Flashspoter - Xiaomi has finally brought its latest flagship line to the global market through the MWC 2026 event in Barcelona. Interestingly, the company not only launched the regular Xiaomi 17 Ultra, but also a special version now called the Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi, a name change from the previous Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition released in China late last year.
Xiaomi's decision to skip the number 16 and jump straight to 17 became a record in itself, making its product naming now aligned with the latest iPhone series from Apple.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra camera system is a collaboration with Leica. The main Sensor is of 1 inch size, 50 megapixels resolution, and f/1.67 aperture. Even more interesting is the telephoto camera with a 200mp sensor measuring 1/1.4 inches capable of optical zoom up to 4.3 x.
Xiaomi claims this device can reach 17x "optical-level zoom", although the quality is said to be unable to match the camera with a telescopic lens like the Oppo Find X9. To complement the needs of photography, there is also a 50MP ultrawide camera.
The main Light Fusion 1050l Sensor used has been equipped with LOFIC HDR technology. This technology helps to better control highlights and details in dark areas. The resulting color and contrast look balanced without the need for much editing.
Nevertheless, quite aggressive image processing algorithms sometimes actually cause problems. Some shots show perfectly illegible letters or blurred faces as a result of AI intervention when photographing people from a distance.
One of the technical advantages of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is in its telephoto camera. This lens offers continuous optical zoom in the 75-100mm range without sensor cropping. That is, the lens moves physically to provide lossless zoom at various distances, without the sudden jumps that are common when switching cameras.
The apochromatic (APO) lens design of the telephoto cameras is also very much deserved of praise. Through this technology, chromatic aberration can be avoided by using light of the three wavelengths (red, green, blue) which are then brought to focus in the same plane. The consequence of this is that there is less color fringing and image sharpness is greatly enhanced, too.
For macro photography, unfortunately, the minimum focus distance reaches 30cm-much further than most macro modes on other phones that can be closer.
Xiaomi is changing the design approach on its latest Ultra. The screen is a fully flat 6.9-inch display and the frame is also flat, reminding of the design of certain brand phones. The OLED Panel supports a variable refresh rate of 1-120Hz and has a brightness level of up to 3, 500 nits.
Even though it is really big, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is the thinnest Ultra phone they have ever made as per the specs with a thickness of only 8.29 mm. The Diameter of the camera module is also reduced and the position is increased to make it more ergonomic and the finger does not easily fit into the shooting area. The device has earned IP68 certification for dust and water resistance.
Xiaomi has equipped the 17 Ultra with a 6000mAh Silicon-carbon battery, a specification that would attract appreciation even in the flagship segment. It also supports 90W HyperCharge fast charging and 50W wireless HyperCharge, however, a special charger or dock from Xiaomi is needed for both.
Most notably, the Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi is actually the global branding of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition. The main difference lies in the mechanical zoom ring around the camera module that can be used to manually adjust zoom, focus, or exposure.
One of the design elements of this variant is a bit different from the Chinese one, the back is no longer two-tone, and the position of the Leica logo is rotated 90 degrees. The specs are expected to be the same as the Chinese model: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, up to 16GB RAM, 1TB storage, and a 6, 800 mAh battery with 90W charging.
Besides that, the standard Xiaomi 17 Ultra is priced at £1, 299 (or around 26.5 million rupiah) by the UK and European markets. As for availability in the United States, Xiaomi has still not given official confirmation.
The global launch, which took place a few months after the release in China, did slightly reduce the "new" impression, but the presence of the Leica Leitzphone with its mechanical zoom ring became a special attraction for mobile photography enthusiasts.
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