The "Xiaomi 17" series of high-end smartphones, which Xiaomi released in China in September 2025, has become a hot topic.
This is because the higher-end Pro model has a rear camera area design similar to the "iPhone 17 Pro" series, and also includes a sub-display that the iPhone does not have.
A dedicated case that turns this sub-display into a game console is being sold, so I tried using it.
The Immensely Impactful "Xiaomi 17 Pro Max" Retro Handheld Console Case
The case sold for the "Xiaomi 17 Pro" and "Xiaomi 17 Pro Max" is sold under the name "Retro Handheld Console Case."
The price is 299 CNY, which is about 42 USD.
Since the body sizes of both models are different, two variations of this case have been released.
It seems Xiaomi is seriously trying to sell this feature.
This time, I tested the case for the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max.
First, I will introduce the basic specifications of the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max.
The basic specifications are as follows:
- Display Size: 6.9 inches
- Resolution: 2,608×1,200
- Maximum Brightness: 3,500 nits
- Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
This is a high-spec product that was the first in the world to adopt the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.
The battery is 7,500mAh and supports 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
The cameras—wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, 3x telephoto, and front—are all 50 megapixels.
Of course, the camera was co-developed with Leica.
And the sub-display visible on the upper back is 2.9 inches with a resolution of 967×596.
However, since there are two cameras, the actual display area is smaller than that.
The game console style case snaps onto the main unit.
It has ABXY buttons and a D-pad, which are sufficient for playing games.
The design also resembles a portable game console.
Above the buttons are a charging terminal and a battery indicator light.
When the case is attached and the POWER button is pressed, the rear display's view changes, and games are downloaded automatically.
The weight of the case is not public, but the main unit did not feel much heavier.
The weight of the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max is 219g.
I felt that even people who do not play games might deliberately use this case as their everyday protective case.
The impact when showing it to others is quite strong.
Downloading the games takes about one minute initially.
Once the download is complete, the game screen starts immediately, and the initial screens of four games are displayed stacked in a card format.
You select a game using up and down on the D-pad, and once the desired game screen is shown, you confirm it with the SELECT button.
The playable games are four in total, as follows:
- Angry Birds 2
- Airplane Shooter
- Fuzzy Ball Run
- Classic Snake
All of them are casual games, perfect for playing easily during travel time on a train, for example.
Although there is Chinese text in the menu displayed when starting a game, since they are simple games, I do not think there will be much trouble with operation.
The game screen uses the entire rear display, but the left side, which includes the two camera areas, is for display only, and operations can only be performed in the area to the right of the cameras.
Therefore, the game screen felt narrow, but since the content of the games is simple, I did not have any complaints.
Being able to flip the device over and immediately play a casual game offers a unique kind of fun.
Since the rear display cannot reproduce sound, the games are silent.
Considering the specifications, it might be difficult to produce sound, but enabling video playback on the rear display in the future would expand the use cases for the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max.
I really hope the game specification is also updated to include sound.
Furthermore, the D-pad and ABXY buttons, which are important for gameplay, have good movement, allowing for precise control.
Since the four games are all from different genres, you will not get bored.
I would like to see the number of games increased in the future, so I hope they release an SDK to encourage game developers to create apps that utilize this rear display.
In Japan, the previous model, the "Xiaomi 15," is being sold.
The "Xiaomi 17" might appear in Japan in 2026, but let's hope for the release of the Xiaomi 17 Pro or Xiaomi 17 Pro Max along with the game console case.
▼Photo & Written by Yasuhiro Yamane
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