TL; DR
- The POCO M8 Power and POCO X8 are expected to launch as rebranded versions of the Redmi Note 17 and Note 17 Pro globally.
- The POCO M8 Power reportedly keeps the Redmi Note 17’s full 8,000 mAh battery for India, while the POCO X8 could arrive with a slightly smaller 8,340 mAh battery instead of the Chinese model’s 9,000 mAh cell.
- BIS certifications have already surfaced in India, with launches expected before Diwali 2026.
Xiaomi’s dual-branding strategy is getting more confusing by the generation, and the Redmi Note 17 series is the latest example. Both phones that just launched in China this week are set to arrive globally wearing two different badges.
According to a leak shared by tipster kacskrz on X and confirmed by XimiTime through Xiaomi’s internal Mi Code, the base Redmi Note 17 is what’s becoming the POCO M8 Power. The Redmi Note 17 Pro, meanwhile, is the one getting rebadged as the POCO X8 globally.
Separately, BIS certification listings in India have already flagged model numbers tied to both devices, corresponding Redmi and POCO model pairs registered together. So the paperwork trail on the India side lines up with what XimiTime found buried in the software strings, two sets of phones, nearly identical internals, different names on the box depending on which brand Xiaomi decides to sell them under in a given market.
POCO M8 Power = Redmi Note 17
Unlike almost every other Redmi-to-global rebrand Xiaomi has done recently, the POCO M8 Power reportedly keeps the full 8,000mAh battery from the Chinese Redmi Note 17, no cut in capacity for the India-bound unit. Per XimiTime’s breakdown, the rest of the spec sheet mirrors the China version closely too:
- 7-inch OLED display
- Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 chipset
- 8,000mAh battery, kept in India
- 45W wired charging
- 50MP main camera
- NFC, IP65 rating
This is a departure from Xiaomi’s usual playbook. Normally the global or India variant gets a trimmed-down battery compared to the Chinese original, sometimes because of transport and safety certification limits around lithium-ion energy density, sometimes just to cut cost.
ALSO READ: Redmi Note 17 and Note 17 Pro Launched in China: Specs, Price, and India Launch Details
POCO X8 = Redmi Note 17 Pro
The Redmi Note 17 Pro doesn’t get the same treatment. XimiTime’s findings point to the global POCO X8 carrying an 8,340 mAh battery, still a large cell for a global POCO device, but a step down from the 9,000 mAh unit in the Chinese Redmi Note 17 Pro. Outside of that, the rest of the hardware should track the China launch fairly closely:
- 6.83-inch 1.5K flat OLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, 3,500 nits peak brightness
- Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 chipset (4nm)
- 50MP main camera, 1/2.76-inch sensor, f/1.8, capped at 1080p30fps video
- 2MP depth sensor
- UFS 2.2 on base storage, UFS 3.1 only on the top storage tiers
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2, IP66/68/69/69K durability rating
- 67W wired charging with 22.5W wired reverse charging
Launch Timing
Tipster Yogesh Brar has said the Redmi Note 17 series, and by extension its POCO counterparts, is currently expected to launch in India before Diwali this year. Given that BIS certifications are already in place and Xiaomi typically takes a few months between China and India launches, a festive-season debut lines up with the brand’s usual pattern.
ALSO READ: Redmi Note 17 Series Chipsets Leak Ahead of Launch, China Debut Confirmed for July 14
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