About time a Xiaomi 17 Pro landed on JerryRigEverything’s workbench. For context, the channel owner, Zack Nelson, is a smartphone teardown YouTuber and durability tester. He took apart the phone and let everyone know the secrets lying within. We learn that the Xiaomi 17 Pro is just as durable as the iPhone 17 Pro, with a few twists.
Xiaomi 17 Pro is built differently, and what’s special about this handset is the rear screen. There was an obvious implication that this special feature would cause durability issues. But that’s not the conclusion JerryRigEverything reached. It’s still a flagship phone, and it’s still quite tough.
The phone this YouTuber tested was the simple Pro version with a smaller 6.3” AMOLED screen. Business as usual, he took out his custom knife and Moh’s sticks and started scratching the glass panel. The phone doesn’t have the usual Gorilla Glass lining — Xiaomi went for Dragon Glass 3 protection instead.
The glass was safe from scratches up to Moh’s Level 6, and got very light scratches at Level 7. That’s the same level and durability as Xiaomi's new Pro model, which has Corning’s Ceramic Shield 2. Zack’s exact words were “This Dragon Crystal Glass is definitely better than any other Android phone we’ve seen so far.”
If Xiaomi is trying to break Corning’s monopoly and reliance on third-party glass manufacturers, it’s doing a pretty good job. But there’s a caveat to this $900 phone, which is a plastic back. Flagships usually have a Glass back, so this is a bit of a letdown.
The cheap plastic back can be overlooked on Xiaomi 17 Pro, since it also makes the phone lighter and more resistant to (drop) damage. And let’s not forget that it’s way cheaper to repair. It starts to scratch at Mohs level 6, which is not that impressive.
The Aluminum frame has a little give, but it was safe in the bend test. The display was also exposed to a lighter flame, but it didn’t leave any permanent mark. Xiaomi 17 Pro is definitely worthy of its price tag. You just trade off the premium feel for higher durability.