Xiaomi’s Five-Year Battery Pledge and Recycled Aluminium Double Down on Durability, but EV Growth Hits a Speed Bump

Xiaomi launches Redmi Note 17 with 9,000mAh battery and 4-year warranty, reports mixed EV deliveries, introduces recycled aluminium for exports, while stock fluctuates.

Xiaomi is taking an unusual stab at smartphone longevity. On 14 July, the company will launch the Redmi Note 17 series in China, headlined by a 9,000 mAh battery in the Pro model – a capacity well above the industry norm. More striking is the accompanying warranty: if the battery drops below 80% capacity within the first four years, Xiaomi will replace it for free. In year five, it will even upgrade to a higher-capacity unit. For a sector that typically covers batteries for only two years, the move is a clear attempt to address consumer anxiety about degrading performance and to differentiate in a crowded mid-range market.

The Redmi Note 17 Pro also packs an OLED display with a peak brightness of 3,500 nits and an IP69K dust and water resistance rating – specifications rarely seen at this price point. The device is part of a broader push on the software front: Xiaomi has announced that HyperOS 4, based on Android 17 and built with Rust and Flutter to reduce RAM usage and improve speed, will roll out in July and August under the “Human x Car x Home” ecosystem strategy.

On the electric-vehicle side, the picture is more mixed. Xiaomi delivered 24,023 units of the SU7 last month, a 10.4% decline month-on-month and a 14.2% drop year-on-year. The ageing bestseller now accounts for 73.3% of the company’s EV brand share, according to China EV DataTracker. However, the newer YU7 SUV added 8,736 deliveries, covering roughly 27% of monthly volume, and total EV deliveries exceeded 30,000 for the third consecutive month – a sign of improving production stability. The YU7 is being counted on as a second growth engine amid a brutal price war in China’s EV market that is squeezing margins across the board.

Xiaomi is also betting on green credentials to future-proof its auto exports. The company has introduced what it says is China’s first mass-produced structural aluminium alloy made entirely from recycled material, badged as Titan Alloy 2.0. The material, used in the rear floors of the SU7 and YU7, has been certified by Sweden’s IVL institute, boasting a carbon footprint of 1.1 kg CO? equivalent per kilogram – roughly 93% less than conventional primary aluminium. The timing aligns with the European Union’s incoming Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which will tax imported vehicles based on lifecycle emissions. For export models such as the YU7 GT, that changes the cost calculus fundamentally, although Xiaomi has yet to quantify concrete export plans for Europe.

The stock has been volatile. Shares surged as much as 9% on Wednesday after a combination of strong export data and the product announcements, before settling to close at €2.79 – a 0.55% decline from the previous day’s €2.81. On a weekly basis, the stock is still up 8.95%. The longer-term picture remains weak: year-to-date the stock has lost 37.76%, and over twelve months it is down 55.37%. It trades 7.26% below its 50-day moving average of €3.01 and 28.41% below the 200-day average of €3.90. The relative strength index sits at 52.3, neutral territory, while annualised volatility of 41.20% underscores ongoing investor nervousness. The market capitalisation stands at €66.78 billion.

With the Redmi Note 17 launch just days away and EV deliveries still the dominant near-term catalyst, Xiaomi is navigating two parallel narratives: one of bold consumer guarantees and long-term environmental positioning, the other of intense domestic competition and declining unit sales for its flagship EV. For now, the market’s attention will remain fixed on monthly delivery numbers and the price war at home – the green aluminium and five-year battery promises will only matter once they translate into real volumes.