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Xiaomi 17 Pro Max takes a jab at Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max

Unapologetically similar with Xiaomi 17 and 17 Pro in the roster

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Xiaomi 17 Pro
Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The Xiaomi 17 and 17 Pro series were all announced today in China.

Without context, this is much like any other phone announcement.

Xiaomi 17 Pro Max

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

But, in the grand scheme of things, Xiaomi’s latest announcement just came in a day after the awfully-named (and very mouthful) Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 unveiling at the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii.

To make it more odd, the Xiaomi 15T and 15T Pro global launch in Munich, Germany was also just a day ahead prior to this Mainland-exclusive launch.

Even weirder, they skipped the 16 lineup altogether.

So… where’s the Xiaomi 16?

Xiaomi was upfront with this change.

Skipping “16” was their strategic shift to directly rival the recently-announced iPhone 17 lineup. And if you thought it stops there, you’re wrong.

Xiaomi 17 Pro

For the first time in forever, Xiaomi debuts their very first “Pro Max” model (not replacing the already-existing Ultra flagship).

To make the upfront rivalry more dramatic, both models of the Xiaomi 17 Pro series looked like the iPhone 17 Pro on steroids.

Xiaomi 17 Pro

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Like Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the all-new Xiaomi 17 Pro and Pro Max all have a “plateau”-like camera bar up top.

However, Xiaomi takes it to the next level by placing a 2.7 / 2.9-inch 120Hz AMOLED display on that cutout.

Xiaomi 17 Pro

GIF by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

It’s like the MIX Flip 2’s cover display was transplanted onto both the 17 Pro and Pro Max models.

Much like any other flip cover screen, it functions as a digital watch, a selfie mirror, even widgets that you can fiddle every once in a while.

Xiaomi 17 Pro

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Xiaomi even sells an optional Game Boy-like Retro Handheld case for CNY 299 just so you can play games on that mini screen.

Base, Pro, Pro Max

The main differentiating factor of the Xiaomi 17 and 17 Pro series are their display sizes: Both the base and Pro models have smaller screens at 6.3 inches. The difference? base has OLED, Pro has AMOLED.

Meanwhile. the 17 Pro Max, as expected, directly competes against Apple’s offering with its ginormous 6.9-inch AMOLED panel.

Xiaomi 17

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

That’s protected by Xiaomi’s Longjing Glass 3.0 whereas the other two only have the first-gen glass protection.

All of them have second-gen LIPO screen technology which makes their bezels ultra-narrow at impossibly 1.18mm.

Xiaomi 17 Pro

There’s also 1.5K resolution, adaptive 1~120Hz refresh rate, DC Dimming, and 1 nit ultra-low to 3500 nits max brightness. DCI-P3 wide color gamut is highly-accurate backed by HDR10+ and Dolby Vision certifications.

Speaking of, there are the Dolby Atmos-powered stereo speakers complemented by Hi-Res Audio and Snapdragon Sound support.

Xiaomi HyperCharge

The bigger the size, the bigger the battery is.

Obviously, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max possesses the largest at 7500mAh. Weird enough, the vanilla Xiaomi 17 has a bigger 7000mAh capacity  than 17 Pro’s 6300mAh battery.

Phones can then be topped up via Xiaomi’s 100W HyperCharge + 50W wireless HyperCharge standard.

Xiaomi 17 Leica Summilux

Lastly, all three models have triple rear 50MP Leica Camera + Summilux optics with varying differences in hardware:

Xiaomi 17 Pro Max Xiaomi 17 Pro Xiaomi 17
Wide 50MP f/1.67
1/1.28” Light Hunter 950L sensor
LOFIC High Dynamic technology
50MP f/1.67
1/1.28” Light Hunter 950L sensor
LOFIC High Dynamic technology
50MP f/1.67
1/1.31 Light Hunter 950 sensor
Ultra-Wide 50MP f/2.4 102º
OmniVision OV50M

5cm Super Macro
50MP f/2.4 102º
OmniVision OV50M

5cm Super Macro
50MP f/2.4 102º

 

Periscope / Telephoto 50MP f/2.6 Super Concentration Periscope Telephoto
 
5x optical zoom
30cm Telephoto Macro
 
1/2″ Samsung GN8 Bottom Sensor
50MP f/3.0 Floating Periscope Telephoto
 
5x optical zoom
20cm Telephoto Macro
50MP f/2.0 Floating Telephoto

Samsung JN5 sensor
Selfie 50MP f/2.2 90º 50MP f/2.2 90º 50MP f/2.2 90º
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max Leica Super Periscope Telephoto

Xiaomi 17 Pro Max’s Super Concentration Periscope Telephoto

All phones can record up to 8K / 30fps with only the Pro series being able to shoot 4K / 120fps.

The Elite headliner

Even though Xiaomi has managed to pull off the XRING O1 as its first in-house chipset, it’s not the SoC that powers Xiaomi’s latest flagships.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

And unlike last year where the realme GT 7 Pro headlined the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, Xiaomi’s 17 series rocks the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip first in line. That’s regardless if you get the basic or Pro variants.

And as coincidental as it seems, both Qualcomm and Xiaomi made the bold move of skipping numbers: Xiaomi 17 instead of Xiaomi 16; Elite Gen 5 instead of Gen 4 (although Elite 2 would have sounded so much better IMHO).

Xiaomi 17 Pro

That’s paired by either 12 or 16GB of LPDDR5X memory together with up to 512GB/1TB UFS 4.0 storage options.

No one gets left behind as all phones boast IP68 water and dust resistance rating for utmost protection against dust, splashes, rain, and water immersion.

Xiaomi HyperOS 3.0 Apple Ecosystem

All of them also run Xiaomi’s latest HyperOS 3.0 with smarter and more powerful AI tools in mind.

Despite rivaling Apple’s latest iPhone 17, the new update makes pairing seamless to Apple devices. Regardless if it’s an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Pricing and Availability

The hero colors of the Xiaomi 17 are the Snow Mountain Powder and Icemelt Blue.

Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 17 Pro series highlights its Morino Green and Coldsmoke Purple colorways.

Xiaomi 17 Pro

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

If you want classic choice, they’re still being offered in Black and White.

Specific pricing and configurations are as follows:

Xiaomi 17

  • 12+256GB = CNY 4499 (US$ 630 / EUR 540 / GBP 470 / SG$ 810 / MYR 2660 / PhP 36,280 / INR 56,000)
  • 12+512GB = CNY 4799 (US$ 670 / EUR 570 / GBP 500 / SG$ 870 / MYR 2840 / PhP 38,700 / INR 59,730)
  • 16+512GB = CNY 4999 (US$ 700 / EUR 600 / GBP 520 / SG$ 900 / MYR 2960 / PhP 40,315 / INR 62,220)

Xiaomi17 Pro

  • 12+256GB = CNY 4999 (US$ 700 / EUR 600 / GBP 520 / SG$ 900 / MYR 2960 / PhP 40,315 / INR 62,220)
  • 12+512GB = CNY 5299 (US$ 745 / EUR 635 / GBP 560 / SG$ 960 / MYR 3130 / PhP 42,730 / INR 65,950)
  • 16+512GB = CNY 5599 (US$ 785 / EUR 670 / GBP 580 / SG$ 1010 / MYR 3300 / PhP 45,150 / INR 69,690)
  • 16+1TB = CNY 5999 (US$ 840 / EUR 715 / GBP 625 / SG$ 1085 / MYR 3550 / PhP 48,380 / INR 74,670)

Xiaomi 17 Pro Max

  • 12+512GB = CNY 5999 (US$ 840 / EUR 715 / GBP 625 / SG$ 1085 / MYR 3550 / PhP 48,380 / INR 74,670)
  • 16+512GB = CNY 6299 (US$ 880 / EUR 750 / GBP 660 / SG$ 1140 / MYR 3720 / PhP 50,800 / INR 78,400)
  • 16+1TB = CNY 6999 (US$ 980 / EUR 835 / GBP 730 / SG$ 1260 / MYR 4130 / PhP 56,440 / INR 87,110)

* These are just approximate, rounded-off price conversions

Again, global availability has not been announced. But looking at the past, Xiaomi always reveals their latest flagships to the world during the start of the year. We should expect them to hit international shelves by early 2026.

Cameras

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P launches with dual lenses and a 1-inch sensor

The biggest upgrade yet to DJI’s compact gimbal camera

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The original Osmo Pocket launched in 2018 as a pocket-sized gimbal camera for people who wanted smooth footage without carrying a full rig. DJI has been building on that idea ever since, and today, with the Osmo Pocket 4P, they made the biggest jump yet.

A significant change

The most significant change in the Osmo Pocket 4P is the introduction of a dual-lens system. While previous Osmo Pocket models limited creators to a single, fixed field of view, the 4P provides two distinct options.

The camera features a wide-angle lens backed by a new 1-inch CMOS sensor alongside a 60mm medium-telephoto portrait lens boasting an f/1.8 aperture and 3x optical zoom. This second lens fundamentally changes how creators shoot on the ground.

At the 60mm focal length, backgrounds compress naturally to separate the subject from the environment without relying on artificial software rendering, offering an invaluable tool for capturing people at events, during travel, or throughout daily life.

The wide lens captures 17 stops of dynamic range through what DJI calls LOFIC technology, which handles high-contrast scenes like backlit windows or golden hour without blowing out the sky or burying the shadows.

Advanced sensor tech, color latitude

For high-contrast environments, the wide-angle lens captures an impressive 17 stops of dynamic range utilizing DJI’s new LOFIC technology.

This hardware addition allows the camera to effortlessly manage difficult lighting scenarios, like backlit windows or golden hour horizons, keeping the sky intact while preventing shadows from turning muddy.

On the color processing side, DJI has introduced a 10-bit D-Log 2 profile capable of recording over a billion colors. This shift provides editors with significantly more latitude to grade footage in post-production, avoiding the limitations of a baked-in, in-camera look.

High-speed motion, smart framing

In terms of capturing motion, the 4P supports 4K slow motion at 240fps, making it ideal for fast-moving subjects that benefit from a stylized, slowed-down perspective.

A slow shutter video mode is also included, allowing users to organically capture light trails in low-light environments. Physical stabilization continues to rely on a mechanical 3-axis gimbal, drawing directly from the heritage of DJI’s professional Ronin systems.

Weighing just 230 grams, the compact unit incorporates ActiveTrack 8.0 to handle automated subject tracking, maintaining precise focus through the entire 12x digital zoom range — a feature that proves essential for solo creators who need the hardware to handle framing duties.

Practical updates for daily use

DJI has also focused heavily on the realities of on-the-go shooting. The 4P introduces gesture controls, letting users trigger subject tracking or start recording without physically touching the device.

A new 4K Live Photo mode automatically captures a 1.5-second clip alongside every still image, while the main sensor allows for high-resolution 37-megapixel photos that offer plenty of room for cropping in post-production.

The battery charges from zero to 80 percent in just 18 minutes and delivers up to 210 minutes of runtime on a full charge.

Furthermore, files transfer via USB 3.1 at speeds up to 800 MB/s, ensuring that offloading a full day of content is a near-instant process.

Price, availability

The camera launches in both classic black and pearl white, accompanied by a modular accessory ecosystem and DJI Care Refresh protection plans.

It retails for PhP 37,790 for the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Standard. Meanwhile, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Vlog Combo retails for PhP 42,290.

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Automotive

Vespa celebrates 80 years with the Edizione Ottantesimo

A limited-edition release that honors eighty years of iconic Italian design.

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The Foro Italico looks different when it’s ringed by Vespas, as seen when the iconic landmark hosted the four-day festivities of Vespa Roma 2026 — 80 Years of an Icon.

Mayor Roberto Gualtieri led the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and for four days, the Vespa Village makes the loudest argument anyone has ever made for scooters as cultural objects.

Opening day did not ease into things gently. First, the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato unveiled an official commemorative coin.

Soon after, Poste Italiane marked the occasion with a first-day cancellation ceremony for a special anniversary stamp.

Meanwhile, at the Stadio dei Marmi, curator Giacomo Bretzel opened 80 Years of an Icon – The Exhibition. This photographic account traces the remarkable journey of the vehicle.

Specifically, it shows how a basic scooter graduated from the factory floor to global cultural shorthand. It evolved from simple personal transport into a cinematic protagonist that people now ride across entire continents.

Only 1,946 of them

The number is deliberate. The Vespa Edizione Ottantesimo is limited to exactly 1,946 individually numbered units, one for each year the original rolled out of the Pontedera factory.

Vespa built it on the GTS 310 platform, which puts 25 horsepower through a single-cylinder 310 hpe engine, making it the most powerful Vespa in current production.

That mechanical upgrade sits inside a design that is genuinely doing something. The finish mimics raw, unprocessed steel. It’s textured and rough in a way that references the original load-bearing body before decades of refinement and lacquer softened everything.

A specific shade of green — pulled from the earliest single-color production models — accents the saddle and wheel rims. The rear seat comes with a removable hard cover that matches the bodywork. A direct callback to vintage racing fairings.

The wheels reinterpret the pressed sheet metal of the 1946 Vespa 98 with a diamond-cut channel finish.

On the side panels, a three-dimensional green numeral 80 sits inside a hexagonal bolt contour. The bolt shape itself highlights how artisans originally built these machines by hand.

A numbered plaque rests inside the under-seat compartment, and a matte grey helmet ships with every unit. None of these design choices are purely decorative. Instead, they each trace a straight line directly back to 1946.

Modern enough to use every day

The Edizione Ottantesimo features electronic traction control and ABS to handle unpredictable city roads. These safety systems adjust your grip before you even have time to react.

Meanwhile, full LED lighting keeps the road perfectly sharp after sunset. Up front, a 5-inch color TFT display runs the intuitive VESPA MIA connectivity system. Consequently, your route and incoming calls surface on the dash without you reaching for your pocket.

Beyond the display, a keyless ignition system allows you to simply unlock the scooter and go. Vespa even considered the smaller details to maximize daily utility. For example, courtesy lights illuminate both the rear shield and the under-seat compartment. This layout ensures you stop fumbling in the dark for your helmet and gear.

Crucially, none of these additions change what a Vespa fundamentally is. The chassis remains narrow enough to split lanes and light enough to park anywhere. Ultimately, these premium updates close the gap between a 1946 icon and a machine you want to ride every morning.

Beyond the Handlebars

To complement the vehicle, each Edizione Ottantesimo ships with an exclusive coffee table book from Assouline. The volume draws from the Piaggio archive to document eight decades of design, film, and travel.

Furthermore, owners can extend the package with premium accessories. Available add-ons include a color-matched 36-liter top box, luggage racks, side bars, and an anti-theft system.

Vespa Roma 2026

Currently, allocations are open online at edizioneottantesimo.vespa.com. Vespa strictly capped the total count at 1,946 units, and that number will not go up.

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News

Android is finally getting a foldable gaming mode

It’s coming in the next few months.

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On today’s episode of “We Can’t Believe It Took Them This Long to Add This,” Android is finally introducing a native foldable gaming mode for smartphone with two screens.

Foldable smartphones have been around for a while now. Despite the popularity of the form factor today, they are, ironically, not the best ways to play games. Though they usually have the performance, their designs are hardly conducive to long play sessions. They don’t feel like handheld consoles; they are more like thick slabs without built-in buttons.

Over the weekend, Mishaal Rahman, now working with Google, has unveiled a new foldable gaming mode, which natively turns one of a foldable’s screens into a gamepad.

It’s a complete gamepad, too. The feature adds a D-pad, two thumbsticks, A-B-X-Y action buttons, L1-L3, R1-R3, and Start. Users can manually adjust the layout, the size of the buttons, haptics, and dark mode. The only drawbacks are that the gamepad is currently locked to 50 percent of the screen (or one of the displays) and that you can’t adjust the transparency.

This is a much needed feature. Most mobile games today offer only single-screen gamepads overlapping the whole screen. Some, of course, can utilize the second screen but not natively. Though developers will still need to adapt to the feature, having a native gamepad is a huge boon for regular mobile gamers.

The foldable gaming mode is expected to roll out starting with Android 17 in the coming months.

SEE ALSO: These are the best Android 17 features (if you hate AI)

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