Xiaomi recently launched the global launch of its two latest flagship phones, the Xiaomi 17 and 17 Ultra, as well as the Leica-branded Leitzphone edition of the Ultra. However, there is no sign of the 17 Pro, which was launched in China with an additional display next to the rear camera.
The 17 and 17 Ultra will apparently be available in the UK, Europe, and select other markets soon. Billed as a rival to the likes of the iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy S26, the 17 will cost £899 / €999 (about $1,200), while the larger and more capable Ultra starts at £1,299 / €1,499 ($1,750). The limited-edition Leitzphone will be significantly more expensive at £1,699 / €1,999 ($2,300), although it includes 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage along with some additional accessories.
The 17 is an extremely capable little flagship, with a 6.3-inch OLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and a big 6,330mAh silicon-carbon battery (though that’s sadly smaller than the 7,000mAh version launched in China). I won’t write a full review of the 17, but spent a week using it as my main phone, and found that the battery passed the full-day mark, though not enough for two full days of my normal use. That’s far better battery life than similarly sized phones from Apple, Samsung, or Google.
The cameras also impress, with 50-megapixel sensors behind each of the four lenses, including for selfies. Pound for pound, you won’t find many better camera systems in any phone this size.
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Ultra, surprisingly, takes things to another level. It is quite large with a 6.9-inch display and weighs 218 grams. Despite this, 6,000mAh is actually smaller, although I found it provided pretty similar longevity.
As always, the huge camera is the main attraction in Xiaomi’s Ultra phones. There are 50-megapixel sensors for each of the main, ultrawide, and selfie cameras, with a larger 1-inch-type sensor behind the primary lens. The periscope telephoto is even more impressive: 200 megapixel resolution, a larger 1/1.4-inch sensor, and continuous optical zoom from 3.2x to 4.3x, equivalent to a 75-100mm. Xiaomi isn’t the first to bring out a true zoom phone – Sony’s Xperia 1 IV was the first in 2022 – but the telephoto camera here is far more capable than that phone, with natural Bokeh and impressive performance even in low light.
The camera capabilities are supported by Xiaomi’s existing photography partner Leica, but it’s the Leitzphone of the pair that really shines. Slightly redesigned from the 17 Ultra Ducati Edition released in China last December, it features Coca-Cola branding across the hardware and software, a range of Lima filters and shooting styles, and a rotatable rear camera ring that can be used to control the zoom. It’s the first Xiaomi Leitzphone to be manufactured – after a trio of Japan-only Sharp models – and comes with additional branded accessories, including a lens cap and a case with a microfiber cleaning cloth.
Xiaomi made several other announcements this year at MWC along with the 17 series phones, including a super-slim magnetic power bank, Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro tablets, and a smart tag that supports both Google and Apple’s tech-tracking networks.
Photography by Dominic Preston/The Verge
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