Xiaomi launched its annual set of phones, the 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max. The phones, as you can tell from its obvious name-borrowing from Apple, are heavily inspired by this year’s iPhones, also named 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max. However, where Apple attempts innovation through its new iPhone Air, Xiaomi is taking a more novel approach and making arguably the most bizarre phone case you can buy.
On the back of the Xiaomi 17 Pro lies its camera bump, housing two separate lenses. On traditional phones, this space is simply used to house the internals needed for the camera, but Xiaomi is using theirs to include an entire secondary screen.
Outside of base-level notifications and a few widget-like displays like an analog clock or optional wallpapers (bumppapers?), the company is also going to utilize it to act as a screen for retro gaming. Why? Who knows, but it looks insane.
Xiaomi Oh My
Xiaomi’s 2.66-inch rear-facing screen doesn’t look like the ideal way to play any retro titles, but the main astonishment is easily the two camera lenses that are situated directly on top of it. It’s a bizarre and wacky thing to do, but it does draw attention to the brand and the plateau of tech advancement. As tech grows to a point where phones and other devices become almost indistinguishable from one another, companies are practically forced to innovate in ways that have literally never been seen before.
If it can be done, it will be done.
In order to provide a fully-playable experience, Xiaomi introduced a rather unique case allowing you to play games on the rear screen without your fingers getting in the way. The new case features your standard fare of buttons: D-pad, four action buttons, and a specially placed power button that works to power the entire phone. It’s still a case, so it naturally includes cutouts for the needed screen on the rear camera and the phone’s other back-facing components.
A Sign of Things to Come?
However, a “case that doubles as a handheld” is not a revolutionary new idea. Tons of third-party cases for both the iPhone and a variety of Android devices have their own tiny screens packaged with small Famiclone-level boards, allowing for quick gaming sessions on the back of the phone.
Just through its description, it becomes obvious why that may be a less-optimized way of gaming when the main screen of a phone will have a nicer panel, higher resolution, and its raw power is multitudes higher than whatever companies can cram into a phone case.
What Xiaomi has shown off is…interesting. It underscores the importance of fresh ideas in tech, especially phones, but also ironically shows that some paths aren’t worth exploring when the result feels so ludicrously over the top.
But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this will be the new craze, and what people have been craving for years is playing their retro games in this form factor, with camera lenses obstructing their view and oddly designed buttons. Maybe.
If you’re interested in buying the newly announced 17, 17 Pro, or 17 Pro Max, that can be done over on Xiaomi’s website starting on the 27th. Be warned, however, these products are made specifically for the Chinese market, so any headaches incurred throughout the buying process, using the device, or anything afterwards, are more than likely wholly because the device is intended to be used in a region that is not Western-focused.
The case itself retails for 299 Chinese yuan, which is currently around $40 USD. However, if you’re looking for usability, a device like the TrimUI Brick or RG35XX Pro may be better suited for your needs. Still, kinda cool, kinda nutty, maybe worth it.
What did you think of this article? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!
This page may contain affiliate links, by purchasing something through a link, Retro Handhelds may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you.