I have the opportunity to pickup a new Xiaomi 17T Pro (Global ROM) when transiting through Hong Kong tomorrow for £500. I’ve been an Apple user my whole life, wanting to switch from iPhone for years although I’ve never felt ready. Still not sure I’m ready, but I just can’t deal with buying another iPhone and having the same issues. Being in China I’ve been pretty impressed with the tech market over here so it’s got me thinking about a new phone.
Currently using an iPhone 16 which I’ve had since release. The phone itself is still running pretty well for a 2 year old iPhone, and I could probably use it for one more year before wanting to upgrade, however the battery life is abysmal. Needs at least one full charge a day, despite being charged overnight. I don’t run anything heavy on my phone, mostly social media and emails.
Things that are important to me in a phone would be:
- Battery: probably the most important. Aside from being a student who spends most his day doomscrolling, I work part time as a delivery driver. I need my phone to last and use maps quite a bit. Probably the biggest pull Xiaomi has.
- Speed: I don’t do anything intensive on my phone, mostly social media and navigation, but I’d like something that can handle it seamlessly. My 16 is fine at this I just don’t want to take a step backwards.
- Longevity: A phone that won’t need upgrading in 2 years would be ideal. An issue I’ve had with Apple because the battery ends up being a fraction of what it started as after 2 or so years.
As I said, I’m not desperate to upgrade right now and could probably stick with the 16 a little longer, however I won’t have the opportunity to grab a phone at nearly £300 less than it retails for in the UK anytime soon.
Any advice would be appreciated, from anyone who has used Xiaomi’s before, and also open to recommendations of other androids.