Leaked Xiaomi 17 'Pro' render might entice you with its huge external screen

What you need to know

• A report from a Chinese social media post highlights Xiaomi's sudden profile picture change to a suspected upcoming device.
• Rumored to be the Xiaomi 17 series, the rendering leak showcases a device with a huge external display on its real panel around two camera, similar to a foldable.
• A live hands-on image of the device was previously leaked, but a recent post by Xiaomi's head, Lu Weibing, claims the 17 series will launch "this month."

Another report from a Chinese social media website claims to have discovered an alleged look at Xiaomi's next flagship phone.

A post on Weibo by Why Lab highlighted the sudden appearance of the Xiaomi 17 or 17 Pro, courtesy of the company's official account. The company has seemingly changed its profile icon to the suspected upcoming series in preparation for teaser material and its official launch. The device features a rather large external display on its rear panel that fully encompasses its two cameras.

While it's not completely edge-to-edge, the external display still appears to be a generous size, capable of showing a clock, and likely more from within Xiaomi's mobile OS.

Leica camera branding is also spotted right under this external display and camera array. The leaked top-half rendering suggests the device's physical buttons (power, volume rocker) will be placed on its right side. Moreover, the phone seems to have rounded corners, flat sides, and potentially a fully flat display. A report by Android Headlines chimed in, claiming that this rendering is of the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max.

Furthering this suspicion is a post on Weibo from the other day by the company's head, Lu Weibing. Lu Weibing teased that the upcoming series is reportedly the Xiaomi 17, and will consist of the base 17 model, the Xiaomi 17 Pro, and the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. The post states the phone will rock the recently confirmed Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the successor to the Elite from 2024, when it launches "this month."

Xiaomi's making moves

Xiaomi's head also teases that the 17 Pro will be a "sophisticated compact imaging flagship," while the 17 Pro Max is designed to be "the more powerful" flagship in the industry.

Earlier this month, an alleged live photo of Xiaomi's upcoming flagship series was posted online, showing off this external display. It was previously assumed that this would end up launching on the Xiaomi 16 series, but it seems things have since changed, and we're hoping up to 17, instead. Either way, an external display on a slab phone is something we haven't seen from Xiaomi since the Mi 11 Ultra days.

The device is expected to rock a triple camera setup: two lenses within the camera visor-esque external display, and a final lens right under it in a pill-shaped container. Specifications are still up in the air, but if Xiaomi is planning on a launch later in September, we won't have to wait that long.