This hidden gem of a cell phone leaves the competition in the dust when it comes to battery life

Looking at the battery life table in our comprehensive review of the Xiaomi 17 Max, one thing immediately stands out—the difference compared to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: 

One of the best-known and most popular high-end smartphones manages just 68% of the battery life achieved by Xiaomi’s latest high-end phone.

Samsung is significantly more expensive

The price difference is also significant: The Xiaomi 17 Max costs around US$ 770 at TradingShenzhen, with relatively low shipping costs and no additional import fees. According to amazon.com, Samsung’s flagship phone currently costs at least US$ 960.

Really long battery life

Specifically, with the Xiaomi 17 Max, you can browse the internet for 33 hours and 23 minutes without needing to plug it in. This means even two days of continuous use shouldn’t be a problem—after all, at some point you’ll have to put your phone down and go to sleep.

If you’re gaming at full capacity, you’ll still get 4 hours and 28 minutes of battery life—enough to get you through an average-length train ride. And if you’re just reading an e-book and otherwise using your smartphone very sparingly, you won’t need to recharge until after more than 75 hours.

Fast charging is also available wirelessly

Speaking of which: You can charge the Xiaomi 17 Max at up to 100 watts; a compatible charger is, of course, included. If you order from TradingShenzhen, you’ll even get a power outlet adapter for customers outside of China; otherwise, it costs a few dollars extra. You can charge wirelessly via Qi at up to 50 watts. A full charge takes a maximum of 2 hours.

If other devices, such as headphones, run out of juice on the go, you can also use the phone as a power bank thanks to reverse charging; it provides a maximum of 22.5 watts of power.

Issues with imported devices

The Xiaomi 17 Max is certainly a very interesting option, but we don’t want to gloss over the issues that come with an imported device: For example, there are very few languages to choose from in the software—though at least English is available for anyone who doesn’t speak Mandarin Chinese. You also have to accept that there’s no official promise of updates.

You can find all the detailed test results for the Xiaomi 17 Max in our in-depth review of the smartphone.