Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra review covering Leica 1-inch camera, 200MP continuous zoom, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 performance, battery life, and real-world camera tests.
Hello friends, last year was actually a very good year for compact smartphones. After a long time, it finally felt like small phones were no longer a compromise. Right now, two of my favourite compact phones are the Vivo X300 and the iPhone 17.
But now Xiaomi has launched its new Xiaomi 17 Series, which can really impress you. This series includes two phones:
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is truly “Ultra” in every way. I am happy that Xiaomi has again brought an Ultra phone to India. Earlier, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra was launched. Usually, the company launches one Ultra phone and then does not continue the series, but now the 17 Ultra has also arrived.
This phone has the newest flagship Android chipset, the biggest battery in its segment, and one of the best hand-feel experiences in a compact phone. Sometimes I wonder whether I should call it a flagship phone, a camera, or even say “RIP DSLR”. Because after using this phone, it feels like Xiaomi has done almost everything possible in smartphone camera innovation.
This Ultra phone includes some features that can become industry benchmarks. For example, it has the world’s first Leica 1-inch LOFIC sensor. It also has the world’s first 200MP continuous optical zoom. In addition, a dedicated kit lens is also available that can attach to the phone. That makes the whole experience very interesting.
Before starting this blog, let me clarify one thing. This blog is not made in collaboration with Xiaomi, and Xiaomi has not provided this review to me.
Table of Contents
What’s Inside the Box
First, let’s see what comes inside the box of the Xiaomi 17.
- Phone
- Leica branded lens cap
- Cleaning cloth (similar to Apple polishing cloth)
- Lanyard/wrist strap
- 100W charger (USB-A)
- USB-A to USB-C braided cable
- Phone cover (case)
- SIM tool
- Some information booklets
Most of the items are similar for both phones, but the Leica Edition has a few differences. The box includes a 100W charger, which deserves appreciation for Xiaomi. Because some flagship phones do not even include a charger in the box. I won’t name them-you can easily search it on Google.
Design and Build Quality
Now let’s talk about the design. Xiaomi has done a very good job here. Even after increasing the battery capacity, they have managed to keep the phone’s weight balanced. The Xiaomi 17 has a very clean, simple, and elegant design. On the other hand, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra feels like a true flagship in both look and feel. Both phones have a matte glass back and a metal frame.
However, when holding them in hand, you will feel a slight difference. The Xiaomi 17 feels compact, while the Xiaomi 17 Ultra feels like a powerful flagship device. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a thickness of 8.29mm and weighs 218 grams. Because of the glass back, metal frame, and large camera module, it feels slightly heavy in the hand.
Overall, the phone is comfortable and easy to use. Considering the flagship price, IP69 rating, and Gorilla Glass protection, it would have been even better if Xiaomi had provided something more premium than just IP68 and standard Xiaomi Shield Glass. I know I am paying attention to small details, but when you pay a higher price, expecting the best is not wrong.
Battery life and changing
For a compact phone, battery life is very important. Based on my screen-on time usage, I was getting around 9 to 10 hours of screen-on time during normal use. That means the phone can easily last an entire day. In fact, both the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra offer better battery life than most other compact phones.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a 6000mAh battery, while the Xiaomi 17 comes with a 6330mAh battery. Both phones support 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, which is much faster than the iPhone 17 or the latest Galaxy S26.
Additionally, the Xiaomi 17 supports USB-PD, PPS, and China’s unified fast-charging standard. This means you can also get fast charging using a good third-party GaN charger or even a laptop adapter.
Xiaomi 17 Display
Now let’s talk about the display. By 2026, smartphone brands have almost perfected one thing, and that is display quality. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a 6.9-inch Hyper RGB LTPO AMOLED 120Hz display, while the Xiaomi 17 has a 6.3-inch LTPO AMOLED display. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra screen size is slightly larger than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra this time.
During our display testing, YouTube videos played smoothly at 2160p resolution. The display is SGS certified. Colors look vibrant and colorful, and the color tuning is very good, which gives a flagship multimedia experience.
The bezels are also extremely thin-only 1.18mm-and they are symmetrical on all sides. This makes the overall viewing experience even better. The display offers up to 3500 nits peak brightness. We tested it both indoors and outdoors, and it looked bright even in outdoor conditions. For protection, Xiaomi Shield Glass is provided. Overall, the display feels close to a flagship experience.
Xiaomi 17 Camera System
Now let’s talk about the camera. Xiaomi has included some very big numbers here like a 1-inch sensor and a 200MP camera. It feels like Xiaomi has added almost every possible camera innovation into this phone.
Now let’s talk about the camera. Xiaomi has included some very big numbers here like a 1-inch sensor and a 200MP camera. It feels like Xiaomi has added almost every possible camera innovation into this phone. The phone also has a 50MP selfie camera.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra includes:
- 50MP Leica 1-inch OIS main sensor
- 200MP Leica telephoto lens
- 50MP ultra-wide sensor
- 50MP autofocus selfie camera
It also includes two world-first technologies:
- Leica 1-inch sensor
- 200MP continuous optical zoom
The phone also includes LOFIC technology. In simple terms, this improves low-light photography, increases dynamic range, and produces better colors.
Many photos were taken with this camera, and especially zoom portrait photos look excellent. You can take optical-level portrait shots between 75mm and 100mm. The sensor also uses special glass material to reduce purple fringing. One small limitation is that there is no tele-macro feature.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra also comes with a Camera Kit Lens. It attaches to the phone like a case. It includes a rotating ring that allows you to adjust zoom and focal length (in the Leica version).
It also includes a camera grip that attaches to the phone. This grip provides a shutter button, exposure slider, and extra battery support. Because of this, the phone truly feels like a camera device.
We tested this phone in studios, indoors, and outdoors. I also attended an event in Surat where I used this phone for photography. It performed very well in different lighting conditions.
Photos have a cinematic look, better HDR, natural skin tones, and good detail. Low-light photography is also improved compared to before. If you understand photography even a little, this phone can give a DSLR-like feel.
In one line, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra camera definitely deserves a big thumbs up.
Video recording features:
- 8K 30fps
- Front 4K 60fps
- 4K 120fps
- Dolby Vision HDR
- LOG video recording
- 1920FPS slow motion
The camera also includes many modes:
- Photo
- Video
- Portrait
- Pro video
- Document
- 200MP photo
- Leica filters
Leica filters are especially popular for street photography. The camera interface is also simple and user-friendly.
You can also record Dolby Vision video. It even includes a Teleprompter mode, which allows text to appear on the screen while recording selfie videos so you can read it easily.
In summary, the camera offers:
- 1-inch sensor
- LOFIC technology
- 4K 120FPS video
- Continuous zoom
Overall, this phone is definitely one of the best camera phones available.
Performance and Hardware of Xiaomi 17
As a content creator, I often transfer files between my phone and laptop, and this phone offers very fast data transfer—even faster than the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro.
Now let’s talk about performance.:
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 5
- LPDDR5X RAM
- USB 3.2 Type-C port
- UFS 4.1 storage
In daily use, the phone feels very fast. Editing, multitasking, and other tasks work smoothly.
For gaming, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor handles almost all games very well. The phone supports 120FPS gaming. It also includes a large vapor chamber cooling system.
Because of this, even after playing heavy games like Genshin Impact for 30–40 minutes, the phone did not become very hot. It only heats up slightly during long benchmark tests or extended video recording under direct sunlight.
HyperOS 3.0 based on Android 16
In terms of software, the phone runs HyperOS 3.0 based on Android 16. Personally, I am not very excited about HyperOS, although some people do like it. However, it does not have any major problems. It is feature-rich, easy to use, and feels smoother than the previous generation.
Xiaomi also promises 5 years of OS updates and 6 years of security updates, which is very good. My suggestion is that Xiaomi should also add some unique AI features like Samsung so the brand can stand out more.
Both the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra include AI features. I will not explain them in full detail in this blog, but I will cover them when I write a blog about HyperOS 3.0.
AI features in Xiaomi 17 series
Still, some AI features included are:
- AI Writing
- AI Interpreter
- AI Search
- AI Dynamic Wallpaper
- AI Creative Assistant
- Google Gemini and Circle to Search
Overall, the Xiaomi 17 Series feels improved compared to the Xiaomi 15 Series in almost every area—camera, performance, battery, and display.
Especially the Xiaomi 17 Ultra truly feels like a real Ultra flagship. If you enjoy photography, video creation, or mobile photography, this phone will definitely impress you.
This is my opinion. What do you think? Please share your opinion in the comments. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. Alright friends, I will see you again in the next blog. Bye-bye, take care and stay safe.
