Redmi’s new Note series is finally here. The base model in the lineup flaunts a massive 6.9-inch OLED display, a 50MP main camera, an 8,000mAh battery pack, and a Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 chipset under the hood. It is priced at Rs 28,000, which is a bit steep when you consider the specs, but this is where we remind you that smartphone prices across the board have gone up due to the ongoing global RAM shortage. With that in mind, let’s dive into our review of the Redmi Note 17 and investigate if it is worth its price tag.
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In This Article
Redmi Note 17 Review: Design and Display
Box Contents
- Smartphone
- 45W power adapter
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Opaque silicone cover
- SIM ejector
- Quick start guide
The plastic back panel of the Note 17 has rounded edges and corners. We got the ‘Starlight Purple’ colour variant for this review. It has a charming starry trail design on the back. There’s some colour gradient action going on as well. The squarish camera island also has curved edges and corners. It houses the main camera and the LED flash.
The volume rocker and the side button are positioned on the right edge of the frame. At the bottom lie the hybrid SIM tray (with microSD support), microphone, USB-C port, and speaker grille. The IR blaster is placed at the top. The smartphone weighs 225g and is 8.4mm thick. Xiaomi hasn’t specified the endurance or water resistance chops of this phone, but it says the device is built to handle daily knocks, water splashes, and dust.
The 6.9-inch OLED display is the star of the show. This massive panel has a 120Hz refresh rate and can reach 1,800 nits of peak brightness. In bright outdoor conditions, it is able to maintain decent legibility. The touch response is smooth and satisfying. The under-display fingerprint sensor works fine. Our only issue with the screen is that it has a thick lower bezel, which makes it look dated.
During the review period, we used the Redmi Note 17 to stream a bunch of TV shows and movie titles on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and JioHotstar. The OLED panel produced brilliant visuals with lots of details and rich colours. Being an OLED display, its blacks were deep, and the contrast was sharp. The single, bottom-firing speaker produced a decent audio output, but at this price point, we were expecting a dual-speaker setup.
Redmi Note 17 Review: Performance and Cameras
At the core of the Redmi Note 17 lies the Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 chipset. The smartphone gets 128GB UFS 2.2 storage, which can be expanded using a microSD card. There are 2 LPDDR4X RAM options on offer:
- 6GB: Rs 27,999
- 8GB: Rs 30,999
Here’s how the smartphone performed in common benchmark tests.
- AnTuTu 3D Lite: 717,797
- Geekbench 6: 953 (single-core) | 2,336 (multi-core)
The benchmark numbers may not seem super impressive on paper, but the smartphone does a good job of handling everyday tasks like calling, instant messaging, emailing, web browsing, social media scrolling, media streaming, and navigation. Since it uses a slower UFS 2.2 storage configuration, apps take fractionally longer to load, which becomes immediately noticeable. The good news is that multitasking is a breeze on the 8GB RAM variant, which we use for this review. The 6GB model may throw the odd stutter your way when you’ve got multiple things going on at the same time.
You can play games like BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile on the Redmi Note 17. The gameplay is decent if you limit yourself to medium to low graphics and frame rate settings. Anything above that will result in frame drops. The 10,416mm² cooling area does a good job managing the internal temperature of the phone. We noticed the first signs of warmth along the back panel after the 15-minute mark.
The Note 17 runs Android 16 out of the box. Xiaomi’s HyperOS 3 skin is one of the finer ones we’ve seen on Android devices. While it does have a fair bit of bloatware, we like the charming lock screen and home page themes and the customisation options that follow them. The skin also feels very light and well-optimised.
You also get an IR blaster with the native Mi Remote app. You can use it to control everyday appliances like TVs, ACs, and more. It is a small touch, but it goes a long way. Xiaomi has promised 4 major OS updates and 6 years of security patches for this phone. For a midrange device, it is a pretty impressive commitment.
The 8,000mAh Si/C battery pack is the other big highlight apart from the display. It comfortably lasts a day and then some more. If you’re a casual user whose screen time doesn’t exceed 5 hours, you can push the battery life up to 2 days. The 45W power adapter takes just over an hour to fully charge the phone. The battery also supports 22.5W reverse wired charging, in case your friend’s phone needs a little top-up.
There are 2 cameras on this phone – a 50MP primary shooter and an 8MP selfie lens. The rear camera captures good pictures in outdoor daylight conditions. The images showcase vivid colours and all the important details. The dynamic range leaves more to be desired, but it is not a deal breaker at all. Images in limited lighting conditions are dim and grainy, despite Night Mode doing its best to salvage things.
Portraits taken by the Redmi Note 17 are vibrant and well-focused, but there’s little to no background blur in them. The 8MP front-facing camera captures clear selfies, but they seem a bit overprocessed. The two cameras can record 1,080p videos at 30fps. There is no option for recording 4K footage.
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Verdict
The Redmi Note 17 is a good phone for casual users who want a big display, versatile battery life, and a reliable main camera. Its OLED panel curates a great viewing experience. The 8,000mAh battery pack can last up to 2 days if you’re slightly conservative with your usage. The 50MP main camera takes good shots in well-lit conditions. You also get 6 years of security patches, which is pretty remarkable for a phone in this price bracket. The IR blaster is a nice addition too. Having said that, we would’ve liked a trimmed lower bezel, 4K video recording capabilities, and a dual-speaker setup on this phone.
Pros
- Big display
- Nice design
- 8,000mAh battery
- IR blaster
- 6 years of security patches
Cons
- Single speaker
- Main camera can’t record 4K videos
- Thicker lower bezel
