Xiaomi 17 Ultra review: When mobile zoom becomes your new obsession

About a month ago, Xiaomi enriched the Czech market with a new generation of flagship smartphones. The Xiaomi 17 series, which skipped the number sixteen to match the current iPhone family in designation, this time includes an Ultra model aimed at mobile photography enthusiasts, in addition to the base model. The impressive Pro and Pro Max variants, equipped with a rear display, remained exclusive to the Chinese market.

Compared to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has slightly increased in price; on our market, it is available at a recommended price of 35,990 CZK in a single 16/512GB configuration. For connoisseurs, the brand also brought the Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi to our market, which boasts an exclusive design for both hardware and software, and a Leica Camera Ring control dial for precise focusing or changes in focal length or bokeh effect. The device will cost 48,490 CZK for the 16GB/1TB version.

While the standard Xiaomi 17 Ultra may look similar to last year’s model at first glance, significant changes have occurred under its hood. The most important part of its equipment are, of course, the cameras, which have undergone a major technical evolution, but we have also seen important upgrades in other areas. Let’s therefore take a look together at how a phone costing over 30,000 takes photos and what it’s like in everyday use.

Package Contents

If you’re expecting a box like a collector’s edition video game, you’ll probably be disappointed – you’re unlikely to display the ordinary white box of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, whose only interesting feature is perhaps the reference to the collaboration with Leica, on your shelf. 

Nor will the contents impress you. Besides minimal paperwork, you’ll receive a USB-A to USB-C cable (for some, A-type is an advantage, for others, perhaps a bit of a relic) and a transparent hard plastic case that easily gets smudged, and every time I remove it, I’m afraid I might accidentally break it. Perhaps I naively expected more from it. The adapter is completely missing from the box.

Design and Build Quality

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra remains quite faithful to its predecessor in appearance, but the manufacturer has still made a few changes. For example, the phone has a completely flat back (except for the camera module, of course), which gives it an overall more modern feel. The volume control buttons are not unified into a single elongated shape, as is common with most phones today, but are instead two separate round buttons in the style of older iPhones. For me, it’s a nice detail, but in practice, I don’t observe any advantage or disadvantage. 

The body of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is made of an aluminum frame with flat side edges, while the back is always made of fiberglass. In Europe, the phone is available in three versions: black, white, and Starlit Green. I received the latter for testing, and I am grateful to Xiaomi for it. The dark green shimmering back simply looks stunning, even if the included protective case slightly spoils the feel of the shade. However, I simply wouldn’t dare to use the phone without it.

With dimensions of 162.9 mm × 77.6 mm × 8.29 mm and a weight of 219 g, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is simply a behemoth. If you prefer smaller devices, this phone definitely won’t be for you – in that case, the basic Xiaomi 17 will serve much better, although you will, of course, have to put up with inferior photographic equipment. While I can’t say that the phone feels explicitly bad in my hand (after all, I’m used to a similarly sized Google Pixel 9 Pro XL), I certainly don’t feel comfortable, for example, when typing with one hand.

We must also not forget the protruding camera module, which bears Leica branding and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. It occupies approximately a third of the back, and when you place the phone on a table face up, it turns it into a ramp. Pleasantly, however, I was surprised that it is, perhaps paradoxically, difficult to get it dirty. With the aforementioned Pixel, I had to start carrying a microfiber cloth along with the phone because the lenses got incredibly dirty, and the photo quality then dramatically decreased.

Cameras: The collaboration with Leica simply makes sense

Let’s move straight to the main reason you should get the Xiaomi 17 Ultra: its cameras. The new camera phone once again demonstrates the strength of the partnership between Xiaomi and Leica, resulting in images that sometimes give the impression of being taken with a DSLR. This is primarily due to sophisticated hardware that is more technologically advanced than ever before. Although the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has one less camera than its predecessor, it delivers enchanting performance. As for photo processing, you traditionally have two modes to choose from: the more faithful Leica Authentic and the more colorfully vibrant Leica Vibrant.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra features these rear sensors:

• Main Camera: Light Fusion 1050L, 1” size, 50 Mpx, f/1.67, OIS, 23mm focal length
• Telephoto Lens: Samsung ISOCELL HPE, 1/1.4” size, 200 Mpx, f/2.39 to f/2.96, OIS, 75mm to 100mm focal length
• Ultrawide Camera: Samsung ISOCELL JN5, 1/2.75” size, 50 Mpx, f/2.2, 14mm focal length, 115° field of view

As you can see, Xiaomi removed the secondary telephoto lens and instead equipped the primary telephoto lens with much more sophisticated optics. Thanks to three lens groups and a mechanical system that moves them, it can switch between four different focal lengths without the need for digital cropping: 75 mm, 85 mm, 90 mm, and 100 mm. When we then consider digital cropping, Xiaomi also offers a 200mm, or even a 400mm mode in the native Camera app, which, according to the manufacturer, still offers optical quality zoom (this is equivalent to 17.2x magnification).

I dedicated a separate article to the 200Mpx telephoto lens of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra even before writing this review, as it seems to me to be by far the most captivating part of the equipment (and it also related to my obsession with zoom photography). Thanks to its 1/1.4” sensor, which, by the way, is a size that even main camera sensors wouldn’t be ashamed of, it delivers top-notch results even in low-light conditions. The photos retain a high dynamic range and are detailed, although when shooting in the dark, inaccuracies in post-processing occur with distant objects (especially with smaller inscriptions or traffic signs). The precise bokeh effect when shooting portraits is also definitely worth mentioning. And the best part of it all is that you don’t have to be a professional or an experienced amateur photographer to get great shots with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s telephoto lens – you point, zoom in, shoot. That’s enough.

The primary lens is also unique in its own way. The sensor, designated Light Fusion 1050L, with a 1” size and 50 Mpx resolution, boasts LOFIC technology, which increases the dynamic range of photos. However, this is not a software feature, but rather hardware. It uses a photodiode and a capacitor, into which excess charge can flow in very bright backlight. As a result, the camera does not have to choose between details in highlights or shadows; it can capture both.

The results are truly worth it, especially when shooting at night. A few acquaintances even told me after the first few days of testing the phone and publishing photos on my private Instagram profile that they looked like they were taken with a DSLR. And I cannot disagree. There is plenty of detail in the photos even at night, and the colors remain top-notch. In most cases, unless there is an absolute minimum of light, you would look in vain for noise.

For me, the ultrawide camera is probably the least interesting sensor. Firstly, I don’t like shooting with it – I repeatedly state that on a phone with two rear cameras, I will always prefer a telephoto lens – but also, its parameters, technology, and resulting images fail to impress. It doesn’t mean it takes bad photos, but the other two sensors simply overshadow it.

Video doesn’t lag either

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra takes brilliant photos, and those who like to shoot videos won’t complain either. The new device boasts the ability to record in up to 8K resolution at 30 FPS or in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision at up to 120 frames. A special night mode supports recording in 4K at 24 frames.

The phone also features special modes, such as slow-motion recording, which records in FullHD at 1920 FPS, or ShootSteady for absolute shake minimization. You gain maximum control over your footage with Log mode, which allows up to 4K at 120 FPS. And I could go on. There are simply many options.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra Specifications

Category	Specification
Processor	Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile (3 nm) Configuration: 2× Prime Core (up to 4.6 GHz), 6× Performance Core (up to 3.62 GHz) Graphics: Adreno™ GPU AI: Qualcomm AI Engine
Storage and RAM	16 GB + 512 GB | 16 GB + 1 TB RAM: LPDDR5X | Storage: UFS 4.1
Dimensions and Weight	162.9 × 77.6 × 8.29 mm Weight: 218.4 g (Black/White) / 219 g (Starlit Green)
Display	6.9″ Xiaomi HyperRGB OLED (2608 × 1200) Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0, 1–120 Hz, brightness up to 3500 nits 12-bit colors, DCI-P3, HDR10+, Dolby Vision®, TÜV Rheinland certification
Rear Camera	Main: 50 Mpx Leica (1″), f/1.67, OIS Telephoto: 200 Mpx Samsung HPE (1/1.4″), f/2.39–2.96, OIS, 75–100 mm Ultrawide: 50 Mpx Samsung JN5, 115°, f/2.2 Video: up to 8K @ 30 fps / 4K @ 120 fps (Log/Dolby Vision)
Front Camera	50 Mpx (OV50M), f/2.2, AF, 90° field of view Video: 4K @ 60 fps Dolby Vision
Battery and Charging	6000 mAh (typ) 90W wired HyperCharge, 50W wireless HyperCharge
Xiaomi HyperAI	AI Writing, Translator, Speech Recognition, Dynamic Wallpapers, Circle to Search with Google, Google Gemini
Connectivity	5G SA/NSA, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, Dual SIM (incl. eSIM) Navigation: GPS (L1+L5), Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS, NavIC
Durability and Audio	IP68 rating Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos®, Hi-Res Audio (incl. Wireless)
Operating System	Xiaomi HyperOS 3
Sensors and Other	In-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, X-axis linear motor, infrared emitter, barometer, 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop cooling

Display: The 6.9″ HyperRGB panel is a joy to behold

That the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is a flagship in the true sense of the word is also evidenced by other aspects of its equipment. Let’s look at the display, for example. The 6.9” OLED panel is designated by the manufacturer as Xiaomi HyperRGB and is protected by Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0. The screen operates with a resolution of 2608 × 1200 pixels and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, which can be reduced to 1 Hz if needed. While it’s true that some competing models support up to 165 Hz at their peak, the familiar 120Hz is perfectly sufficient for the average user.

The peak brightness is 3,500 nits, and I can confirm that even when using the phone in direct sunlight, I did not feel limited by this value in any way. Occasionally, I was slightly irritated by the reaction time of the automatic brightness adjustment mode. Specifically in this area, in my opinion, even the mentioned Pixel 9 Pro XL from 2024 performs better. But it’s more of a minor detail. I must also mention the 12-bit color depth and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision certifications.

I’ve simply never had a problem with Xiaomi phone displays. Unlike most phones from the brand, the 17 Ultra model also offers a true always-on display, even if you have to enable it yourself in the settings. Xiaomi doesn’t offer many customization options, but at least it truly stays on…

An ultrasonic fingerprint reader is built into the screen, which is fast, accurate, and reliable. I had no problems with it during the testing period.

Battery life is weaker than I expected

I’m skeptical about the battery. When I consider that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a decent 6,000 mAh capacity and a processor built on an efficient 3nm process, I’m not as satisfied with the battery life as I initially expected. I’ve had to connect the phone to the charger several times in the evening just to make it through the day. Without exception, I have to charge the phone overnight, because if I were to try to use the energy from the previous day, it would die on me in the morning hours.

Yet, I don’t perform such demanding activities on the phone. While social media apps are power-hungry, and TikTok or Instagram consume most of my usage, I would expect similar battery life if I were playing a more demanding game during the day, taking really intensive photos, or watching a movie or show on Netflix for a long time. And that simply isn’t happening – I use the phone for an average of five hours a day, and the vast majority of that time is spent on communication apps. Even though I often use a 5G network and have light mode enabled, I originally expected more in this area from a 2026 flagship (or 2025 due to the earlier release of the Chinese version, if you prefer).

Fortunately, this shortcoming is compensated by fast battery charging. 90W wired support is also not a record, but it is among the higher numbers, and 50W wireless charging is fantastic if you prefer this type of charging. I especially appreciate the reverse wireless charging, although Xiaomi hardly explicitly mentions it anywhere – thanks to it, I can top up my headphones when I forget to charge their case.

Connectivity is top-notch

Where the Xiaomi 17 Ultra excels, on the other hand, is in connectivity. The phone still supports physical SIM cards (nanoSIM format) and, of course, can handle eSIM. All combinations of physical and digital are allowed, but the maximum total is two. 5G is a given, and Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 with dual connection support are also pleasing.

On the build, you’ll also find an infrared emitter for controlling home appliances that aren’t necessarily “smart,” and stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos technology. The quality didn’t impress me as much as with the POCO F8 Pro, whose audio system was tuned by BOSE, and unfortunately, it doesn’t even match my Pixel (mainly due to weaker bass). However, if you don’t consider yourself an audiophile, you won’t be disappointed. The USB-C port located on the bottom supports USB 3.2 Gen 2.

A powerhouse named Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

At the heart of the phone is last year’s introduced chipset, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, manufactured with a 3nm process. Following its predecessor, it relies solely on powerful Oryon cores, lacking any smaller (“efficient”) cores. The maximum frequency reaches 4.6 GHz.

We measured the raw performance using benchmarking tools, and below we provide its comparison with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.

Benchmark	Xiaomi 15 Ultra	Xiaomi 17 Ultra	Difference (%)
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)	3 031	3 499	+15.4 %
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)	9 196	10 142	+10.3 %
AnTuTu Benchmark	2 506 741	3 364 969	+34.2 %

The processor inside the Xiaomi 17 Ultra runs with the support of the Xiaomi 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop cooling system, with a total heat dissipation area of 5500 mm². Thermal conductivity has improved by 50% compared to its predecessor, according to Xiaomi.

In practice, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra runs smoothly and also pleases with fast content loading and virtually zero waiting time for applications to open. The chipset is powerful enough for you to play demanding games at the highest quality or to edit high-resolution video on the phone. In the realm of Android phones, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 simply belongs at the top.

HyperOS 3: A Modern System with Apple Elements

Out of the box, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes with Android 16 operating system with the HyperOS 3 overlay. Its advantage is an environment with beautifully rendered animations and a modern design, which also offers a wide range of customization options (and not just on the lock screen). Furthermore, the system runs swiftly and doesn’t lag, it simply seems well-polished. However, where I typically see a problem is bloatware – on a phone costing almost 40,000, you simply don’t want pre-installed junk and ads in some system applications. 

The third version of HyperOS introduced a new feature in the form of HyperIsland, which essentially replicates Apple’s idea of cleverly utilizing the space around the selfie camera. Thus, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra can also display current status information (music player, stopwatch, flashlight, etc.) in a pill-shaped formation around the front camera, which can be expanded by clicking if needed – for example, to pause a song or jump to a specific section. You can have multiple tiles active at once and can seamlessly switch between them.

The system also includes the well-known HyperAI suite, which incorporates artificial intelligence features in some native applications. In the voice recorder, it helps with transcribing spoken words to text, elsewhere it can facilitate writing or improve text. In the photo editor, you can use features like object removal from an image or intelligent image expansion.

I can simply say that I like how HyperOS is evolving. Since its initial release, Xiaomi has made great strides on almost all fronts (from optimization to feature offerings), and with each version, it demonstrates its desire to build a meaningful, functional device ecosystem in the vein of Apple.

Verdict: Why buy the Xiaomi 17 Ultra?

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is a full-fledged flagship. It boasts a top-tier chipset, its front is covered by an excellent AMOLED panel, and it supports fast charging, including wireless, as well as the latest connectivity standards.

The biggest draw, of course, are the cameras, which simultaneously represent the main reason why you should even consider the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Do you enjoy creating high-quality images with various focal lengths, like playing with portraits, and desire the highest possible quality even when shooting at night? Only in such a case should you consider the investment. Otherwise, there are phones that are significantly cheaper and offer similar, if not better, remaining features (especially in terms of battery life). 

Upgrading from last year’s model is probably not worth it. While the telephoto lens with advanced optics or the primary sensor, which now benefits from LOFIC technology, can be considered respectable improvements, they won’t elevate the resulting photo quality enough compared to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra to justify paying many thousands more. If you currently own the fifteen, I would wait at least another year.

Editor’s rating: 88 / 100 %