It seems Xiaomi was working on an Air model, but the company has scrapped it for reasons unknown.
According to a leaker on Weibo, the company was deep into developing a device known as the Xiaomi 17 Air. This wasn’t just any phone; it was being positioned as a direct rival to Apple’s iPhone Air.
A brief video clip shared by the leaker gave us a glimpse of the prototype’s chassis. The design featured a distinctive, large visor on the back, housing a pair of cameras. The rear itself was a sleek matte glass, while the camera island popped with a contrasting, polished metal finish.
On the spec sheet, it was tipped to sport a spacious 6.59-inch display yet measure a razor-thin 5.5mm – which would have undercut the iPhone Air by a mere 0.1mm. Another reliable source, Digital Chat Station, added that it was kitted out with top-tier hardware for its time: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a sub-6,000mAh battery, and a formidable 200MP main camera.
For reasons that remain unclear, however, the project was ultimately shelved. So, while it made it far enough to exist as a rather polished prototype, the Xiaomi 17 Air won’t be making it to shop shelves. It’s destined to remain a fascinating footnote in the company’s history instead.