Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Redmi Note 17 series just got two new devices – the Note 17 Pro and Note 17 Pro Max. Today, we have the Note 17 Pro with us. Like the Note 15 Pro launched in January this year, the Note 17 Pro fits right in the middle of the line-up with a starting price of Rs 36,999.
But this also puts the Redmi Note 17 Pro at risk of being an awkward middle child that might get forgotten in front of its two other siblings, Note 17 and Note 17 Pro Max. To ensure that the Note 17 Pro grabs your attention, Xiaomi – like any other Note series phone – has focused on a bunch of areas. Is that enough? Let’s find out in our full review here at India Today Tech.
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Redmi Note 17 Pro design
Like the base Note 17, the Note 17 Pro takes a different design approach than its predecessor. You now get a square-ish camera module on the top right, which gets an additional pill-shaped element for the cameras. While this looks familiar to the Note 17, the raised pill-shaped design for the cameras reminds me of the Poco X8 Pro Max that we saw earlier this year. That is not a bad thing though.
The Cloud Blue shade we have with us looks quite interesting – as the name suggests, you get cloud-like elements on the back which may appeal to some. It also does not pick up smudges or fingerprints. Though the back and the flat frame are made of plastic.
At 8.6mm, the Redmi Note 17 Pro is not too thick considering the large battery inside – more on that in a while. But at 226 grams, it is not exactly lightweight. You do get used to the weight after some time.
The Note 17 Pro also gets IP66/IP68/IP69/IP69K ratings for dust and water resistance. This gives you a piece of mind, allowing you to use the phone even during rain, for that matter.
Redmi Note 17 Pro display and sound
On the front, the Redmi Note 17 Pro packs a 6.83-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate – something you expect at this price. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The bezels around the display are quite uniform – thankfully no chin here – with a punch-hole for the selfie camera. There is also an optical fingerprint scanner which is decent enough.
While the display has a peak brightness of 3,500 nits, in high brightness mode (HBM), you can get up to 2,000 nits. I found that even while using the Note 17 Pro outdoors, the screen remained legible. I was able to see the contents on the screen without having to squint my eyes even under direct sunlight.
Xiaomi says that the Note 17 Pro uses a 12-bit panel that can display over 68 billion colours. As default, the phone ships with Vibrant colour mode which boosts colours, but you can switch to the more natural “Standard” scheme. There is also Dolby Vision support.
While streaming videos or content, the Redmi Note 17 is quite decent. The colours are punchy and there is Dolby Atmos support for its stereo speakers. You also get Full HD support on Netflix, but you miss out on HDR on Netflix as well as YouTube. Coming back to the speakers, there is also a 300 per cent boost mode which is quite loud but may feel a little low on clarity.
Redmi Note 17 Pro performance
In terms of performance, the Redmi Note 17 Pro uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 chipset. This is paired with LPDDR4X RAM and either UFS 3.1 on the 256GB variant or UFS 2.2 storage on the 128GB model. At this price, the competition is tough though. The OnePlus Nord CE 6, for instance, uses the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, while the Nothing Phone 4b uses the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 – slightly more powerful than what you get on the Note 17 Pro.
Though you also have phones like the Realme 16, that comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 6400 chipset.
But specs only tell part of a story. In day-to-day use, I found that the Redmi Note 17 Pro was able to handle most everyday tasks well. Apps opened quite quickly and animations were not skipped either. Even while using the cameras while having navigation and Bluetooth on, the Note 17 Pro did not run out of breath for the most part. On some occasions, I noticed that the Note 17 Pro was able to perform better than the Poco X8 Power, which uses the more powerful Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 SoC. Though during longer sessions, you do feel it start to struggle.
In essence, the device can keep up if you use your phone for routine tasks such as scrolling Reels, browsing the web, or texting your friends. You can do some gaming too. The Note 17 Pro can play COD Mobile at Ultra frame rate on Low graphics. While it does not heat up, you may notice frame drops after some time.
On the benchmark front, the Note 17 Pro scores just over 9,00,000 on AnTuTu 12. On Geekbench 7, the device got a score of 822 points in single-core and 2,422 points in multi-core.
Redmi Note 17 Pro battery
This brings us to battery life. Xiaomi has packed in a massive 9,000mAh battery in the Note 17 Pro, making it one of the biggest that you can get in a smartphone today. And it shows. During my time with the device, usually, I was able to make it till bedtime with about 45 to 50 per cent left in the tank. My usage included a lot of social media, web browsing, navigation, and Bluetooth.
That is to say, if your phone usage is similar, the Redmi Note 17 Pro can potentially be a two-day phone. However, even while using the phone for gaming and taking a lot of photos and videos, it still had ample juice to stare at a day’s end. While this does give the Note 17 Pro an edge over devices like the Nothing Phone 4b, phones like the iQOO Z11 come with similarly sized batteries. The Poco X8 Power and Realme P4 Power go a step further with 10,000mAh cells.
To top up the Note 17 Pro, you get a 67W charger in the box. It takes around 90 minutes to fully charge the phone, which is okay considering the large battery. There is also 22.5W reverse wired charging support. This can be useful if you need to charge your friend’s phone when you are outside, or to top up your earbuds.
Redmi Note 17 Pro cameras
The Redmi Note series has always brought decent cameras. This time around, the Note 17 Pro packs in two cameras on the back – a 50-megapixel main with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and an 8-megapixel ultrawide. Granted that this may seem like a downgrade from the 200-megapixel unit we saw on the Note 15 Pro, but its the camera sensor and image processing that really makes the difference in any phone.
The Note 17 Pro can deliver quite decent results though. You can get decent detail in shots and the colours look appealing too. As expected, there is some smoothening of skin tones in images. Even at 2x digital zoom, the phone is able to retain details which is nice to see.
The 8-megapixel ultrawide can give you some usable shots too, with not a lot of distortion in results compared to the main sensor.
On the front, the Redmi Note 17 Pro uses a 16-megapixel selfie camera. Given the right lighting, the front camera can give you some good shots. There is some beautification, but it doesn’t feel too aggressive. In portrait mode, the edge detection also works well. Though in tricky lighting conditions, some shots may seem a bit overexposed.
Click on any image below to view the entire image gallery
In terms of video recording you get support for up to 1080p at 30FPS across all sensors. There is no 60FPS mode or 4K. The footage from the main camera is fine for some occasional shoots, but nothing to write home about.
Redmi Note 17 Pro user experience
The Note 17 Pro runs on Android 16-based HyperOS 3. Xiaomi is promising 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches – the phone should go all the way to Android 20. This is good to see, as it helps improve the longevity of the device.
Coming to the UI itself, there is not much to talk about if you are familiar with HyperOS. You get the same menus, theme options, and more. This is not a bad thing. HyperOS has its own fanbase and the Note 17 Pro continues to give the same experience. Although you do not get a depth effect on the homscreen – just like the vanilla Note 17.
As is the case with most Redmi phones, you do get a bunch of pre-installed apps including the Indus Appstore – this app in particular cannot be uninstalled. While HyperOS gets a lot of things right, ColorOS and OriginOS still feel a league above. Apart from that, there is an IR blaster and NFC support. You also get Xiaomi Offline Communication support allowing you to call a nearby Xiaomi device without a cellular network.
Redmi Note 17 Pro verdict: Should you buy it?
Now, let’s come to the verdict – should you buy the Redmi Note 17 Pro? The answer really depends on what you want from your phone. The Note 17 Pro gets plenty right. The display is good, and the speakers aren’t bad either. The battery life is one of the highlights and there is IP69K for durability. Though there are some quirks. The performance is just not up to the mark when compared to some rivals, and the cameras could’ve been better.
That is to say, the Redmi Note 17 Pro can be your pick if you want a phone that focuses on battery life and can deliver a decent streaming experience – be it watching YouTube or Instagram Reels. At a time when smartphone prices are going through the roof, the Note 17 Pro does deliver on a lot of what today’s buyer wants. But just don’t expect it to be the same value you once got from a phone like the Redmi Note 10 Pro.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
