Xiaomi skips the 16 series: Xiaomi 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max arrive in 2025 with Surge OS, own chips and cameras, to challenge the iPhone in the premium tier.
© A. Krivonosov
Xiaomi is ready to make a statement: in 2025 the company will unveil the Xiaomi 17 lineup, skipping Xiaomi 16 altogether. According to CEO Lei Jun, this is meant not as a marketing ploy but as a show of intent—Xiaomi wants to compete with the iPhone on equal footing.
In recent years the company has poured resources into research and development: its own processors, software, and next-generation cameras. The Xiaomi 17 series is presented as the culmination of that effort, promising a refreshed design, stronger performance, and a new proprietary interface, Surge OS, built to unite devices into a single ecosystem.
The family will comprise three models—Xiaomi 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max. The naming clearly echoes Apple and underscores a bid to go head-to-head in the premium tier. Even the packaging is set to follow a minimalist aesthetic reminiscent of products from Cupertino.
By skipping the 16 series, Xiaomi signals a move away from the image of a brand associated chiefly with top-tier specs at a low price. The company now positions itself as a first-division contender, which for buyers means more genuine choice among flagships. Whether the new devices can live up to that ambition will become clear in the months ahead; for now, the message is hard to miss—Xiaomi no longer intends to stay in the background.