Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review: A Feature-Packed Camera Phone With Fun Photography Add-Ons

Xiaomi 17 Ultra: A Serious Camera Phone That's Also a Lot of Fun

When it comes to premium camera smartphones, most conversations in the United States revolve around the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and more recently, Google Pixel. However, consumers across Asia and Europe enjoy a much broader selection, with manufacturers like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile photography. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is the latest example of this ambition — and it's a compelling one.

Design and Display

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra features a large, bold camera module on its rear, which immediately signals its photographic intentions. Up front, users are greeted by a generous 6.9-inch AMOLED display running at a resolution of 1200 x 2608 pixels with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. With a peak brightness of 3,500 nits, the screen holds up exceptionally well under direct sunlight and delivers a vivid, immersive experience for video content.

Performance and Battery Life

Under the hood, the device is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor — the chip of choice for flagship smartphones in 2025. It comes equipped with 16GB of RAM and offers two storage configurations: 512GB and 1TB.

One of the standout aspects of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is its 6,000 mAh battery, built using Silicon/Carbon-Ion technology. Despite its considerable capacity, the phone remains lighter than Apple's iPhone Pro Max — a noteworthy engineering achievement. On moderate usage, the battery can comfortably last two full days, and standby performance is equally impressive.

Charging is handled via 90W wired fast charging, compatible with Xiaomi's included charger as well as any PD 3.0 or PPS-based third-party chargers. Wireless charging is also supported at up to 50W using Xiaomi's proprietary charger.

Camera System: Leica-Powered and Versatile

The camera system is undoubtedly the centerpiece of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, developed in partnership with legendary German optics brand Leica.

Main Camera

The primary shooter uses a large 1-inch type 50-megapixel sensor with an f/1.67 aperture, designed to capture as much light as possible. The results are sharp, well-balanced images with accurate colors across a wide range of lighting conditions. Like the iPhone Pro Max, this camera also supports equivalent focal length switching at 23mm, 28mm, and 35mm.

Telephoto Camera

Perhaps the most unique offering in this camera array is the 200-megapixel telephoto lens. Rather than offering fixed zoom stops like 2x or 4x, it features continuous optical zoom ranging from 3.2x to 4.3x. This might sound like a narrow range on paper, but in practice it offers exceptional flexibility when photographing pets, isolating subjects, or fine-tuning compositions. Users can quickly jump to 75mm, 85mm, 90mm, and 100mm focal lengths through the camera interface, though accessing other focal lengths in between requires manual adjustment via the zoom dial.

Ultrawide and Selfie Cameras

The 50-megapixel ultrawide lens with an f/2.2 aperture rounds out the rear camera setup, also doubling as a capable macro shooter. While it performs admirably in most situations, it does trail slightly behind the main and telephoto cameras in fine detail. A 50-megapixel front-facing camera handles selfies — just be sure to disable the beauty filters for more natural results.

Filters and Color Profiles

The camera app provides an impressive array of creative options. By default, it applies Leica's Authentic color science, but users can switch to the punchier Leica Vibrant mode with a single tap. Additionally, there's a rich selection of filters including positive and negative film looks, Leica-specific presets such as vivid, natural, black & white, sepia, and blue, as well as Xiaomi's own styles like cinematic, monsoon, teal mist, and scarlet.

Photography Kits: Elevating the Shooting Experience

Xiaomi has developed two physical accessories designed to enhance the photography experience — the 17 Ultra Photography Kit and the 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro.

Photography Kit (Base)

The standard kit functions as a protective case that attaches directly to the phone. It connects via Bluetooth and includes a two-stage shutter button for autofocus and image capture, along with a dedicated video recording button. The case charges its internal battery via contact charging.

Photography Kit Pro

The Pro version elevates the experience further by adding a camera-grip-style controller that connects through USB-C. It houses a 2,000 mAh battery and provides a comfortable one-handed grip. Controls include a dedicated shutter button, a video recording button, and a customizable dial that can be mapped to exposure, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, or filter selection. The dial can also be used to scroll through your photo gallery. Additionally, the Kit Pro includes a ring adapter compatible with standard 67mm camera filters.

During real-world testing on city streets, the Kit Pro proved genuinely useful — making it easy to shoot with one hand while maintaining full creative control. Having tactile hardware controls, including a physical zoom dial, added an enjoyable, camera-like feel to the entire experience.

Both kits also unlock a dedicated Fastshot mode within the camera app, which surfaces simplified, street photography–optimized controls for quick captures on the go.

Competition and Availability

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra enters a competitive global landscape. Upcoming rivals include the Vivo X300 Ultra — which also features a photography kit complete with a 2.35x telephoto extender — and the Oppo Find X9. However, Xiaomi's earlier global launch gives it a head start in building momentum among photography enthusiasts.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is priced starting at €1,499 in Europe. The standard Photography Kit is available for €99.99, while the Photography Kit Pro retails at €199.99.