Xiaomi 17 Max: 200MP camera and 8,000mAh battery leak

The tech world is obsessed with bigger screens again. It is like we have completely forgotten what a pocket is for. But here’s the catch: Xiaomi thinks we still want more. Every year, we hear that the "phablet" is dead, yet here I am looking at regulatory filings for the Xiaomi 17 Max. It is a massive slab of glass and silicon that seems designed to test the structural integrity of your denim. While the rest of the industry is busy trying to make things thin and light, Xiaomi is essentially building a tablet that happens to take phone calls. It is bold. It might even be a bit ridiculous.

Let’s talk about that 6.9-inch display. It is huge. I suppose if you spend your entire day watching movies on a train, this is your dream come true. It is a 1.5K four-sided narrow straight screen. Thank goodness they stayed away from the curved edges. I have spent twenty years watching people accidentally trigger apps with their palms on curved glass. It is a frustrating design choice that finally seems to be going away. By keeping it straight and narrowing the bezels, Xiaomi is giving you a canvas that actually feels useful. It is a clean, sharp, and very bright window into whatever you are doing.

Then there is the camera. A 200-megapixel main sensor sounds like something out of a science fiction novel. Do you really need that many pixels to post a picture of your lunch? Probably not. But for those who actually like to edit their shots, the detail is staggering. You also get a 50-megapixel telephoto macro lens. This is a smart move. Most macro lenses on phones are cheap afterthoughts. This one actually has some muscle behind it. I’ve seen enough grainy close-ups of flowers to last a lifetime, so having a high-res sensor for tiny details is a nice change of pace.

The most interesting part of this leak isn't what they added, but what they took away. They killed the secondary rear screen. I'll be the first to admit that those tiny back displays were always a bit of a gimmick. They were cool to look at in a store, but in daily life, they just drained the battery and made cases harder to find. By ditching the extra screen, Xiaomi freed up a lot of internal space.

They are using that extra room for the battery. This device is clearly built for the power user who hates carrying a portable charger. I don't have the exact milliamp-hour rating yet, but the word on the street is that it is going to be significant. It is a heavy, powerful, and very focused phone. If you can handle the size, it might just be the most practical flagship they have made in years. Just make sure your hands are big enough to hold the thing.