(Image credit: Universe Ice)

The problem with smartphones these days is that it’s difficult to distinguish one from another. Unless you’re really keen, or you write about them on a daily basis like us, it’s hard to tell apples from pears.

They all have reasonably large displays, prominent camera systems on the rear, and they each have premium designs, at least at the top end.

It was only last week that Apple announced four new iPhones, ranging from the standard iPhone 17 to the top of the range 17 Pro and Pro Max. And while the standard 17 sticks with a similar design to the iPhone 16, the iPhone 17 Pro models have had a design refresh.

Now it's taken all of seven days for a leak to show another smartphone manufacturer opting for a similar look.

What will the Xiaomi 17 series have that's unique?

Leaker Universe Ice posted a teaser video on X showing off the new the design for the upcoming Xiaomi 17 series, which is expected to be revealed in full in a few weeks time.

The 14-second video shows a phone with a large raised camera panel on the rear at the top, spanning the width of the device, just like the iPhone 17 Pro.

The camera lenses, of which there are two, are in the corner of that panel, so that's your first point of difference between the Xiaomi and iPhone designs, though. The second is a little more exciting.

That's because, on the right of the lenses is what looks like a mini display. The video shows a clock on the front device, but it's possible that the display could also present things like small notification icons too.

We'll have to wait and see, but for now the leaked video has certainly teased us enough into wanting a closer look.