As of publishing, the POVA 8 Pro launched more than a month ago. And, much like the company’s “Stop At Nothing” ethos, nothing is stopping them from announcing another model.

The special Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition I possess is a living testament that a midrange-grade smartphone, with its exotic yet exquisite aesthetics, can still exist in the 2026 smartphone race track.

Rare, even when bare

From my perspective as a multimedia creative, the very mouthful TECNO POVA 8 Pro Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition is one hell of a great-looking smartphone.

When bare, this supercar-coded smartphone flaunts its striking design in every millimeter.

Looking closely, the pattern reminds me of vent grilles found in modern-day supercars.

Its back design elements slowly reveal their deep red hues, even when hit by the faintest of light.

That pulse line in the middle is reminiscent of an engine valve with a flowing fuel in it.

Even the iconic triangular cutout, ever since its existence on the POVA 7 series, wasn’t forgotten at all.

It might sound like I’m exaggerating but, truth be told, this has got to be one of, if not, the best smartphone designs I have ever seen IRL.

Material-wise, it has a plastic back and frame, making it a complete departure from the full-metal unibody build I’ve personally witnessed in MWC 2026.

I don’t have an issue if this was used to keep overall costs down. However, my huge gripe about this is how its back attracts not just smudges, but even dust almost instantly.

That plastic frame might even scratch and chip when exposed wholly.

I then had a full sigh of relief when I found its bundled case in the box.

This not only gives utmost protection and adds grip when held, it further shows its premium touch with a finish closely resembling carbon fiber.

While I’m more than grateful if TECNO bundled it with a regular clear case to showcase its true beauty, they didn’t stop just there and stepped it up even further.

And with protection mentioned, it’s one less worry that it boasts IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K water and dust resistance ratings.

The Limited Edition ambition

The Tonino Lamborghini partnership doesn’t end there just yet.

From the moment I fired up the phone, it boots up with its Tonino Lamborghini boot animation and immediately shows its stealthy interface.

While Light Mode is activated by default, switching to Dark Mode suits its custom widgets and icons more than ever.

I just wish the icon support was extended to other third-party apps as well. The colorful icons of other apps ruin the overall vibe. This also meant I cannot be fully carefree with my home screen arrangement.

Soft UI rants aside, turning to its right side reveals the POVA branding alongside the usual power and volume buttons.

Notice that extra button? That’s TECNO’s One-Tap Button.

As a refresher, that particular button is placed at the left side and mainly acts as a one-stop AI button. Weirdly, it was situated at the lower right side of the POVA 8 Pro.

And the irony of it all? “One tap” is actually disabled.

While I believe their decision was right in order to avoid accidental triggers, I wish they would have still kept it as an option for users who want it.

Fortunately, double-pressing that button is user-customizable and not restricted to Ella AI or TECNO’s system apps. Even a game can be launched the moment you trigger it.

On my end, I love how it easily doubles as a fast camera shutter button.

Speaking of cameras, remember that triangle camera cutout at its back? It’s where the Alive Matrix Display also sits.

That small circular LED display is both a form and function. Not only it displays current time or timer countdown, it can also show charging percentage, calls and message notifications, even a song visualizer.

Personally, I just love how it displays the signature cursive “L” in the Lamborghini wordmark.

If you’re THAT creative, you can even formulate and draw your own styles.

#NowPlaying: Four Hands, Two Sonatas

One of the hottest K-Dramas right now is none other than Song Kang and Lee Jun-young’s 포핸즈 (po-haen-jeu), or “Four Hands, Two Sonatas“ internationally.

The two piano prodigies grew up in very different backgrounds and had very different upbringings. More so, they share a confusing and undefined relationship.

While it’s hard to say what the director and screenwriter’s goal at the very end of the series, what’s clear is that they both wanted to have fun while playing several piano pieces alongside one another.

Much comparable to the maestro duo, its 6.78-inch 1.5K HyperLux AMOLED display is bright and immersive, yet still sharp.

Matching their fast-playing fingers, the POVA 8 Pro Tonino Lamborghini also boasts a fast 144Hz refresh rate, very ideal for games that support it (more on that later).

On Queue: H2H, Chungha, D.O

The audiovisual goodness continues when I played these latest K-Pop releases.

H2H’s (Hearts2Hearts) stunning visuals in Moonride is very much equal to the visuals offered by the TECNO POVA 8 Pro.

More so, the diva-tastic performance of Chungha (I.O.I) with her latest titled “México.”

A Korean female idol showing her powerful dance moves alongside her language duality by singing Mexican Spanish and American English in one single song is such a power move. That’s much like the powerful dual speakers of the TECNO POVA 8 Pro.

How can I even forget the rhythmic “Guitarist“ comeback track by my long-time male idol bias since January 30, 2012 a.k.a EXO’s D.O.

This is where I think its sound superiority is purely felt.

Unlike the CAMON 50 Ultra I held months ago, POVA 8 Pro’s speakers honestly sound fuller and more powerful. And by that, it’s loud without being too flat and has the right amount of deep bass.

The guitar strums in the song can be heard even in a spacious room.

Exotic ain’t chaotic

TECNO’s POVA 8 Pro runs Dimensity 7400 Ultimate SoC. While this isn’t the most powerful midrange chip by MediaTek, it’s still a very capable processor in today’s standards.

Right off the bat. I installed the graphics-intensive mobile games I usually play.

Racing Master plays smoothly. That’s as long as you set the graphics at medium paired with 30fps frame rate and low resolution. Pushing it to its extremes is still playable yet guarantees you unavoidable frame drops.

Meanwhile, the smooth graphic settings of NTE (Neverness to Everness) clearly lives up to its name. Roaming around Hethereau and fighting unexpected encounters were a breeze

Surprisingly, Zenless Zone Zero is set to Medium post-installation. Going around New Eridu was desirable.

Albeit, Combat Mode truly tests out every bit of power of this chip — most especially when switching between agents, toggling Assist Counters, and even activating their special attacks.

To be very frank, the POVA 8 Pro performed faster, snappier, and even less laggy in contrast to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 phone I’ve reviewed just recently.

Mind you, that Qualcomm SoC is only 4 months old. While it isn’t the direct rival of the aforementioned Dimensity chip, it still proves that real-world experiences matter more than just benchmarks and hearsays.

Clearly, these brand biases and stereotypes should be forgotten for good.

To outlast is a must

Similar to the CAMON 50 Ultra, the TECNO POVA 8 Pro Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition also packs a 6500mAh battery.

While the vanilla POVA 8 and POVA Curve 2 both rock the biggest battery in any TECNO smartphone so far at 8000mAh, this is still beyond the 5000mAh mark.

My time with it made the phone last until the end of night as long as it’s used moderately.

By that, doomscrolling on social media, streaming K-Pop songs, binging K-Dramas, taking some photos.

As expected, severe battery depletion can be felt when playing games for hours. For instance, a 2-hour Racing Master gameplay reduced my battery level from 90% to 74%.

During standby mode where the phone lays flat and untouched (due to a very busy TechTember workload), its battery efficiency shocked me. Even after being unplugged for more than 150 hours, the POVA 8 Pro still has 33% left in its tank.

Now, one of the best battery drain tests in a smartphone is none other than making it as your personal hotspot.

I went out of our house as early as 4AM. When I got back around 11PM, it was still able to preserve 11%. More surprising is that, it kept that same percentage after I slept for 12 hours.

Now, when the tank completely runs out, the POVA 8 Pro comes with its own charger and cable set.

The Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition I have is quite different though. Instead of the typical white, it has a black charging adapter alongside a braided USB-C to USB-A cable.

That said, here are my GadgetMatch Charge Test results using its bundled accessories:

	45W HyperCharge Max	45W Smart Charge
START TIME (from 0%)	5:00AM	7:25PM
3 minutes	5%	3%
5 minutes	8%	5%
10 minutes	19%	13%
15 minutes	27%	17%
30 minutes	53%	45%
45 minutes	78%	56%
1 hour	97%	71%
1 hour 15 minutes	–	88%
END TIME (100%)	6:04AM 1 hour 4 minutes	8:51PM 1 hour 26 minutes

Needless to say, activating its HyperCharge Max charging speed can fully fill the phone in around an hour.

Visionary vision

The TECNO POVA 8 Pro (regardless if it’s the regular or Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition) boasts a 50MP main camera based from Sony’s LYT-700C.

For added context, that’s also the same image sensor placed inside the CAMON 50 Ultra.

If you happened to read that particular review, I praised it a lot for its overall image quality.

Without an ounce of doubt, the same can be said here.

Even if this is a performance-focused smartphone, TECNO didn’t actually compromise its regular 1x main camera.

While its 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide shooter isn’t anything grand. Still, it gets the job done.

After all, it’s the good ol’ sensor frequently used by TECNO among most (if not all) of their phones.

With this price to hardware ratio, caveats are expected.

First and foremost, the lack of a telephoto module found on its CAMON cousin slash contender.

Notice the contrast and saturation shifting when switching between 1x and 2x? The lack of a dedicated telephoto module is the culprit.

Although to be quite frank, I still liked how well it performed even by just relying on 2x digital zoom — or even way past it!

The front camera is smaller too at 13MP (as opposed to 50MP).

Even so, all the nuances such as CAMON’s triple color profiles and the handy-dandy FlashSnap are all missing in this POVA.

Still, it’s safe to say that the POVA 8 Pro can deliver post-worthy and social media-ready photos whenever, wherever. I mean Just look at how sharp these furry friends look.

Although there’s no FlashSnap feat, that split-second gap still produced such picture-purrfect moments.

The food you devour with your family, friends, or just yourself (no judgments made) weren’t even spared from that luscious output.

Even the places you go where there’s little to no presence of natural light, the POVA 8 Pro did not disappoint at all.

These results look more than just good — especially considering the overall worth of this midranger.

Honestly, I’m not expecting anything extravagant. But, the POVA 8 Pro’s camera snappiness is such a delightful sight.

That’s a stark contrast to the most recent REDMI-dranger Pro Max I’ve handled where there were camera stutters and lags when trying to capture subjects in split-second.

Both of them also prove that chipset alone can affect a smartphone’s imaging performance and actual output.

Is the TECNO POVA 8 Pro your GadgetMatch?

In a year where countless slabs are quite indistinguishable from one another, it’s pretty rare to see a smartphone with such impact.

Not only does this phone pack a powerful punch both in core and camera performance, but its added feats, capabilities, and even “gimmicks” are worthier than other smartphones in the same league.

More so, TECNO thoughtfully and carefully executed its design aesthetics with a prestigious designer brand. That’s despite a smartphone belonging in the midrange league.

Even if the exact pricing is still not revealed at the time of this writing, the starting price of the regular POVA 8 Pro (INR 49,999) already gives us a glimpse that the phone’s price to performance ratio is justifiable.

As we (try to) embrace the “new normal” with smartphone brands launching higher price tags alongside lower specs due to the continuous components crisis, TECNO focused on what matters more.

While newer mid-class phones focus heavily on battery capacity and utmost durability while compromising hardware and full-on performance, the POVA 8 Pro dared to defy those odds. The unstoppable AI crisis and inevitable price increase don’t stop TECNO from launching and selling a smartphone beyond expectations.

The TECNO POVA 8 Pro Tonino Lamborghini Limited Edition is a solid Swipe Right, a Super Swipe, and a worthy recipient of the GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.

It’s satisfying to have a camera that’s small enough to bring everywhere and capable enough that you don’t immediately wish you had brought something bigger. That’s how I felt about the DJI Lito X1.

At under 249 grams, it’s small enough to disappear into a camera bag, but once it’s in the air, it feels like considerably more drone than its size suggests.

You get 10-bit D-Log M, a 1/1.3-inch sensor with an f/1.7 lens, 4K video at up to 100fps, RAW photos, obstacle sensing, ActiveTrack, automated flight modes, and DJI’s O4 transmission system.

On paper, that sounds like a lot for a lightweight drone. After actually flying and shooting with it, the more interesting question is where those features make a difference in real-world shooting.

The answer is that the Lito X1 makes a surprisingly convincing case for itself as a travel drone and B-cam. It’s easy to get into the air, produces footage with enough flexibility for proper color grading, and gives you a lot of the tools you would expect from a more serious camera drone.

It still has limitations. Low-light footage requires some restraint, and its vertical shooting mode is convenient rather than revolutionary. The Lito X1 also cannot completely escape the physical limitations of being a 249-gram drone.

Still, that combination of portability and capability is what makes it interesting.

Small drone, serious footage

The first thing that stood out to me was the amount of flexibility in the footage.

DJI’s 10-bit D-Log M footage initially looks exactly how you would expect log footage to look: flat, washed out, and somewhat lifeless. That changes once you bring it into an NLE and start correcting and grading it.

There’s enough information in the footage to recover some detail from bright skies and lift darker areas without the image immediately falling apart.

It’s not going to give you the same latitude as footage from DJI’s larger Air-series drones, particularly once you start pushing the shadows aggressively, where noise becomes more noticeable.

For normal grading, though, the Lito X1 never felt restrictive. That’s important because the camera is arguably the biggest reason to take this drone seriously.

The 1/1.3-inch sensor paired with an f/1.7 lens also makes the drone surprisingly capable around golden hour. Sunset footage retains a good amount of detail while keeping the image clean and warm.

 

@gadgetmatchCapturing moments with the DJI Lito X1 ☁️♬ original sound – GadgetMatch

ISO 800 still looks good. ISO 1600 is where I would start paying closer attention to the darker parts of the frame. Push beyond that and then lift the shadows in post, and noise becomes much easier to see. ISO 3200 is usable when getting the shot matters more than having the cleanest possible image, but it is not where I would want to live for important footage.

That makes the Lito X1 particularly appealing for daylight and golden-hour shooting. It gives you enough latitude to make the footage feel like it belongs in a more polished production, provided you understand where the sensor starts to struggle.

48MP is useful, with a catch

The Lito X1 can also capture 48MP photos, and that extra resolution is genuinely useful when you need to crop into a landscape or subject.

In bright daylight, there is enough detail to give you more flexibility in post. You can frame wider during the flight and make the composition tighter later.

That does not mean 48MP automatically produces a dramatically sharper image in every situation. In lower light, the cleaner look of the lower-resolution shots can be preferable.

I think of the 48MP mode as giving you a larger canvas to work with. It gives you more room to crop, but the bigger file does not magically make every part of the image sharper. For landscapes and bright daytime scenes, it makes sense to reach for 48MP RAW. When the light gets difficult, a cleaner image can be more valuable than additional pixels.

Slow motion needs sunlight

One of the more fun things about the camera is 4K/100fps.

There’s something about putting a drone in the air and slowing everything down that makes even ordinary movement look cinematic. Waves, cars, runners, trees moving in the wind, and other fast-moving subjects benefit from the extra frames.

The image remains sharp in good light, but 100fps comes with the usual practical compromise: it needs more light.

As the sun goes down, the faster shutter speed required for high-frame-rate recording means noise becomes more apparent. For sunset and nighttime footage, dropping back to 24, 30, or 60fps produces a cleaner image and gives you more flexibility during editing.

So 4K/100fps is a feature I would happily use, but I would save it for situations where the lighting can support it.

Vertical video is convenient, not magic

For anyone making TikToks, Reels, or Shorts, the Lito X1’s 2.7K vertical shooting mode is extremely convenient.

You can capture a shot, transfer it, edit, and get it online without having to build a vertical crop from a horizontal frame. That makes the drone much easier to integrate into a fast social workflow.

The catch is that the camera does not physically rotate. Instead, the drone crops a vertical portion from the image. That’s  perfectly fine for quick social content, but if I were shooting something for a client, I would still choose 4K horizontal and create the crop myself.

That gives me control over composition, particularly when a subject is moving through the frame. The dedicated vertical mode saves time, but the Horizontal 4K gives you more creative freedom.

A rotating camera would have made this considerably more compelling, and that’s one of the upgrades I would most want to see in a future version.

It handles wind better than it looks

The Lito X1’s weight can make you wonder how it will behave once the weather stops cooperating. For a drone this light, it handles normal breezy conditions surprisingly well.

You can see the aircraft moving as it fights the wind, but the footage remains remarkably calm because the three-axis gimbal does a good job keeping the camera steady and the horizon level. It feels a little like watching a small boat move with the waves while the camera remains locked in place.

There are limits, of course. A 249-gram drone is still a 249-gram drone. Strong winds can move it around, and there is no getting around the physics of putting something this light into the sky.

For ordinary breezy shooting conditions, however, the stabilization does an impressive job.

Normal mode for control, Sport mode for fun

The flight experience is also approachable. In Normal mode, the Lito X1 feels calm and predictable. The controls are smooth rather than twitchy, which makes it easier for newer pilots to get comfortable with the aircraft.

Sport mode changes the personality completely. The drone becomes faster, turns more aggressively, and feels much more responsive. It is the difference between casually cruising around and suddenly remembering that this thing can actually move.

There is an important trade-off here: obstacle avoidance is disabled in Sport mode. That means the faster flight comes with a greater responsibility on the pilot.

For everyday shooting, Normal mode is where I would spend most of my time. Sport mode is there when you want the drone to wake up.

Real-world battery life matters more than the box

DJI quotes up to 36 minutes with the standard battery and up to 52 minutes with the Plus battery.

Those numbers are useful as a reference, but they are not how I would plan a shoot. Real flying involves wind, repositioning, changing angles, recording, and keeping enough battery in reserve to get home safely. You are rarely flying continuously under perfect conditions until the battery reaches zero.

For an actual shoot, I would plan around 25 to 30 minutes of usable flight time with the standard battery. That leaves enough breathing room to land without watching the battery percentage with increasing levels of anxiety.

The Plus battery gives you more time, although it also pushes the drone beyond the sub-249-gram weight class.

For travel, that distinction matters. The Lito X1’s tiny weight is one of its biggest advantages, so the standard battery makes more sense when portability and weight restrictions are part of the equation.

O4 keeps the connection reassuringly solid

The O4 transmission system also does its job without demanding much attention.

With a clear line of sight to the controller, the video feed feels smooth and responsive. In open areas, there is little reason to spend your flight staring at the signal indicator.

Urban environments naturally make things more complicated. Buildings, walls, and other large obstructions can weaken the connection when the drone flies behind them.

That is less a reason to distrust the system and more a reminder that radio signals still have to deal with physical objects. When the drone remains in sight, the connection feels dependable enough for normal flying.

The safety net is useful, but you are still the pilot

The obstacle-sensing system adds another layer of confidence, particularly when flying around trees and buildings.

The LiDAR system is also useful as the light gets darker. Still, I would never treat the sensors as permission to stop paying attention.

Thin branches remain particularly tricky. A large tree trunk is easy for an obstacle system to recognize. But a narrow branch suspended in the air is considerably less obvious.

That is the right way to think about the Lito X1’s safety features. They are another set of eyes helping the pilot. They are not a replacement for the pilot. The same applies to ActiveTrack.

When the drone has a clear view of its subject, tracking works impressively well. You can walk, run, bike, or change direction while the drone works to keep you in frame. It can also navigate around larger obstacles.

The limitation appears when the subject disappears behind something for too long. A tree can still break the tracking. ActiveTrack can feel like having another camera operator with you, but you still need to remain the person flying the drone.

Automated modes can save time

MasterShots, QuickShots, and Hyperlapse also have a place in a more serious workflow.

QuickShots can produce orbit, pull-back, and reveal movements without requiring you to manually execute every part of the flight. That can be useful when you need a polished establishing shot quickly.

Hyperlapse also lends itself well to hotels, buildings, events, sunsets, and travel footage. The bigger risk is repetition. If every video relies on the same automated moves, the footage can start to feel familiar very quickly.

Used sparingly, though, these modes can be valuable production tools rather than gimmicks.

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A post shared by Frederico Miguel Mercado Claveria (@fredericomiguelclaveria)

The features that make it easy to live with

Some of my favorite things about the Lito X1 are not necessarily the ones that make the biggest impression on a spec sheet.

The 42GB of built-in storage is a perfect example. You probably will not think much about it until the day you arrive somewhere and realize your SD card is sitting at home.

Having internal storage means you can still fly and capture footage instead of turning the drone into a very expensive paperweight.

Off-State QuickTransfer is similarly useful when you only need a few clips. You can pull footage over Wi-Fi without removing the card.

For a couple of clips, that is considerably easier. For a full day of 4K footage, I would still reach for an SD card and reader because it is the faster workflow.

The drone itself also feels more solid than its weight initially suggests. It’s obviously lightweight and does not have the heft of a larger aircraft, but the arms feel secure when unfolded and the hinges do not feel flimsy. I would have no problem bringing it on trips or into the field.

I would still protect it in a bag. A lightweight drone can handle normal use, but that does not make it indestructible.

Getting in the air takes about a minute

The other major advantage is how quickly the Lito X1 can go from bag to sky.

Unfold the arms, remove the gimbal cover, power up the drone and controller, wait for GPS, and you are essentially ready to go. When everything connects quickly, the whole process can feel like about a minute.

That sounds like a small convenience until you are shooting during golden hour and the best light is disappearing in front of you.

A drone that takes less time to set up gives you more time to actually shoot. Pull it out, get the shot, land, pack it away, and move on.

Is the DJI Lito X1 your GadgetMatch?

The Lito X1 sits comfortably between a beginner drone and a more serious camera drone. With D-Log M, RAW photos, obstacle sensing, ActiveTrack, and 4K/100fps, it offers plenty of room to grow beyond casual flying.

The Mini 4 Pro still makes more sense if advanced vertical shooting and higher-end capabilities are priorities, while cheaper options are available for simple recreational flying. The Lito X1 finds its sweet spot in between, delivering strong image quality and useful production tools in a small, lightweight package.

I would still like to see better highlight handling and more natural colors straight out of camera. A rotating camera for true vertical 4K would also make it considerably more versatile for creators.

Calling the Lito X1 a beginner drone undersells it. It’s small, quick to launch, easy to bring anywhere, and capable enough to serve as a B-cam for travel and commercial shoots.

It may not replace a larger DJI drone when image quality is the priority, but its biggest advantage is that you are far more likely to have it with you when the shot presents itself.

The Lito X1 looks like a beginner-friendly drone on the outside, but there is a surprisingly capable B-cam inside.

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The DJI Lito X1 starts at PhP 21,690 for the standard bundle in the Philippines. It’s available in local authorized retailers.

REDMI has summoned a new phone breed under their notable “Note” lineup since 2014.

(Un)officially retiring the Pro+ model, it’s not just the sub-brand’s first “Pro Max” phone, it’s also the Chinese giant’s first ever smartphone to feature a whopping 10,000mAh tank within.

But is that feat alone enough to choose over its Pro sibling?

Here’s my in-depth REDMI Note 17 Pro Max review.

Design that just resigned

The moment you unwrap it from its paper cocoon, the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max greets you with its refined design.

That also meant REDMI has resigned from its premium-like, signature centered camera island just after two generations.

Much like most Android midrangers nowadays,  it now features a smaller squircular camera cutout placed at the back’s top-left part.

This made me question and doubt their design team’s decision.

If we’re solely talking about design distinction, the iPhone-esque camera layout of the Note 17 Pro suits more towards the Pro Max variant — and vice versa.

After all, that same oval cutout can be seen with its sister brand’s Pro Max model. But I digress.

Rants aside, the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max is favorable to hold — at least for a big-handed guy like me.

Still, much like design, the actual feel is preferential.

Although some might argue that the quad-curved display and curved back of the previous Note 15 Pro+ might soothe the palms a little bit better, the flat display and edges of Note 17 Pro Max don’t necessarily mean a sharp and abrupt feel at hand. This honestly feels more secure to hold.

In case you drop it, the Note 17 Pro Max is made to last especially with its reinforced Titan chassis. This structural design makes it withstand drops as high as three meters — or taller than any human being at around 9.84 feet.

To make it more “future-proof,” this smartphone also has these quintessential IP ratings: IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K certifications.

How can I forget that strengthened Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on its front?

It’s an amazing inclusion considering this type of glass protection is usually limited to flagship models like Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series and Google’s latest Pixel 11 lineup.

#NowPlaying: My Bias, My Boss

With the phone’s front already introduced, let’s now focus on that large 6.83-inch AMOLED display.

At the surface level, both displays are just impossible to differentiate.

Still, there are subtle differences that one might prefer over another.

It’s pretty much the same in the latest drama I’ve binged and finished using this smartphone.

Nam Da-reum had her feelings confused both for her office boss (Kang Ha-gi) and her actual, long-time K-Pop bias (Lee Chan) — which both happened to be her work colleagues.

For the most part, this struggle happens to a lot of buyers, too.

Just like the visual supremacy of both Kang Hoon and Cha Woo-min, both the REDMI Note 17 Pro and Pro Max also share the same attributes. There’s that sharp 1.5K display resolution, 3500 nits of peak brightness, 12-bit color depth, even 240Hz / 3200Hz touch sampling rates.

Well, the Pro Max has the slight upper hand with its HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support that the Pro model lacks.

This meant that HDR content is livelier and more immersive on the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max.

Regardless if it’s on YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, or HBO Max, one will definitely appreciate the Pro Max’s screen better.

Now, if you’re concerned about eye safety, both phones boast TÜV Rheinland’s Low Blue Light, Flicker Free, Circadian Friendly certifications.

On Queue: TUIDE, OURBIRTHDAY

Much like the dual debut of the REDMI Note 17 Pro series, two septet K-Pop girl groups were also born during this third quarter of 2026.

While both groups share the same member number, these two newly-created groups are also distinct from one another.

The REDMI Note 17 Pro and Pro Max both possess the same stereo speaker setup. Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Lossless features weren’t forgotten as well.

Upon closer inspection though, the Note 17 Pro Max produces an even louder output thanks to its 400% Volume Boost feature. That’s in contrast to the 300% boost of its Pro sib.

At least on my ears, REDMI’s Note 17 Pro Max sounded deeper especially heard with TUIDE’s vocals in their lowkey-addicting “SUN KISS” debut track.

Even more, the steps and thumps in OURBIRTHDAY’s “HUNGRY” also felt and sounded more powerful and impactful as opposed to the Note 17 Pro’s output.

New chip above its hip

Unlike its Max-less sibling running a slower Snapdragon 6s Gen 4, the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max rocks the “faster” Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 SoC.

This brand new chip announced by Qualcomm this 2026 piqued my interest to the point that it made me install three games with three varying graphic capabilities.

Of course, like any other FPS or MOBA game, the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max handles them with ease. Whether that may be CoDM, MLBB, PUBG, HOK, and countless games in the same league, this phone can and will run ’em.

Now, onto a more demanding one: my all-time favorite Racing Master. At first, it was able to run in Ultra HD resolution at 60fps frame rate.

Unfortunately, it didn’t had much superiority over its Pro counterpart. After a 10-minute gameplay, it prompts to a graphic setting warning.

Last but definitely not the least, HoYoverse’s graphics-intensive Zenless Zone Zero.

As expected, the graphics were set to the lowest settings after installing core resources.

Roaming around New Eridu and Hollow felt just right. The moment you enter combat mode, though, is where things go out of hand.

The frame stutters and jitters are just unstoppable. Even with Performance Mode turned on, it wasn’t enough to salvage the frame rate.

The unwanted lag and lack of effective heat dissipation is already a disappointment as it is.

Even worse, after quickly checking my social media app, the game closed right after I jumped back to it.

I know what some of you might think: This is a midrange phone with a mid-class chipset.

As someone who practices journalistic integrity, it’s my responsibility to share all these observations. No sugarcoating aside, this isn’t any better from REDMI Note 15 Pro+’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset.

Still, Xiaomi changing the internals to a faster LPDDR5X memory plus UFS 4.1 storage over the LPDDR4X+ UFS 2.2 combo found in its predecessor is more than a welcome change.

Come for the cameras

The consistency continues with the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max sharing the same camera system as its Pro brother.

ICYMI, it’s a combination of 50MP main (1x wide) and an 8MP f/2.2 UWA (Ultra-Wide Angle) lens.

Admittedly, I was about to make this part short. However, my curiosity dared me to compare it to its Max-less sib.

With a wider aperture of f/1.5 (versus f/1.8), larger 0.8µm sensor (over 0.64µm), and one more lens element at 6P (Pro has 5P), the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max simply has the upper-hand despite those “small” gaps.

And, as much as how we value camera hardware, the chip equipped within surprisingly matters.

My short camera comparison proves that a different SoC also produces a different image output. This is very apparent when taking food shots.

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Left – REDMI Note 17 Pro Max
Right – REDMI Note 17 Pro

My main complaint about the Note 17 Pro is how some photos looked washed out. The bokeh falloff also looks forced.

The Note 17 Pro Max also captured shots with an accurate AWB (Auto White Balance) while the latter usually leans on the warmer side.

The Pro model even had focusing issues. That’s even after installing the latest software updates for both phones.

If you’re not satisfied with its regular output, there are built-in color filters and always-on flash in the camera app for that added flair.

With the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens (for both), it’s expected to have an AI-improved output.

Even its UWA shooter produced better results despite having the same lens module.

Safe to say, I enjoyed using the cameras of the Pro Max a whole lot more. Whether those are taking mementos of frisky fur friends…

…indoor shots with little to no presence of natural light…

 

…or even portraits and action-filled snaps, shooting with it was overall smoother and snappier compared to its Pro counterpart.

And now that it’s mentioned, the selfie shooter of the Pro Max is indifferent at 32MP f/2.2. That’s against the smaller and darker 16MP f/2.4 module of the Note 17 Pro.

Tasked to the max

As of writing, the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max is the brand’s first smartphone with a 10,000mAh battery. And by that, it boasts the biggest battery in any REDMI and Xiaomi smartphone so far.

One minor caveat: In certain regions, you’ll get the smaller 9210mAh capacity. But even with that 790mAh difference, it’s still heaps larger than the 8340mAh-equipped Note 17 Pro.

The long-lasting endurance is as amazing as how it looks on paper. Moderate usage can last more than 24 hours. Minimal usage? That’s about two to three days max. Of course, standby time is a lot longer when you don’t use it extensively.

There’s even a reverse wired charging capability just in case your other feeble-powered smartphones lose that precious charge.

For instance, I tried charging my completely dead iPhone 13 Pro Max using the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max for 30 minutes. With that duration, it gave around 29% charge. That is already good especially if one’s out from an outlet and already in a pinch.

That said, one should still consider the app running in the foreground and background.

With almost two hours worth of installation and gameplay, including ZZZ’s countless character dialogues and a lone yet lengthy combat consumed, the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max consumed 19% charge.

Other than the phone’s actual battery capacity, the inclusion of charging brick and cable is also region-dependent.

In Asia, or at least where I reside, it still comes bundled out of the box.

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Now, if you live in European regions, you’d know by now how EU’s strict laws result to the absence of these accessories.

Still, it’s worthy to note that the Note 17 Pro Max supports USB-C PPS protocol.

In my GadgetMatch Charge Test though, that still accounts for 21 minutes of charging time difference.

	Xiaomi 100W Charger + USB-C to USB-A cable	UGREEN 100W Uno + ADATA Magnetic USB-C to USB-C cable
START TIME (from 0%)	6:05PM	9:54AM
3 minutes	5%	6%
5 minutes	9%	8%
10 minutes	16%	12%
15 minutes	21%	18%
30 minutes	38%	41%
45 minutes	55%	57%
1 hour	72%	75%
1 hour 15 minutes	88%	89%
1 hour 30 minutes	–	95%
END TIME (100%)	7:29PM 1 hour 24 minutes	11:39AM 1 hour 45 minutes

With that speedy and reliable 100W HyperCharge speed, it was able to juice up the phone to the very brim under 1 hour 25 minutes.

Coincidentally, the Note 17 Pro got fully-filled in 1 hour 25 minutes using Xiaomi’s 100W HyperCharger and cable.

Now this is the part where I can truthfully say the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max reigns.

Is the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max your GadgetMatch?

With a starting price of PhP 30,999 / SG$ 749, the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max isn’t sitting on the same throne as its predecessor and clearest contender, the REDMI Note 15 Pro+.

The ever-immersive audiovisual goodness, utmost Titan durability, and capable cameras are found on both models. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference when it comes to aesthetics and ergonomics.

Now, if you favor that beastly battery above all else, the Note 17 Pro Max is worth the Swipe Right.

But, with that PhP 6500 / SG$ 90 price gap between the 512GB variants of both models, the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max is simply a Swipe Left.

Adding more fuel to the fire, the previous Pro+ model has the better chipset and a more refined 200MP main camera. Not to mention, the base memory starts at 12GB, while the newer one, despite being faster, only comes with 8GB of RAM.

So, unless that bigger battery is a dealbreaker for you, the older Pro+ model remains the better value.

A new breed born from AI greed

Clearly, the continuous components crisis isn’t stopping anytime soon. The culprit is none other than the further use and abuse of AI.

As someone who has seen the early warning signs of AI since 2019, this is one among what I fear and dread the most.

The birth of the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max as a new phone breed was undoubtedly brought by the unnecessary AI greed of both companies and consumers’ demands alike.

And, as much as I hate to admit it, midrange smartphones with this high price to lower performance ratio might actually be the “new normal.”

The final purchasing power still falls under your hands. However, at the end of the day, these discrepancies and inconsistencies in hardware alongside an even higher launch pricing truly and surely speaks volumes on what to expect with smartphones starting now and the years to come.