Xiaomi is doubling down on one of its boldest design choices yet – smartphones with a display on the back. After the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max shattered domestic sales records, the company officially confirmed that rear displays are here to stay. 
In a mobile market where innovation often feels incremental, Xiaomi’s willingness to experiment and refine its ideas stands out as a rare spark of creativity in 2025.
During a recent livestream on Weibo, Xiaomi’s president Lu Weibing announced that future Xiaomi flagships will continue to feature the company’s distinctive Dynamic Back Display. The executive revealed that the firm is already boosting its R&D budget to further improve the quality, durability, and usefulness of these displays. According to Lu, the success of the 17 series validated their approach – sales jumped by 20% compared to last year, with the 17 Pro Max alone achieving record-breaking first-day performance in China.
Unlike the latest iPhones, which remain faithful to the single-screen philosophy, Xiaomi’s flagship lineup embraces dual-display functionality. The rear panel of the Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max includes a compact yet vibrant 2.66-inch OLED screen positioned within the camera plateau. With a sharp 904×572 resolution, a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and an impressive 3,500 nits of brightness, this miniature display does far more than serve as decoration. It acts as a selfie preview window, widget hub, and notification screen, offering users quick access to essentials without turning the phone around.
Functionally, the concept feels reminiscent of foldable phones’ external cover screens, yet Xiaomi’s implementation feels more refined and integrated into the phone’s premium design. You can set custom wallpapers, display clock widgets, or even use the panel as a real-time camera viewfinder – a clever way to leverage the main camera sensors for selfies. As Lu hinted, future iterations may bring even more functionality, such as real-time translation directly displayed on the rear panel, transforming it from a novelty into a genuinely useful feature.
Given the company’s momentum, many expect the upcoming Xiaomi 18 series to push the idea further – perhaps with larger or curved back displays and tighter software integration. Xiaomi appears confident that this dual-display design is not a gimmick but a differentiator worth perfecting. The firm’s stance contrasts with many competitors who introduce flashy ideas and abandon them after one generation.
While Nothing’s Phone (3) offers a visually playful Glyph Matrix on its back, its use cases are limited compared to Xiaomi’s functional approach. Xiaomi’s rear display feels purposeful, blending convenience with personality – a feature that could shape how people interact with their phones in everyday life. Even critics who once dismissed it as a marketing stunt may have to acknowledge that Xiaomi’s persistence is paying off.
In an industry saturated with lookalike slabs, Xiaomi’s renewed commitment to innovation gives users a reason to be excited again. Whether you see it as a productivity tool or simply a cool visual flourish, the rear display marks an evolution in smartphone design thinking – and Xiaomi, it seems, has no intention of turning its back on it.
3 comments
I still think the back screen is a gimmick but at least Xiaomi is sticking to it
I like it but hope they don’t increase prices too much 😅
finally some1 doing smth new lol tired of same slab phones 😂