Parting ways with the Xiaomi 17T Pro — back to the Pixel 10a
After spending a short while daily-driving the Xiaomi 17T Pro, I’ve decided to pack it up and go straight back to my trusty Pixel 10a.
The 17T Pro is impressive on paper, but in real-world use, a few things made this an easy call:
After spending a short while daily-driving the Xiaomi 17T Pro, I’ve decided to pack it up and go straight back to my trusty Pixel 10a.
The 17T Pro is impressive on paper, but in real-world use, a few things made this an easy call:
- Form factor & everyday carry: The size of the Pixel 10a just fits my hand and pocket far better. I found myself naturally picking it up way more often than the Xiaomi.
- HyperOS vs. Clean Android: HyperOS looks slick on the surface, but it’s simply not for me. There is too much pre-installed bloat out of the box, and frankly, I am far too lazy to sit down with ADB commands just to strip out unwanted system apps.
- Software support & updates: This was the real dealbreaker. Buying a brand-new release only to wait ages for Android 17 feels backwards, especially when Pixels are already cruising along on their second major version bump.