The first next-gen Android flagships have a rear screen that turns into a Game Boy

Xiaomi has just launched the Xiaomi 17 series, and the two Pro phones are both equipped with rear displays. These screens are used much like cover screens on Flip foldables, but the company has also revealed another use for them.

Xiaomi confirmed during its launch event that you can effectively turn the Xiaomi 17 Pro phones into a Game Boy of sorts via an optional case. The case connects to the phones via Bluetooth and uses their rear screens.

This case, which costs 299 yuan (~$42), features four face buttons, a circular D-pad, and what appears to be select and start buttons. Xiaomi also posted a video, seen below, that gives users an idea of what to expect.

This seems like a neat idea in theory, as you could play some retro games just fine with these limited controls. But I do imagine that some SNES and Game Boy Advance games might be an issue owing to the apparent lack of shoulder keys.

An even bigger issue seen in the video clip is that the rear cameras obscure some of the gameplay. However, Xiaomi’s images also suggest that you can play games in a smaller window to address this issue. But that leaves you with a truly tiny display, and I can’t imagine many people will enjoy this compromise. For what it’s worth, the Xiaomi 17 Pro has a 2.66-inch rear panel, while the Pro Max has a 2.86-inch secondary screen.

Nevertheless, these rear screens can also be used in other ways. This includes showing general notifications, various watch faces, transit and flight updates, delivery and e-hailing notifications, camera/selfie previews, sticky note functionality, and music playback.

The Xiaomi 17 Pro phones are now available in China, starting at 4,999 yuan (~$701). There’s no word on global availability, so you might have to import the phone and case if you fancy playing games and running emulators on a tiny rear screen.