As the first wave of 2026 flagship Androids are starting to launch, we’re intrigued to see how their specs look to measure up.
While we’re yet to test the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, we have reviewed the Redmagic 11 Pro and awarded the gaming handset a solid four-star rating. With that in mind, how do the specs of the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max look set to compare?
We’ve highlighted the key differences between the Redmagic 11 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, alongside notable similarities, below. Keep reading to learn more about what separates the two and whether either has a chance at making it into our best Android phones list.
Price and Availability
Although the Redmagic 11 Pro has been officially unveiled and will have a starting RRP of £629 / $749, it won’t be available to pre-order until November 13th nor will it be officially on sale until November 19th.
Similarly, at the time of writing the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max is not available to purchase outside of China and we don’t yet know how much the handset will cost. What we do know is that the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max starts at RMB 5999 yuan which although roughly converts to £641, we’d expect it to retail for closer to the £1100 mark.
Both run on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
One of the biggest similarities between the Redmagic 11 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max is that both run on Qualcomm’s recently announced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. The flagship processor promises plenty of improvements from its Snapdragon 8 Elite predecessor, which you can see more about in our dedicated Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs 8 Elite guide.
During our time with the Redmagic 11 Pro, we hailed the handset as being “by far the fastest phone [we’ve] used to date” thanks to its mighty Qualcomm processor. We found that it breezed through our benchmarking tests without breaking a sweat, and received 20% higher scores than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
With this in mind, while we’re yet to review the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, we can reasonably expect it will offer an overall speedy performance across everything from opening apps to gaming. We’ll have to wait and test the phone though, so see how it fares in reality.
Redmagic 11 Pro features the AquaCore Cooling System
A key selling point of the Redmagic 11 Pro is its AquaCore Cooling System. The system uses liquid cooling that you can actually see being pumped around the phone’s rear, and works to ensure the phone stays cool at all times.
As the Redmagic 11 Pro is the first handset we’ve reviewed to run Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, it’s hard to determine just how well this cooling system works. However, what we can say is the Redmagic 11 Pro managed to stay cool during our testing period, even during intense gaming sessions.
Could this make the Redmagic 11 Pro a contender for the best gaming phone? We’ll have to wait and see.
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max supports 100W wired charging
Notably, both the Redmagic 11 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max are fitted with a mighty 7500mAh battery. While we’re yet to text the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, we found that the Redmagic 11 Pro was able to easily last two days on a single charge. With this in mind, we can expect the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max to offer a similar lifespan.
Otherwise, the 17 Pro Max also benefits from speedy 100W wired charging, although Xiaomi is yet to confirm how that measures in everyday use. The Redmagic 11 Pro, on the other hand, supports up to 80W wired instead.
Sure it might be a step backward, especially as last year’s Redmagic 10 Pro supported up to 100W, but fortunately Redmagic has made up for this in a few ways. Firstly, Redmagic has included a 80W charger in the box, so there’s no need to splurge on an additional plug. In addition, the 11 Pro supports up to 80W wireless charging speeds too, which is double that of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max has a dynamic dual-screen design
It’s fair to say that both the Redmagic 11 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max have their own unique design, which helps them stand out from the crowd. While the Redmagic 11 Pro’s design is aided by the liquid cooling system and lighting combination, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max sports a dual-screen design.
Essentially, flip the phone over and you’ll be greeted by a 2.7-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display which serves numerous purposes. You can customise the display with a watch face or AI wallpaper, introduce a virtual pet coined Pangda, or simply use the screen to see real-time notifications.
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max has a slightly larger display
Despite the Redmagic 11 Pro being a gaming phone, it’s surprisingly slightly smaller than the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max at 6.85-inches. Even so, it sports an industry-leading 95.3% screen-to-body ratio and an under-screen selfie camera for truly immersive and uninterrupted gaming.
In addition, the Redmagic 11 Pro’s display is fitted with plenty of premium screen technologies including a 144Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage and up to 1800 nits of brightness too.
That’s not to say the specs of Xiaomi 17 Pro Max are less-than by any means. Its 6.9-inch OLED display features an M10 Display Panel and SuperRED luminous material which promises “excellent efficiency with ultra-high brightness and ultra-low power consumption”.
Early Verdict
With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 under their hoods, mighty batteries and unique designs, both the Redmagic 11 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max represent promising flagship Android phones. While we’re yet to review the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, the Redmagic 11 Pro’s gaming ability and sheer performance is definitely worth getting excited about.
Even so, the Redmagic 11 Pro is undoubtedly best suited for gamers or those who plan on using their phone for intensive tasks, rather than those looking for an everyday smartphone.
