999 and 12GB+256GB for PHP 33,999.