Xiaomi 17 Review: I Took It to Thailand for a Real Camera Test
Xiaomi phones are a little tough to judge. After all, these guys do everything, from making phones to laptops and sometimes even record-breaking electric SUVs. The Xiaomi 17 is a bit like the quiet kid that never gets noticed, simply because its bigger brother, the 17 Ultra, is on a streak of collecting all the best smartphone camera awards. But here’s the thing: most people won’t ever splurge that much money on a non-Samsung or Apple Ultra flagship. The main sales driver will always be the base model, and that’s the question I had in mind. Can the Xiaomi 17 go head-to-head with the OPPO Find X9 and the vivo X300, especially since it’s more expensive than both? You can thank AI for that.
To answer this very question, I got the Xiaomi 17 for review and took it with me on a work trip to Phuket, Thailand. Here, I used the phone to capture about 500 photos in the summer heat, with temperatures soaring to 40 degrees, and constant GPS navigation to put the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC through its paces. Spoiler alert, I really do love this phone, but there are a few quirks, too. Here’s why.
Xiaomi 17 Review
Hisan Kidwai
Summary
The Xiaomi 17 brings a lot of things to the table. You get the best-in-class performance that’s miles ahead of the competition. A design that’s understated yet premium. Battery life that can easily last two full days, and cameras that, instead of being same same but different, induce a character to each and every photo that makes them more memorable. Of course, it’s not perfect. I’d like the camera bugs fixed and ultrawide performance improved, but overall, the Xiaomi 17 gets my recommendation.
Design & Hardware
If Apple were ever going to make an Android phone, then they’d probably design something like the Xiaomi 17. I wouldn’t describe the build as flashy, but it’s super elegant and reminiscent of past Xiaomi flagships. I talked about this in my X300 Pro review, as creating a brand identity to compete against Samsung and Apple is super important, and Xiaomi has listened. While I was using it daily, many of my friends and family asked me what Xiaomi phone I was using—note the wording: “Xiaomi phone,” meaning they knew it was a particular brand, and that’s important. The Chinese smartphone maker said they thought of every curve, and I’ll just say it straight: the 17 is the best-feeling compact phone I’ve held this year.
The corners are crafted to perfection, the width is spot on, and even the way the aluminum frame blends into the glass without an abrupt edge makes carrying the phone a very enjoyable experience. Beyond that, the back glass is frosted to prevent the phone from slipping off glass surfaces, and the side frame doesn’t let go of its color inside a case.
Speaking of color, you get plenty of options, but my favorite is definitely the blue variant, as it has that breezy summer vibe. The buttons are tactile and positioned where your hand would naturally rest.
Moving to the camera module, Xiaomi has taken the iPhone route of individual stove-top camera cutouts. There are four of them (one houses the flash), and aside from the fact that dust is difficult to get out from between, I do quite like them. The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is positioned at a comfy place where your thumb would naturally rest. I used it on the beach with wet hands, and it worked perfectly fine. Besides, the phone is IP69-rated for dust and water resistance, meaning it should technically withstand a swim. Did I dare take it inside the water on the beach? Absolutely not, because the IP rating is only for fresh water, and seawater can cause irreversible damage.
Display
I’ve said this before that all flagship displays are essentially the same, and that holds true for the Xiaomi 17, too. The phone features a 6.3-inch 1220 x 2656 OLED display, with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. This time, Xiaomi has trimmed the bezels even more for a more premium look, and I’m a fan. The panel is exceptionally color-accurate and vibrant for content consumption, as evidenced by my 3-hour run of The Pitt season 2 on the flight to Thailand. Even the HDR performance is exceptional.
Xiaomi claims a peak brightness number of 3,500 nits. Sadly, I don’t have a light meter to put the claim to the test, but from my experience using the panel in the 12 noon sun at Phi Phi Island, it’s plenty bright for outdoor use. The texts were legible, and I could use the phone for GPS navigation without squinting.
When it comes to durability, I usually don’t like to test that part myself and instead rely on user reports. However, I accidentally dropped the Xiaomi 17 on a concrete floor. The result was surprisingly good. I dropped it, without a case, from a tripod at chest height, meaning that, while the phone was in the air, all sorts of scary thoughts came to mind, including how much this repair was going to cost me. Thankfully, the phone escaped with only minor damage to the frame.
Performance & Software
Performance is what makes or breaks the smartphone experience, and it’s no surprise to anyone that the Xiaomi 17 delivers top-of-the-line performance. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the best Android processor in the market, and it’s coupled with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 internal storage. The results? The Xiaomi 17 is an absolute joy to use. It flies through the UI like nothing, and there’s ample headroom for literally any task. That being said, the phone runs on HyperOS 3, which, for the uninitiated, is a very altered version of Android that resembles more like iOS.
I don’t have a problem with the look, especially since HyperOS is one of the smoothest Android skins, with silky animations and a lot of customization. My issue is that, unlike other Chinese skins that allow you to tone down the iOS-ness, Xiaomi doesn’t.
For example, the notification shade is divided into two sections: the quick control and the panel. I don’t like that, but when I went digging in the settings to find a way to merge them, there wasn’t. Also, the back gesture is enabled in the keyboard, so when I tried deleting long text, it would often send me back instead.
There are a few silver linings I wish others would copy from HyperOS, one major one being the lockscreen customizations. There are so many options, and every one of them looks gorgeous. As this is 2026, there’s a host of AI features, such as object eraser, image upscaling, and inpainting. I tried them all, and they work exactly as you’d expect. The company also promises about six years of major software updates and security patches. This is better than vivo’s five years.
Benchmarks & Gaming
As this is a review, I also ran a series of benchmarks to test the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5’s limits. The phone scored 3,415 in Geekbench’s single-core test and 10,008 in the multi-core test. These are insane numbers, especially when compared with the likes of the vivo X300 Pro and the Find X9, which score about 20%-30% lower in multi-core tests. The story remained similar on AnTuTu, where the Xiaomi 17 handsomely beat its Chinese rivals, scoring 3,423,349.
As expected, this performance translates extremely well in gaming. I’m a former PUBG (BGMI) eSports player, and my results were exceptional. The phone maintained 120 FPS gameplay even at high settings without a hint of stutter. I also like Xiaomi’s thermal management, which kept the phone from overheating during both gaming and photo capture in Thailand’s hot summer.
Battery Life & Charging
After all the chatter about the small form factor, you may expect the Xiaomi 17 to compromise on the battery life, just as other Apple and Samsung phones do. Well, you can’t be more wrong, as the Xiaomi 17 packs an even bigger battery, 6,330mAh to be precise, than the 17 Ultra. And the results are just fantastic. On the morning of my Thailand flight, I unplugged the phone at 5 am. I then continued using the phone for the rest of the day, including the three hours of The Pitt on the flight and map navigation when reaching Phuket airport. I ended the day with 20% remaining, and at 3 am the next morning, I had 20% remaining. For a more typical person, you’d be looking more at two days of usage without a hitch.
When it was finally time to charge, Xiaomi, unlike Samsung, bundles a 100W fast charger in the box that charges the phone from 20% to 80% in just 30 minutes. You also get 50W of reverse wireless charging, though that requires a specific charger.
Cameras
If a phone doesn’t fold in half or has dual screens, the only way to differentiate itself is through the cameras. They are the main reason why people lean towards a certain brand, and recently, both OPPO and vivo have been killing it. However, I think there’s room for a third king: the Xiaomi 17. Like others, it also houses a triple-sensor array, led by the 50MP LightFusion 950 sensor, a 50MP JN1 60mm telephoto, and another 50MP OV50M ultrawide lens. Colors are handled by Leica, and that’s the main strength of the Xiaomi 17. The photos it takes, with the different Leica filters, have a certain character you won’t find anywhere else. Every phone takes similar photos these days, and it’s these color profiles that matter the most.
Still, if you’re not a fan of poking around with the cameras, the default Leica Authentic profile produces colors that are very close to natural, with highlights and shadows handled extremely well. The details are crisp and plenty, the HDR performance is mostly spot on, and the contrast is slightly on the boosted side, which is what I like. Beyond the default camera profile, there are a myriad of filters, such as Negative, Positive, Sepia, Natural, Vibrant, and Blue. Each has a different style of capturing the colors and subject, and I really did find myself going through each and every one of them to decide which actually serves the scene the best. And the results speak for themselves. Every photo tells a different story, and that’s the Xiaomi 17’s biggest strength.
The telephoto lens is 2.5x, and I’d say the same about it, too. It serves as the main portrait camera, and the images deliver stellar detail, with excellent foreground separation and improved natural skin tones without the infamous beautification. Xiaomi doesn’t rely much on AI processing, so zooming past 5x-6x will result in blurry photos. Keep that in mind. The ultrawide hasn’t changed from the previous generation, so it still doesn’t have autofocus for macro photography. While it works great when the light is ample, I saw a significant drop in quality at night.
Speaking of the night, both the main and telephoto sensors benefit from Xiaomi’s mature image processing, which retains detail in shadows without making the image muddy or introducing noise. Videos, which can be shot at up to 8K, carry similar details in all lighting conditions, and I’m a fan. Sadly, it’s not all perfect. In Thailand’s heat, some of the videos I captured were choppy, even when I was in the hotel. This problem then carried over to India, where the first few seconds of every video would stutter. I’ve communicated this issue with the Xiaomi team, so a fix could be imminent. Overall, I love the Xiaomi 17’s cameras.
Verdict
Sure, the ₹89,999 price tag of the Xiaomi 17 might feel a bit much, considering it’s more than the vivo and OPPO competition. But the Xiaomi 17 brings a lot of things to the table. You get the best-in-class performance that’s miles ahead of the competition. A design that’s understated yet premium. Battery life that can easily last two full days, and cameras that, instead of being same same but different, induce a character to each and every photo that makes them more memorable. Of course, it’s not perfect. I’d like the camera bugs fixed and ultrawide performance improved, but overall, the Xiaomi 17 gets my recommendation.
Xiaomi phones are a little tough to judge. After all, these guys do everything, from making phones to laptops and sometimes even record-breaking electric SUVs. The Xiaomi 17 is a bit like the quiet kid that never gets noticed, simply because its bigger brother, the 17 Ultra, is on a streak of collecting all the best smartphone camera awards. But here’s the thing: most people won’t ever splurge that much money on a non-Samsung or Apple Ultra flagship. The main sales driver will always be the base model, and that’s the question I had in mind. Can the Xiaomi 17 go head-to-head with the OPPO Find X9 and the vivo X300, especially since it’s more expensive than both? You can thank AI for that.
To answer this very question, I got the Xiaomi 17 for review and took it with me on a work trip to Phuket, Thailand. Here, I used the phone to capture about 500 photos in the summer heat, with temperatures soaring to 40 degrees, and constant GPS navigation to put the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC through its paces. Spoiler alert, I really do love this phone, but there are a few quirks, too. Here’s why.
Xiaomi 17 Review
Hisan Kidwai
Summary
The Xiaomi 17 brings a lot of things to the table. You get the best-in-class performance that’s miles ahead of the competition. A design that’s understated yet premium. Battery life that can easily last two full days, and cameras that, instead of being same same but different, induce a character to each and every photo that makes them more memorable. Of course, it’s not perfect. I’d like the camera bugs fixed and ultrawide performance improved, but overall, the Xiaomi 17 gets my recommendation.
Design & Hardware
If Apple were ever going to make an Android phone, then they’d probably design something like the Xiaomi 17. I wouldn’t describe the build as flashy, but it’s super elegant and reminiscent of past Xiaomi flagships. I talked about this in my X300 Pro review, as creating a brand identity to compete against Samsung and Apple is super important, and Xiaomi has listened. While I was using it daily, many of my friends and family asked me what Xiaomi phone I was using—note the wording: “Xiaomi phone,” meaning they knew it was a particular brand, and that’s important. The Chinese smartphone maker said they thought of every curve, and I’ll just say it straight: the 17 is the best-feeling compact phone I’ve held this year.
The corners are crafted to perfection, the width is spot on, and even the way the aluminum frame blends into the glass without an abrupt edge makes carrying the phone a very enjoyable experience. Beyond that, the back glass is frosted to prevent the phone from slipping off glass surfaces, and the side frame doesn’t let go of its color inside a case.
Speaking of color, you get plenty of options, but my favorite is definitely the blue variant, as it has that breezy summer vibe. The buttons are tactile and positioned where your hand would naturally rest.
Moving to the camera module, Xiaomi has taken the iPhone route of individual stove-top camera cutouts. There are four of them (one houses the flash), and aside from the fact that dust is difficult to get out from between, I do quite like them. The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is positioned at a comfy place where your thumb would naturally rest. I used it on the beach with wet hands, and it worked perfectly fine. Besides, the phone is IP69-rated for dust and water resistance, meaning it should technically withstand a swim. Did I dare take it inside the water on the beach? Absolutely not, because the IP rating is only for fresh water, and seawater can cause irreversible damage.
Display
I’ve said this before that all flagship displays are essentially the same, and that holds true for the Xiaomi 17, too. The phone features a 6.3-inch 1220 x 2656 OLED display, with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. This time, Xiaomi has trimmed the bezels even more for a more premium look, and I’m a fan. The panel is exceptionally color-accurate and vibrant for content consumption, as evidenced by my 3-hour run of The Pitt season 2 on the flight to Thailand. Even the HDR performance is exceptional.
Xiaomi claims a peak brightness number of 3,500 nits. Sadly, I don’t have a light meter to put the claim to the test, but from my experience using the panel in the 12 noon sun at Phi Phi Island, it’s plenty bright for outdoor use. The texts were legible, and I could use the phone for GPS navigation without squinting.
When it comes to durability, I usually don’t like to test that part myself and instead rely on user reports. However, I accidentally dropped the Xiaomi 17 on a concrete floor. The result was surprisingly good. I dropped it, without a case, from a tripod at chest height, meaning that, while the phone was in the air, all sorts of scary thoughts came to mind, including how much this repair was going to cost me. Thankfully, the phone escaped with only minor damage to the frame.
Performance & Software
Performance is what makes or breaks the smartphone experience, and it’s no surprise to anyone that the Xiaomi 17 delivers top-of-the-line performance. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the best Android processor in the market, and it’s coupled with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 internal storage. The results? The Xiaomi 17 is an absolute joy to use. It flies through the UI like nothing, and there’s ample headroom for literally any task. That being said, the phone runs on HyperOS 3, which, for the uninitiated, is a very altered version of Android that resembles more like iOS.
I don’t have a problem with the look, especially since HyperOS is one of the smoothest Android skins, with silky animations and a lot of customization. My issue is that, unlike other Chinese skins that allow you to tone down the iOS-ness, Xiaomi doesn’t.
For example, the notification shade is divided into two sections: the quick control and the panel. I don’t like that, but when I went digging in the settings to find a way to merge them, there wasn’t. Also, the back gesture is enabled in the keyboard, so when I tried deleting long text, it would often send me back instead.
There are a few silver linings I wish others would copy from HyperOS, one major one being the lockscreen customizations. There are so many options, and every one of them looks gorgeous. As this is 2026, there’s a host of AI features, such as object eraser, image upscaling, and inpainting. I tried them all, and they work exactly as you’d expect. The company also promises about six years of major software updates and security patches. This is better than vivo’s five years.
Benchmarks & Gaming
As this is a review, I also ran a series of benchmarks to test the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5’s limits. The phone scored 3,415 in Geekbench’s single-core test and 10,008 in the multi-core test. These are insane numbers, especially when compared with the likes of the vivo X300 Pro and the Find X9, which score about 20%-30% lower in multi-core tests. The story remained similar on AnTuTu, where the Xiaomi 17 handsomely beat its Chinese rivals, scoring 3,423,349.
As expected, this performance translates extremely well in gaming. I’m a former PUBG (BGMI) eSports player, and my results were exceptional. The phone maintained 120 FPS gameplay even at high settings without a hint of stutter. I also like Xiaomi’s thermal management, which kept the phone from overheating during both gaming and photo capture in Thailand’s hot summer.
Battery Life & Charging
After all the chatter about the small form factor, you may expect the Xiaomi 17 to compromise on the battery life, just as other Apple and Samsung phones do. Well, you can’t be more wrong, as the Xiaomi 17 packs an even bigger battery, 6,330mAh to be precise, than the 17 Ultra. And the results are just fantastic. On the morning of my Thailand flight, I unplugged the phone at 5 am. I then continued using the phone for the rest of the day, including the three hours of The Pitt on the flight and map navigation when reaching Phuket airport. I ended the day with 20% remaining, and at 3 am the next morning, I had 20% remaining. For a more typical person, you’d be looking more at two days of usage without a hitch.
When it was finally time to charge, Xiaomi, unlike Samsung, bundles a 100W fast charger in the box that charges the phone from 20% to 80% in just 30 minutes. You also get 50W of reverse wireless charging, though that requires a specific charger.
Cameras
If a phone doesn’t fold in half or has dual screens, the only way to differentiate itself is through the cameras. They are the main reason why people lean towards a certain brand, and recently, both OPPO and vivo have been killing it. However, I think there’s room for a third king: the Xiaomi 17. Like others, it also houses a triple-sensor array, led by the 50MP LightFusion 950 sensor, a 50MP JN1 60mm telephoto, and another 50MP OV50M ultrawide lens. Colors are handled by Leica, and that’s the main strength of the Xiaomi 17. The photos it takes, with the different Leica filters, have a certain character you won’t find anywhere else. Every phone takes similar photos these days, and it’s these color profiles that matter the most.
Still, if you’re not a fan of poking around with the cameras, the default Leica Authentic profile produces colors that are very close to natural, with highlights and shadows handled extremely well. The details are crisp and plenty, the HDR performance is mostly spot on, and the contrast is slightly on the boosted side, which is what I like. Beyond the default camera profile, there are a myriad of filters, such as Negative, Positive, Sepia, Natural, Vibrant, and Blue. Each has a different style of capturing the colors and subject, and I really did find myself going through each and every one of them to decide which actually serves the scene the best. And the results speak for themselves. Every photo tells a different story, and that’s the Xiaomi 17’s biggest strength.
The telephoto lens is 2.5x, and I’d say the same about it, too. It serves as the main portrait camera, and the images deliver stellar detail, with excellent foreground separation and improved natural skin tones without the infamous beautification. Xiaomi doesn’t rely much on AI processing, so zooming past 5x-6x will result in blurry photos. Keep that in mind. The ultrawide hasn’t changed from the previous generation, so it still doesn’t have autofocus for macro photography. While it works great when the light is ample, I saw a significant drop in quality at night.
Speaking of the night, both the main and telephoto sensors benefit from Xiaomi’s mature image processing, which retains detail in shadows without making the image muddy or introducing noise. Videos, which can be shot at up to 8K, carry similar details in all lighting conditions, and I’m a fan. Sadly, it’s not all perfect. In Thailand’s heat, some of the videos I captured were choppy, even when I was in the hotel. This problem then carried over to India, where the first few seconds of every video would stutter. I’ve communicated this issue with the Xiaomi team, so a fix could be imminent. Overall, I love the Xiaomi 17’s cameras.
Verdict
Sure, the ₹89,999 price tag of the Xiaomi 17 might feel a bit much, considering it’s more than the vivo and OPPO competition. But the Xiaomi 17 brings a lot of things to the table. You get the best-in-class performance that’s miles ahead of the competition. A design that’s understated yet premium. Battery life that can easily last two full days, and cameras that, instead of being same same but different, induce a character to each and every photo that makes them more memorable. Of course, it’s not perfect. I’d like the camera bugs fixed and ultrawide performance improved, but overall, the Xiaomi 17 gets my recommendation.
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officially unveiled the Luna Band, a new voice-first wearable designed to help users improve their daily routines through real-time health tracking. Supported by the company’s LifeOS intelligence system, the wearable continuously monitors body signals and transforms them into personalized recommendations. Luna designed the device for people who want smarter support for productivity, recovery, and overall health. The invite-only Drop 1 is expected to begin shipping by the end of July 2026.
Luna Band: Key Highlights
Luna designed the Luna app to make health tracking simpler and more organized by consolidating several wellness features into a single platform. This app integrates features that involve stress management, nutrition, exercise, supplements, and recovery into a single application. Another customization option available to users is creating personal health modules in the app.
The application brings together aspects of stress, diet, fitness, nutritional supplements, and productivity within the app’s micro-apps. Users can also sync third-party devices and other relevant health-related data sources for a more personalized experience.
The company also allows users to create their own health modules in the app rather than relying solely on prebuilt features. Alongside this, Luna highlights its voice-logging feature, which eliminates the need for manual data entry. Users can quickly record meals, workouts, and daily habits through simple voice commands, making health tracking faster.
Luna designed LifeOS as one of its main AI-powered features to simplify health tracking through personalized insights and recommendations. The system continuously studies body signals, lifestyle habits, biomarkers, and health trends to deliver a better understanding of overall wellness. Luna says LifeOS is included with the Luna Band platform.
Price and Availability
Luna has confirmed that the first release of the Luna Band, called Drop 1, will be available through an invite-only system. Users interested in the wearable can sign up through the company’s official waitlist before shipping starts later in July 2026.
officially unveiled the Luna Band, a new voice-first wearable designed to help users improve their daily routines through real-time health tracking. Supported by the company’s LifeOS intelligence system, the wearable continuously monitors body signals and transforms them into personalized recommendations. Luna designed the device for people who want smarter support for productivity, recovery, and overall health. The invite-only Drop 1 is expected to begin shipping by the end of July 2026.
Luna Band: Key Highlights
Luna designed the Luna app to make health tracking simpler and more organized by consolidating several wellness features into a single platform. This app integrates features that involve stress management, nutrition, exercise, supplements, and recovery into a single application. Another customization option available to users is creating personal health modules in the app.
The application brings together aspects of stress, diet, fitness, nutritional supplements, and productivity within the app’s micro-apps. Users can also sync third-party devices and other relevant health-related data sources for a more personalized experience.
The company also allows users to create their own health modules in the app rather than relying solely on prebuilt features. Alongside this, Luna highlights its voice-logging feature, which eliminates the need for manual data entry. Users can quickly record meals, workouts, and daily habits through simple voice commands, making health tracking faster.
Luna designed LifeOS as one of its main AI-powered features to simplify health tracking through personalized insights and recommendations. The system continuously studies body signals, lifestyle habits, biomarkers, and health trends to deliver a better understanding of overall wellness. Luna says LifeOS is included with the Luna Band platform.
Price and Availability
Luna has confirmed that the first release of the Luna Band, called Drop 1, will be available through an invite-only system. Users interested in the wearable can sign up through the company’s official waitlist before shipping starts later in July 2026.
#Luna #Introduces #Luna #Band #RealTime #Health #Tracking #FeaturesLuna">Luna Introduces Luna Band With Real-Time Health Tracking Features
Luna has officially unveiled the Luna Band, a new voice-first wearable designed to help users improve their daily routines through real-time health tracking. Supported by the company’s LifeOS intelligence system, the wearable continuously monitors body signals and transforms them into personalized recommendations. Luna designed the device for people who want smarter support for productivity, recovery, and overall health. The invite-only Drop 1 is expected to begin shipping by the end of July 2026.
Luna Band: Key Highlights
Luna designed the Luna app to make health tracking simpler and more organized by consolidating several wellness features into a single platform. This app integrates features that involve stress management, nutrition, exercise, supplements, and recovery into a single application. Another customization option available to users is creating personal health modules in the app.
The application brings together aspects of stress, diet, fitness, nutritional supplements, and productivity within the app’s micro-apps. Users can also sync third-party devices and other relevant health-related data sources for a more personalized experience.
The company also allows users to create their own health modules in the app rather than relying solely on prebuilt features. Alongside this, Luna highlights its voice-logging feature, which eliminates the need for manual data entry. Users can quickly record meals, workouts, and daily habits through simple voice commands, making health tracking faster.
Luna designed LifeOS as one of its main AI-powered features to simplify health tracking through personalized insights and recommendations. The system continuously studies body signals, lifestyle habits, biomarkers, and health trends to deliver a better understanding of overall wellness. Luna says LifeOS is included with the Luna Band platform.
Price and Availability
Luna has confirmed that the first release of the Luna Band, called Drop 1, will be available through an invite-only system. Users interested in the wearable can sign up through the company’s official waitlist before shipping starts later in July 2026.
There are other similar studies underway, including in the United States. Some are testing semaglutide for other kinds of substance use disorder, like opioids. Others are testing newer drugs like tirzepatide (a dual agonist that pairs GLP-1 with the hunger-related hormone GIP).
I reached out to an outside expert, Asim Shah, a professor and executive vice chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, to talk about the emerging science surrounding GLP-1s and addiction treatment. We discussed the leading theory behind why GLP-1s can reduce addiction, his opinion of the recent Lancet trial, and what it will take for these drugs to be widely adopted as treatments for substance use disorders. The following has been lightly edited for clarity and grammar.
Ed Cara, Gizmodo: Do we have any sort of sense yet as to how or why GLP-1s seem to be working well against substance use disorders?
Asim Shah: So the craving, or pleasure, center of the brain is related to dopamine, which is a brain neurotransmitter. Whenever you crave something and you eat it or you take it, that gives you pleasure. That is the dopamine functioning in the brain. And all of this is related to the same thing, whether it’s a craving for food, craving for smoking, craving for alcohol, any drug. That’s the neurobiological mechanism of craving and pleasure, and it’s all the same mechanism.
And incidentally, we found out that the people who were losing weight on these GLP-1s, they often also stopped smoking cigarettes and their addiction got better with alcohol. It was an incidental finding, but it’s something people are now trying to study more closely.
Gizmodo: Speaking of studies, what do you make of the newest trial published in The Lancet this month?
Shah: So this was a 26 week study, which had about 100 patients, half and half men and women both. In our world, 100 patients is a medium sized study; a larger one might usually have 300, 400, 600 patients. So this is a medium sized study, which is decent. It’s not bad. And in my opinion, it was done pretty well, not a lot of bias in the study that I saw.
Now, of course, this is not a definitive study. And you need to follow up with these patients after the weeks of study. We call these start-up studies, and they are what we base future, longer and bigger studies on. So it’s a good base, and there are other studies on the way.
Gizmodo: Broadly speaking, what are the questions that these longer and larger studies need to try answering?
Shah: So there are a couple of things.
These are different substances that people are looking at; one is alcohol, one smoking, the other is opiates. So the next studies we should be doing is to see whether GLP-1s like semaglutide can limit more than one of these addictions. Because the mechanism is the same mechanism for all the cravings and the addictions. So can it reduce all of these or just one if somebody is taking it?
If we do keep seeing an effect here, it’s also important to know how quickly this happens and whether it can be sustained after you stop using a GLP-1. That’s why we have to follow people after these sorts of trials, to see if the effect can last after they stop taking the medication or if it requires people needing to stay on the drug for the effect.
Gizmodo: These sort of studies are happening. But what should be the current takeaway for people with these addictions and their doctor? Is this something that could be used in the real world right now?
Shah: Because they’re not approved right now, the takeaway should be that if you already have a current indication to take a GLP-1 which is for diabetes or obesity, certainly take it. If you also get an added advantage of stopping your smoking or alcohol use disorder, that is well and good because we don’t have approval for these disorders currently.
So in other words, if somebody comes to us and says, “Hey, I want to start these medicines for smoking cessation or alcohol use disorder,” we may not be able to prescribe it because there’s no approval. But they can be part of a study which is going on in some centers for those disorders. And if somebody already is using them for diabetes or so, and in addition, they get a benefit for alcoholism, that’s great, too.
There are other similar studies underway, including in the United States. Some are testing semaglutide for other kinds of substance use disorder, like opioids. Others are testing newer drugs like tirzepatide (a dual agonist that pairs GLP-1 with the hunger-related hormone GIP).
I reached out to an outside expert, Asim Shah, a professor and executive vice chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, to talk about the emerging science surrounding GLP-1s and addiction treatment. We discussed the leading theory behind why GLP-1s can reduce addiction, his opinion of the recent Lancet trial, and what it will take for these drugs to be widely adopted as treatments for substance use disorders. The following has been lightly edited for clarity and grammar.
Ed Cara, Gizmodo: Do we have any sort of sense yet as to how or why GLP-1s seem to be working well against substance use disorders?
Asim Shah: So the craving, or pleasure, center of the brain is related to dopamine, which is a brain neurotransmitter. Whenever you crave something and you eat it or you take it, that gives you pleasure. That is the dopamine functioning in the brain. And all of this is related to the same thing, whether it’s a craving for food, craving for smoking, craving for alcohol, any drug. That’s the neurobiological mechanism of craving and pleasure, and it’s all the same mechanism.
And incidentally, we found out that the people who were losing weight on these GLP-1s, they often also stopped smoking cigarettes and their addiction got better with alcohol. It was an incidental finding, but it’s something people are now trying to study more closely.
Gizmodo: Speaking of studies, what do you make of the newest trial published in The Lancet this month?
Shah: So this was a 26 week study, which had about 100 patients, half and half men and women both. In our world, 100 patients is a medium sized study; a larger one might usually have 300, 400, 600 patients. So this is a medium sized study, which is decent. It’s not bad. And in my opinion, it was done pretty well, not a lot of bias in the study that I saw.
Now, of course, this is not a definitive study. And you need to follow up with these patients after the weeks of study. We call these start-up studies, and they are what we base future, longer and bigger studies on. So it’s a good base, and there are other studies on the way.
Gizmodo: Broadly speaking, what are the questions that these longer and larger studies need to try answering?
Shah: So there are a couple of things.
These are different substances that people are looking at; one is alcohol, one smoking, the other is opiates. So the next studies we should be doing is to see whether GLP-1s like semaglutide can limit more than one of these addictions. Because the mechanism is the same mechanism for all the cravings and the addictions. So can it reduce all of these or just one if somebody is taking it?
If we do keep seeing an effect here, it’s also important to know how quickly this happens and whether it can be sustained after you stop using a GLP-1. That’s why we have to follow people after these sorts of trials, to see if the effect can last after they stop taking the medication or if it requires people needing to stay on the drug for the effect.
Gizmodo: These sort of studies are happening. But what should be the current takeaway for people with these addictions and their doctor? Is this something that could be used in the real world right now?
Shah: Because they’re not approved right now, the takeaway should be that if you already have a current indication to take a GLP-1 which is for diabetes or obesity, certainly take it. If you also get an added advantage of stopping your smoking or alcohol use disorder, that is well and good because we don’t have approval for these disorders currently.
So in other words, if somebody comes to us and says, “Hey, I want to start these medicines for smoking cessation or alcohol use disorder,” we may not be able to prescribe it because there’s no approval. But they can be part of a study which is going on in some centers for those disorders. And if somebody already is using them for diabetes or so, and in addition, they get a benefit for alcoholism, that’s great, too.
#Ozempic #Treat #Alcoholism #Heresaddiction,Alcoholism,GLP-1s,Ozempic,Q&As">Can Ozempic Treat Alcoholism? Here’s What You Should Know
Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) and other GLP-1 medications have rapidly become some of the most popular drugs in the world. Originally developed for type 2 diabetes, GLP-1s are now better known for treating obesity. In the near future, though, these drugs could have yet another vital use as treatments for alcohol addiction and other substance use disorders.
Over the past few years, a growing base of evidence has suggested that GLP-1s can tamp down people’s unhealthy urges for alcohol, cocaine, and even vices like gambling. And earlier this month, researchers in Denmark published data from the first double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial of semaglutide for alcohol use disorder in The Lancet. Over a 26-week period, the study found that people on semaglutide consumed less alcohol than those given a placebo and experienced noticeably fewer heavy drinking days when they did drink.
There are other similar studies underway, including in the United States. Some are testing semaglutide for other kinds of substance use disorder, like opioids. Others are testing newer drugs like tirzepatide (a dual agonist that pairs GLP-1 with the hunger-related hormone GIP).
I reached out to an outside expert, Asim Shah, a professor and executive vice chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, to talk about the emerging science surrounding GLP-1s and addiction treatment. We discussed the leading theory behind why GLP-1s can reduce addiction, his opinion of the recent Lancet trial, and what it will take for these drugs to be widely adopted as treatments for substance use disorders. The following has been lightly edited for clarity and grammar.
Ed Cara, Gizmodo: Do we have any sort of sense yet as to how or why GLP-1s seem to be working well against substance use disorders?
Asim Shah: So the craving, or pleasure, center of the brain is related to dopamine, which is a brain neurotransmitter. Whenever you crave something and you eat it or you take it, that gives you pleasure. That is the dopamine functioning in the brain. And all of this is related to the same thing, whether it’s a craving for food, craving for smoking, craving for alcohol, any drug. That’s the neurobiological mechanism of craving and pleasure, and it’s all the same mechanism.
And incidentally, we found out that the people who were losing weight on these GLP-1s, they often also stopped smoking cigarettes and their addiction got better with alcohol. It was an incidental finding, but it’s something people are now trying to study more closely.
Gizmodo: Speaking of studies, what do you make of the newest trial published in The Lancet this month?
Shah: So this was a 26 week study, which had about 100 patients, half and half men and women both. In our world, 100 patients is a medium sized study; a larger one might usually have 300, 400, 600 patients. So this is a medium sized study, which is decent. It’s not bad. And in my opinion, it was done pretty well, not a lot of bias in the study that I saw.
Now, of course, this is not a definitive study. And you need to follow up with these patients after the weeks of study. We call these start-up studies, and they are what we base future, longer and bigger studies on. So it’s a good base, and there are other studies on the way.
Gizmodo: Broadly speaking, what are the questions that these longer and larger studies need to try answering?
Shah: So there are a couple of things.
These are different substances that people are looking at; one is alcohol, one smoking, the other is opiates. So the next studies we should be doing is to see whether GLP-1s like semaglutide can limit more than one of these addictions. Because the mechanism is the same mechanism for all the cravings and the addictions. So can it reduce all of these or just one if somebody is taking it?
If we do keep seeing an effect here, it’s also important to know how quickly this happens and whether it can be sustained after you stop using a GLP-1. That’s why we have to follow people after these sorts of trials, to see if the effect can last after they stop taking the medication or if it requires people needing to stay on the drug for the effect.
Gizmodo: These sort of studies are happening. But what should be the current takeaway for people with these addictions and their doctor? Is this something that could be used in the real world right now?
Shah: Because they’re not approved right now, the takeaway should be that if you already have a current indication to take a GLP-1 which is for diabetes or obesity, certainly take it. If you also get an added advantage of stopping your smoking or alcohol use disorder, that is well and good because we don’t have approval for these disorders currently.
So in other words, if somebody comes to us and says, “Hey, I want to start these medicines for smoking cessation or alcohol use disorder,” we may not be able to prescribe it because there’s no approval. But they can be part of a study which is going on in some centers for those disorders. And if somebody already is using them for diabetes or so, and in addition, they get a benefit for alcoholism, that’s great, too.
Bartesian is the Keurig of cocktails. After trying several automatic cocktail makers on the market, it was the only cocktail maker I could see fitting into my normal routine. It works like any capsule-style device, but with booze. You fill the Bartesian’s glass bottles with your liquor of choice, make sure there’s water in the reservoir, plop in a cocktail capsule (these typically cost $2-3), choose your drink strength, press “mix,” and then a drink comes out. (If you’ve got kids, the Bartesian Professional version comes with a lock that will stymie curious fingers.)
Do you need a Bartesian to make cocktails? Of course you don’t. You can dump tequila into sour mix anytime and call it a margarita. But perhaps you’d like to make an espresso martini, a blackberry margarita, and also a Long Island Iced Tea? The Bartesian is a sort of shortcut to a home bar, without having to store all the mixers—and a bit of a novelty. It will be fun, and silly, and the drinks are kind of fine in a Spring Break way: strong and sweet and with sometimes fun flavors. Don’t expect sophistication. Expect a bit of a party trick, the sort of thing that makes a summer a little more fun.
You’ll, of course, want a Bartesian coupon to make that fun more accessible. Luckily, the current Bartesian discount codes are good for up to 35% off.
Save up to 35% With a Bartesian Cocktail Subscription
Standard pods on the Bartesian come in packs of 8, for $20 to $25. But if you know you plan to use the cocktail machine often—garden parties, art gallery openings, a really cool barber shop, an interesting home life, Friday afternoon margaritaville—the easiest way to save on the Bartesian pods is to sign up for a cocktail subscription. No Bartesian subscription discount codes are required. Subscription boxes always cost $20, so get the ones that’d be otherwise expensive for a 20% discount—then get additional tiered discounts of Bartesian depending on volume and frequency. If you order often or in large quatnities, this can add up to 35% off the regular price.
Save 15% (Or More) When You Purchase a Cocktail Bundle
I can’t tell you what to do. But at current discounts on Bartesian cocktail bundles and add-ons, only a sucker buys a Bartesian as a standalone item. If you flip to the Bartesian bundles page, you can find multiple bundles that offer glassware and cocktail variety packs for about the same price as the machine by itself. The Mom Bundle in particular costs less than the Bartesian Pro machine by itself, but includes 8 margarita capsules and two glasses. As of April 2026, Bartesian is also offering a Mother’s Day deal, offering $100 off the Bartesian Pro or the Bartesian Duet as long as you add a cocktail capsule pack to your order. Presumably, if you are buying the machine, you’ll want the cocktail capsules anyway.
Bartesian Rewards Club: Get More for Your Buck
Bartesian also has a loyalty program that they’re calling, alternately, the Bartesian Club, the Bartesian Rewards Club, or Bartesian Mixologist Rewards. One way or the other, it doesn’t cost anything to sign up, and you get discounts. Basically, you earn 4 to 6 points per dollar you spend, plus get additional points for referring other customers, following Bartesian on Instagram, or just having a birthday. If you get a thousand points, you can redeem them for a $10 discount. There are also exclusive members-only tiers. Rewards are bigger if you’re a big spender. Here are the three membership tiers.
Earn 2,500 Points and Give $25 When You Refer a Friend
The biggest rewards bonus comes when you refer a friend who then buys a Bartesian or otherwise spends at least $150 on the site. Use the friend referral page here, and your friend will get a $25 discount using a Bertesian referral coupon code if they buy a Bartesian after using your link. You’ll also get 2,500 points on the Bartesian Rewards Club. Which is to say, you also get $25.
Bartesian is the Keurig of cocktails. After trying several automatic cocktail makers on the market, it was the only cocktail maker I could see fitting into my normal routine. It works like any capsule-style device, but with booze. You fill the Bartesian’s glass bottles with your liquor of choice, make sure there’s water in the reservoir, plop in a cocktail capsule (these typically cost $2-3), choose your drink strength, press “mix,” and then a drink comes out. (If you’ve got kids, the Bartesian Professional version comes with a lock that will stymie curious fingers.)
Do you need a Bartesian to make cocktails? Of course you don’t. You can dump tequila into sour mix anytime and call it a margarita. But perhaps you’d like to make an espresso martini, a blackberry margarita, and also a Long Island Iced Tea? The Bartesian is a sort of shortcut to a home bar, without having to store all the mixers—and a bit of a novelty. It will be fun, and silly, and the drinks are kind of fine in a Spring Break way: strong and sweet and with sometimes fun flavors. Don’t expect sophistication. Expect a bit of a party trick, the sort of thing that makes a summer a little more fun.
You’ll, of course, want a Bartesian coupon to make that fun more accessible. Luckily, the current Bartesian discount codes are good for up to 35% off.
Save up to 35% With a Bartesian Cocktail Subscription
Standard pods on the Bartesian come in packs of 8, for $20 to $25. But if you know you plan to use the cocktail machine often—garden parties, art gallery openings, a really cool barber shop, an interesting home life, Friday afternoon margaritaville—the easiest way to save on the Bartesian pods is to sign up for a cocktail subscription. No Bartesian subscription discount codes are required. Subscription boxes always cost $20, so get the ones that’d be otherwise expensive for a 20% discount—then get additional tiered discounts of Bartesian depending on volume and frequency. If you order often or in large quatnities, this can add up to 35% off the regular price.
Save 15% (Or More) When You Purchase a Cocktail Bundle
I can’t tell you what to do. But at current discounts on Bartesian cocktail bundles and add-ons, only a sucker buys a Bartesian as a standalone item. If you flip to the Bartesian bundles page, you can find multiple bundles that offer glassware and cocktail variety packs for about the same price as the machine by itself. The Mom Bundle in particular costs less than the Bartesian Pro machine by itself, but includes 8 margarita capsules and two glasses. As of April 2026, Bartesian is also offering a Mother’s Day deal, offering $100 off the Bartesian Pro or the Bartesian Duet as long as you add a cocktail capsule pack to your order. Presumably, if you are buying the machine, you’ll want the cocktail capsules anyway.
Bartesian Rewards Club: Get More for Your Buck
Bartesian also has a loyalty program that they’re calling, alternately, the Bartesian Club, the Bartesian Rewards Club, or Bartesian Mixologist Rewards. One way or the other, it doesn’t cost anything to sign up, and you get discounts. Basically, you earn 4 to 6 points per dollar you spend, plus get additional points for referring other customers, following Bartesian on Instagram, or just having a birthday. If you get a thousand points, you can redeem them for a $10 discount. There are also exclusive members-only tiers. Rewards are bigger if you’re a big spender. Here are the three membership tiers.
Earn 2,500 Points and Give $25 When You Refer a Friend
The biggest rewards bonus comes when you refer a friend who then buys a Bartesian or otherwise spends at least $150 on the site. Use the friend referral page here, and your friend will get a $25 discount using a Bertesian referral coupon code if they buy a Bartesian after using your link. You’ll also get 2,500 points on the Bartesian Rewards Club. Which is to say, you also get $25.
#Top #Bartesian #Discount #Codescoupons,shopping">Top Bartesian Discount Codes: 35% Off
Bartesian is the Keurig of cocktails. After trying several automatic cocktail makers on the market, it was the only cocktail maker I could see fitting into my normal routine. It works like any capsule-style device, but with booze. You fill the Bartesian’s glass bottles with your liquor of choice, make sure there’s water in the reservoir, plop in a cocktail capsule (these typically cost $2-3), choose your drink strength, press “mix,” and then a drink comes out. (If you’ve got kids, the Bartesian Professional version comes with a lock that will stymie curious fingers.)
Do you need a Bartesian to make cocktails? Of course you don’t. You can dump tequila into sour mix anytime and call it a margarita. But perhaps you’d like to make an espresso martini, a blackberry margarita, and also a Long Island Iced Tea? The Bartesian is a sort of shortcut to a home bar, without having to store all the mixers—and a bit of a novelty. It will be fun, and silly, and the drinks are kind of fine in a Spring Break way: strong and sweet and with sometimes fun flavors. Don’t expect sophistication. Expect a bit of a party trick, the sort of thing that makes a summer a little more fun.
You’ll, of course, want a Bartesian coupon to make that fun more accessible. Luckily, the current Bartesian discount codes are good for up to 35% off.
Save up to 35% With a Bartesian Cocktail Subscription
Standard pods on the Bartesian come in packs of 8, for $20 to $25. But if you know you plan to use the cocktail machine often—garden parties, art gallery openings, a really cool barber shop, an interesting home life, Friday afternoon margaritaville—the easiest way to save on the Bartesian pods is to sign up for a cocktail subscription. No Bartesian subscription discount codes are required. Subscription boxes always cost $20, so get the ones that’d be otherwise expensive for a 20% discount—then get additional tiered discounts of Bartesian depending on volume and frequency. If you order often or in large quatnities, this can add up to 35% off the regular price.
Save 15% (Or More) When You Purchase a Cocktail Bundle
I can’t tell you what to do. But at current discounts on Bartesian cocktail bundles and add-ons, only a sucker buys a Bartesian as a standalone item. If you flip to the Bartesian bundles page, you can find multiple bundles that offer glassware and cocktail variety packs for about the same price as the machine by itself. The Mom Bundle in particular costs less than the Bartesian Pro machine by itself, but includes 8 margarita capsules and two glasses. As of April 2026, Bartesian is also offering a Mother’s Day deal, offering $100 off the Bartesian Pro or the Bartesian Duet as long as you add a cocktail capsule pack to your order. Presumably, if you are buying the machine, you’ll want the cocktail capsules anyway.
Bartesian Rewards Club: Get More for Your Buck
Bartesian also has a loyalty program that they’re calling, alternately, the Bartesian Club, the Bartesian Rewards Club, or Bartesian Mixologist Rewards. One way or the other, it doesn’t cost anything to sign up, and you get discounts. Basically, you earn 4 to 6 points per dollar you spend, plus get additional points for referring other customers, following Bartesian on Instagram, or just having a birthday. If you get a thousand points, you can redeem them for a $10 discount. There are also exclusive members-only tiers. Rewards are bigger if you’re a big spender. Here are the three membership tiers.
Earn 2,500 Points and Give $25 When You Refer a Friend
The biggest rewards bonus comes when you refer a friend who then buys a Bartesian or otherwise spends at least $150 on the site. Use the friend referral page here, and your friend will get a $25 discount using a Bertesian referral coupon code if they buy a Bartesian after using your link. You’ll also get 2,500 points on the Bartesian Rewards Club. Which is to say, you also get $25.
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