Redmi has launched the affordable Redmi 17 5G with some surprisingly good specifications. The budget device packs a massive 120 Hz display alongside a 6300 mAh battery to ensure long battery life. However, the smartphone is currently exclusive to China where prices start around 149 dollars.
The screen is a major selling point for this cheap device. According to the official Redmi launch details, the phone carries a 6.9 inch LCD panel running at 1600x720 resolution. Users get a fast 120 Hz refresh rate and a 240 Hz touch sampling rate for smooth scrolling. Outdoor visibility holds steady up to 800 nits of peak brightness. The panel also includes flicker reduction technology, recognizes wet fingers, and carries eye protection certification from TÜV Rheinland.
Under the hood sits an octa core Unisoc T8300 processor built on a 6 nm architecture. This chip clocks up to 2.2 GHz. Buyers can select either 4GB or 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM to handle multitasking. Both models come with 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage, though you can expand this space easily using a dedicated microSD card slot.
The massive 6300 mAh battery is designed to last. Redmi claims the battery will retain at least 80% of its original capacity even after 4 years of daily use. It supports 15W wired fast charging using Power Delivery and Quick Charge protocols. You can also use the phone as a power bank using its 7.5W reverse charging feature to charge smaller accessories.
For photography, the device keeps things simple. It sports a 13 megapixel main camera on the back and an 8 megapixel camera on the front for selfies. Connectivity options include Wi Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.4, a USB C port, and a headphone jack. Security is handled by a fingerprint scanner located on the side power button. The phone runs on the new HyperOS 3 software, measures 8.15 millimeters thick, and weighs 210 grams.
The phone is on sale now in China, with global availability details still pending. The base model with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage sells for 999 yuan, which converts to roughly 149 dollars. Upgrading to the 6GB RAM version costs 1199 yuan, or about 190 dollars. Color options include blue, black, and white.
