Xiaomi has officially unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, alongside a specialized Leica Edition at a launch event held tonight in China. The new series introduces significant changes to the device’s form factor, a heavily upgraded imaging system touted by the company as the “Strongest Main Camera of 2026,” and enhanced cross-ecosystem connectivity.
Design and Display
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra marks a design shift for the company, becoming Xiaomi’s first “Ultra” model to feature a 2D flat screen and a completely flat vertical frame.
The phone features a 6.9-inch M10 OLED LTPO screen with peak brightness of 3500 nits, 1-120Hz variable refresh rate, has support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
It is also the company’s thinnest Ultra device to date, measuring 8.29mm in thickness. The standard model is available in four color options: classic Black, White, “Cool Smoke Purple,” and “Starry Green,” which features a unique mineral grain texture.
Imaging System
The primary focus of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is its camera system, which Xiaomi claims is its most powerful imaging configuration ever. Key specifications include:
- Main Camera: A 50MP 1-inch “Leica Light and Shadow Master” camera utilizing a Light Fusion 1050L image sensor. It incorporates LOFIC ultra-high dynamic range technology to provide hardware-level light-gathering capabilities, specifically optimized for high dynamic range photos and video in low-light environments.
- Telephoto: A Leica 200-megapixel optical zoom sensor. This utilizes a next-generation HPE 1/1.4″ sensor paired with a 3G+5P telephoto optical architecture. The system supports continuous optical zoom, achieving a seamless range from 75mm to 100mm and up to 400mm zoom range.
- Software Features: The device introduces a “Fireworks Mode,” utilizing AI scene recognition and LOFIC technology to adjust exposure frame-by-frame.
Performance and Connectivity
Under the hood, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Mobile Platform. Connectivity features include a high-performance antenna array with five signal enhancement chips, supporting 51 4G and 5G frequency bands as well as UWB (Ultra-Wideband) technology.
It houses a 6800mAh battery, supporting 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. There is also 90W PPS charging support.
Notably, Xiaomi announced new interconnectivity features with the Apple ecosystem. Users can mirror and control their Xiaomi phones from an iPhone (allowing for actions like ordering takeout or scanning QR codes) and mirror control Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, and Mac) from the Xiaomi handset. Two-way mirroring between Xiaomi devices is also supported.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition
Xiaomi also introduced a specialized “Leica Edition,” designed with aesthetics inspired by Leica M-series cameras.
- Design: Available in Black and Off-White, this model features a two-tone design, a mid-frame with knurling inspired by Leica lenses, and the classic red Leica logo on the body.
- Master Zoom Ring: A physical, unibody zoom ring replicates the tactile feel of a camera lens. It allows users to adjust focal length, exposure compensation, and white balance mechanically.
- Exclusive Features: This edition includes “Leica Moment” modes (replicating Leica M9 CCD and Leica M3 + MONOPAN 50 black and white textures) and a classic 3:2 aspect ratio.
- Hardware Exclusives: The Leica Edition is equipped with a security and privacy encryption chip and supports BeiDou + TianTong dual-satellite communication.
- Package: The device comes in an exclusive gift box containing a magnetic protective case, lens cap, hanging rope, and cleaning cloth.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra specifications
- 6.9-inch (2608 x 1200 pixels) 2K M10 12-bit OLED 20:9 LTPO display, 1-120Hz variable refresh rate, up to 3500nits peak brightness, 5,000,000:1 (Min) contrast ratio, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 1920Hz PWM Dimming, DC Dimming, Xiaomi Ceramic Glass protection 2.0
- Octa Core Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 3nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 840 GPU
- 12GB / 16GB LPPDDR5x RAM with 512GB / 1TB UFS 4.1 storage
- Dual SIM (nano + nano)
- Xiaomi HyperOS 3.0
- 50MP Leica main camera with 1-inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor 14EV native dynamic range, f/1.67 ultra-large aperture, 1G+6P Aspherical High-Transparency Lens Group, OIS, 50MP Leica Ultra Wide Angle camera with 115° ultra-wide viewing angle lens, 5cm super macro, f/2.2 ultra-large aperture 200MP Leica super telephoto with 1/1.4-inch HPE image sensor, ƒ/2.39-2.96 ultra-large aperture, 3.2-4.3x optical periscope telephoto, 3G+5P Aspherical High-Transparency Lens Group, 30cm Telephoto Macro, OIS 8K video recording
- 50MP front-facing camera, 4K 60 fps recording
- In-display 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, Infrared sensor
- USB Type-C audio, Hi-Res audio, Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, 4-microphone array
- Dimensions: 162.9×77.6×8.29mm; Weight: 223.4g (black, white, cool purple); 224g (starry sky green)
- Dust and waterproof (IP66 + IP68 + IP69 ratings)
- 5G SA/NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 7 802.11 be, Bluetooth 6.0, BeidouB1I + B1C+ B2a｜GPS: L1 + L5｜Galileo: E1 + E5a | GLONASS: G1｜QZSS: L1 + L5｜NavIC: L5, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, NFC, Satellite communication
- 6800mAh (Typical) battery with 90W wired fast charging, 50W wireless charging, reverse wireless charging
Pricing and Availability
- Xiaomi 17 Ultra 12GB + 512GB: 6999 yuan (USD 995 / Rs. 89,455 approx.)
- Xiaomi 17 Ultra 16GB + 512GB: 7499 yuan (USD 1066 / Rs. 95,845 approx.)
- Xiaomi 17 Ultra 16GB + 1TB: 8499 yuan (USD 1209 / Rs. 1,08,625 approx.)
- Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition 16GB + 512GB: 7999 yuan (USD 1,138 / Rs. 1,02,235 approx.)
- Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition 16GB + 1TB: 8999 yuan (USD 1280 / Rs. 1,15,015 approx.)
Both models will be available for purchase starting December 27th in China.