Review of the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max 5G Smartphone

Included in the box are the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max 5G, a basic phone case, and a 100W charging block with a detachable USB-C cable. Unlike many North American brands, Redmi continues to provide essential accessories with their devices.

The phone features a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 display and comes with a pre-installed screen protector. It can withstand drops from up to 3 meters and is rated IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K for water and dust resistance. Weighing 229.5 grams, it is available in cloud blush, green, purple, and black.

The display is a 6.83-inch CrystalRes AMOLED with a resolution of 2772×1280, a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, and peak brightness of 3500 nits. It supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, while the dual speakers provide Dolby Atmos audio, enhancing the overall multimedia experience.

Powering the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max 5G is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 Mobile Platform Chipset, featuring an octa-core processor and Adreno 812 GPU. The model tested includes 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, which can be extended to 12GB with an additional 4GB.

The device operates on Xiaomi's HyperOS 3, incorporating Xiaomi HyperAI for features like AI writing and speech recognition, along with access to Google Gemini.

The camera setup includes a 50MP main lens, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 32MP front camera. It allows for video recording at up to 4K/30fps or 1080p/60fps. While the main and selfie cameras produce appealing images, the portrait mode struggles with edge detection and sometimes blurs parts of the subject, such as accessories.

Battery performance is one of the standout features, boasting a 10,000mAh capacity. Everyday use can reportedly last several days without a charge, even with demanding tasks. For heavy users, the 100W charger can fully recharge the phone in about an hour.

Gaming performance is generally strong; during testing with the game Wuthering Waves, the phone remained smooth, though it did generate some heat during extended sessions, which did not substantially affect gameplay.

Benchmark testing using Geekbench 7 resulted in a Single-Core score of 872 and a Multi-Core score of 2959. The GPU score was 3308, while AnTuTu scored the device at 964502. While these metrics may be slightly disappointing given the new chipset, user experience remains a key consideration, and the phone performs well in daily tasks.

At a price of $499 USD, the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max 5G presents a compelling option in the smartphone market, offering longevity, optimization, and a wide range of features that should appeal to many users.