BEIJING-Xiaomi’s new 17 Pro max smartphone is challenging Apple’s iPhone 17 with a surprising feature: a 2.5 x 1.8 inch secondary display integrated into the phone’s camera module, dubbed the “Dynamic Back Display.” While the usefulness of the second screen is “irregular,” according to a Wired review, it offers a “refreshing” alternative to traditional smartphone designs.
The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, featuring a flat screen adn metal frame, feels similar in hand to both the iPhone 17 and the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, according to the review. Xiaomi has altered its naming convention to align with Apple’s, potentially to avoid appearing a generation behind.
The Dynamic Back Display offers five core functions: customizable screen displays (including clocks, step counters, and animated wallpapers), real-time notifications for flights, transportation, and music, AI PIN functions for anchoring details like agendas or QR codes, a preview screen for improved selfies using the main camera, and a “portable console mode” when paired with a separately sold retro Handheld Console Case, transforming the phone into a handheld gaming device reminiscent of a Game boy.
