Last month, Xiaomi launched the 17 and 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max in China, and the Pro models both feature a screen on their rear, embedded into the gigantic iPhone-like camera island.
We’ve seen rear screens before, from Xiaomi specifically, and they didn’t live very long. So with that in mind, you may have considered this latest iteration just another fad/gimmick that will be forgotten by the time the Xiaomi 18 series arrives. But you’d be wrong.
Xiaomi President Lu Weibing has confirmed the fact that the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will have the rear screen as well, and far from backing out of this venture, the company is actually increasing its R&D investment to make it even more useful by adding supplementary software features.
Xiaomi has apparently already spent CNY 1 billion in R&D for the 2.1-inch LTPO AMOLED screen on the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, and it has reportedly helped Xiaomi set a new record for sales in the first 5 minutes of availability, then reaching 1 million shipments in record time.
Overall sales of the Xiaomi 17 series increased by 20% compared to the previous generation, and the Pro series saw triple the sales compared to the 15 Pro. One of the new features coming soon to the rear screen is real-time translation, which will arrive with an update at the end of this month. Xiaomi’s goal is to add new features every month.
Source (in Chinese)
