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80
%
80%
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra makes it's intentions clear from the off thanks to a very large camera bump; to be the best camera system you can buy on an Android phone. And I think it might have pulled it off...but is that enough?
The Good
Hugely dynamic camera system
Super high-spec display
Attractive design finish
The Not So Good
Very expensive
Zoom range could be wider
User Ratings
(
0
Votes)
0
Need-to-knows
One of the most capable phone camera systems on the market
Smart-looking design
Hefty camera bump
Pricey
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra was a mythical beast within Tech Review Land last year.
āHave you had it yet?ā
āThe camera
is
incredible. Theyāre not messing around. Have you seen the photos that thing takes? Iād show you, but I had to give mine back for the next person.ā
āI think Iāve got the review unit you had.ā
āIām still waiting for mine to be delivered.ā
This resulted in a smartphone which was as coveted as it was highly reviewed. And for good reason ā it was a superb flagship smartphone with an industry-defining camera system. I know this because I eventually got my hands on one, even if it was too late for a full review.
This year, itās different. Iāve got the Xiaomi 17 Ultra sitting next to me as I type. Better still, I received it a couple of weeks before the launch date.
Without giving too much away, what I love the most about this new Xiaomi flagship is that it sets out to do just one thing very,
very
well, and it delivers. And boy, do we need that from smartphones in 2026.
At a glance
Feature
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
Colours & Storage
Black, White, Starlit Green ā¢ 16GB+512GB / 16GB+1TB
Size & Weight
162.9 Ć 77.6 Ć 8.29 mm ā¢ 218.4ā219 g
Processor
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm)
CPU / GPU
2Ć Prime cores up to 4.6GHz + 6Ć Performance cores up to 3.62GHz ā¢ Adreno GPU
RAM & Storage Type
LPDDR5X RAM ā¢ UFS 4.1 storage
Display
6.9ā³ HyperRGB OLED ā¢ 2608 Ć 1200 ā¢ 1ā120Hz adaptive
Brightness
Up to 3500 nits peak
Protection
Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0
Rear Cameras
50MP 1ā³ main (Leica, OIS) ā¢ 200MP telephoto (75ā100mm, OIS) ā¢ 50MP ultra-wide
Front Camera
50MP autofocus
Video
Up to 8K 30fps ā¢ 4K Dolby Vision up to 120fps
Battery & Charging
6000mAh ā¢ 90W wired ā¢ 50W wireless
Audio
Stereo speakers ā¢ Dolby Atmos ā¢ Hi-Res Audio
Connectivity
5G ā¢ Wi-Fi 7 ā¢ Bluetooth 6.0 ā¢ NFC
SIM
Dual SIM (nano + nano / nano + eSIM / eSIM + eSIM)
Durability & Biometrics
IP68 ā¢ Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint ā¢ AI face unlock
Cooling
Xiaomi 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop
Operating System
Xiaomi HyperOS 3
Specs and pricing
The 17 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and itās teamed with 16GB of RAM and either 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage.
Performance upgrades over the Xiaomi 15 Ultra are what weāve come to expect from the latest flagship Snapdragon chip. Anyone upgrading from last yearās device (which, I assume, wonāt be very many people at all) can expect 20% faster CPU performance and 23% better graphics. However, upgrade from an earlier model, and those increases will, obviously, be significantly more noticeable during intense tasks and gaming sessions.
When it comes to benchmarks, the 17 Ultra has achieved an AnTuTu V11 score of over 3.5 million points. I have absolutely no idea what that means, but it apparently places it at the top of the performance charts at the time of writing.
Iāll let you all argue the relevance and legitimacy of that in the comments section.
Whatās slightly more interesting is the fact that the 17 Ultra has undergone a pretty significant thermal overhaul, thanks to the introduction of the Xiaomi 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop system, which features a bionic vapour chamber and new capillary structure. Once again, that means as much to me as K-Pop, but the fact it apparently delivers a 50% improvement in thermal conductivity is
not
to be sniffed at.
Check out my
Nothing Phone (4a) review
!
The battery weighs in at 6,000mAh and is, as one must expect these days in Android Land, made from silicon carbon. Itās now customary for brands to list how much silicon content their batteries actually contain, and I can confirm that the 17 Ultra has 16% silicon. Thatās a good number, apparently, and will help keep the Reddit threads at bay. Hopefully.
Charging capabilities remain bonkers with 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, both thanks to Xiaomiās HyperCharge technology.
Pricing for both versions (thereās a non-Ultra, too) in the UK is as follows:
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
16+512 ā Ā£1,299
16+1T ā Ā£1,499
Xiaomi 17
12+256 ā Ā£899
12+512 ā Ā£999
So, it aināt a cheap phone. It therefore needs to do that āone thingā rather brilliantly, doesnāt it?
But first, letās begin with the design.
Design
Just like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is an absolute chonk of a phone. It is, in fact, slightly larger than the device it replaces, but itās also marginally thinner and lighter, too.
As a result, the 17 Ultra feels less chunky than the 15 Ultra ā a feat which is aided by the first flat display Xiaomi has ever placed into a flagship smartphone. That LTPO OLED display is 6.9 inches with a variable 120Hz refresh rate and 3,500 nits of peak brightness.
Itās a handsome, purposeful-looking phone. I was sent the Starlit Green version to review, which includes flecks of, apparently, āgenuine mineral particlesā. Itās an acquired taste (I rather like it), which is why you might be glad to hear thereās a white and a black version available, too (I can confirm that the latter, in particular, is very smart, having seen a fellow tech reviewerās sample this morning at Heathrow airport).
More:
Xiaomi 15T Pro review
Just like any camera-focused smartphone, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has an unashamedly ginormous camera bump smack-bang in the middle of the upper portion of the rear casing. Despite this, Xiaomi appears to have handled the weight distribution rather nicely, with only a smidgen of top heaviness exhibiting itself during one-handed operation. However, Iād warn anyone coming from a device with a lesser camera bump to expect a period of adjustment before accepting that it is, as youāll see in a moment, utterly worth the extra heft.
Thereās barely any table wobble because of that voluminous bump, either. Which is nice.
For those wondering, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is made from a combination of aluminium alloy and composite fibreglass. Water and dust resistance tops out at IP68, and Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0 should ensure any nasty drops are dealt with as un-catastrophically as possible.
When Xiaomi launched the 17 Ultra in China on Christmas Day last year, they also announced a āāGlobal Imaging Strategic Cooperationā with revered camera-maker, Leica. The Leica logo can be found on the 15 Ultra, too, but the 17 Ultra is the first device to benefit from Leica having far earlier involvement in the development process.
Spec-wise, the main camera features a 50MP 1-inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor with LOFIC HDR technology. This, in theory, should help prevent overexposure in high-contrast scenes such as sunsets and fireworks.
Thereās a new telephoto, too, which features a world-first 200MP 75-100mm mechanical optical zoom. That means lossless, zero-crop imaging across that entire focal range.
Rounding things out is a 50MP ultra-wide camera with a 115Ā° field of view and a Samsung JN5 sensor, which also supports 5cm macro photography for those tight close-ups
Is it better than this?
Oppo Find X9 Pro review
Thereās no need to beat around the bush here. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra takes utterly wonderful photos.
Really
wonderful. There are two Leica modes ā Authentic and Vibrant. The former is slightly more contrasty, while the latter saturates the colours a little more. There are plenty more filters to choose from, and you can shoot fully manual if you wish (and RAW).
The resulting images, straight out of the camera without any tweaking, have that
something
about them, which comes from Leicaās involvement. They have drama, character, and while a little over-sharpened and, at times, a bit too contrasty, they do at least immediately please. Portraits, in particular, are stunning (although I did encounter a few instances where the shutter wasnāt quite quick enough to capture my fast-moving son and faster-moving puppy).
Find out the
best smartphone camera
in our full guide!
About that mechanical lossless zoom. Itās lovely to see such technology enter the flagship market, and I have a feeling this is just the start. But thatās also its Achilles heel. The 75-100mm zoom range, which uses the mechanical element, relates to 3.2x to 4.3x on the camera app slider. Simply put, itās not a particularly long zoom range. Thereās also an audible āwhooshingā noise when you hit 4.3x, which is, I presume, something to do with the motors powering the zoom. Itās not annoying or distracting, but itās not something Iāve ever heard before on a smartphone.
Video tops out at 8K/30fps. I never test at that resolution, but I can confirm that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra produces some great-looking 4K footage which Iād happily use for occasional b-roll on my YouTube channel.
Xiaomiās latest flagship phone has one job, which is to make that mahoosive camera bump worthwhile, and it does that in spades.
Performance, battery, and OS
I donāt do benchmarks, I donāt play games on smartphones, and I have little interest in ā or possess the required skills for ā undertaking detailed battery testing.
This makes these sections of smartphone reviews rather straightforward for yours truly, and it speaks highly of how far these devices have come in recent years.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra, just like every other flagship smartphone Iāve tested recently, is as fast as most people need it to be, has cooling capabilities that should prevent slowdowns during strenuous tasks, and has a battery that will get you through a couple of days on the long end.
Latest:
iPhone 17e specs
And,
yes
, it has all the fancy generative and helpful AI stuff baked right into HyperOS 3 (which just so happens to be a great mobile OS, too).
There. Done.
Conclusion
If you want an
Android phone
that is
all
about the camera and you donāt mind giving up some of the weight savings of the slimmer, smaller camera-bumped alternatives, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra delivers in spades.
I love a simple conclusion. | |||||||||
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[Home](https://markellisreviews.com/) Ā» [Blog](https://markellisreviews.com/blog/) Ā» [Reviews](https://markellisreviews.com/category/reviews/) Ā» Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review: Another Camera Beast?
[Reviews](https://markellisreviews.com/category/reviews/)
# Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review: Another Camera Beast?
A huge camera bump and price tag to match has to be fully justified. Does the Xiaomi 17 Ultra pull it off?
By [Mark Ellis](https://markellisreviews.com/author/mellis/ "Posts by Mark Ellis")
Updated:
March 6, 2026
[No Comments](https://markellisreviews.com/reviews/xiaomi-17-ultra-review-another-camera-beast/#respond)9 Mins Read
**We may earn compensation from reviewed products. Learn about our [editorial policies](https://markellisreviews.com/editorial-guidelines/#earning-disclosure).**
80%
**80%**
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra makes it's intentions clear from the off thanks to a very large camera bump; to be the best camera system you can buy on an Android phone. And I think it might have pulled it off...but is that enough?
##### The Good
1. Hugely dynamic camera system
2. Super high-spec display
3. Attractive design finish
##### The Not So Good
1. Very expensive
2. Zoom range could be wider
- User Ratings (0 Votes)
**0**
## Need-to-knows
- One of the most capable phone camera systems on the market
- Smart-looking design
- Hefty camera bump
- Pricey
***
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra was a mythical beast within Tech Review Land last year.
āHave you had it yet?ā
āThe camera *is* incredible. Theyāre not messing around. Have you seen the photos that thing takes? Iād show you, but I had to give mine back for the next person.ā
āI think Iāve got the review unit you had.ā
āIām still waiting for mine to be delivered.ā
This resulted in a smartphone which was as coveted as it was highly reviewed. And for good reason ā it was a superb flagship smartphone with an industry-defining camera system. I know this because I eventually got my hands on one, even if it was too late for a full review.
This year, itās different. Iāve got the Xiaomi 17 Ultra sitting next to me as I type. Better still, I received it a couple of weeks before the launch date.
Without giving too much away, what I love the most about this new Xiaomi flagship is that it sets out to do just one thing very, *very* well, and it delivers. And boy, do we need that from smartphones in 2026.
## At a glance
| Feature | Xiaomi 17 Ultra |
|---|---|
| **Colours & Storage** | Black, White, Starlit Green ā¢ 16GB+512GB / 16GB+1TB |
| **Size & Weight** | 162\.9 Ć 77.6 Ć 8.29 mm ā¢ 218.4ā219 g |
| **Processor** | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) |
| **CPU / GPU** | 2Ć Prime cores up to 4.6GHz + 6Ć Performance cores up to 3.62GHz ā¢ Adreno GPU |
| **RAM & Storage Type** | LPDDR5X RAM ā¢ UFS 4.1 storage |
| **Display** | 6\.9ā³ HyperRGB OLED ā¢ 2608 Ć 1200 ā¢ 1ā120Hz adaptive |
| **Brightness** | Up to 3500 nits peak |
| **Protection** | Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0 |
| **Rear Cameras** | 50MP 1ā³ main (Leica, OIS) ā¢ 200MP telephoto (75ā100mm, OIS) ā¢ 50MP ultra-wide |
| **Front Camera** | 50MP autofocus |
| **Video** | Up to 8K 30fps ā¢ 4K Dolby Vision up to 120fps |
| **Battery & Charging** | 6000mAh ā¢ 90W wired ā¢ 50W wireless |
| **Audio** | Stereo speakers ā¢ Dolby Atmos ā¢ Hi-Res Audio |
| **Connectivity** | 5G ā¢ Wi-Fi 7 ā¢ Bluetooth 6.0 ā¢ NFC |
| **SIM** | Dual SIM (nano + nano / nano + eSIM / eSIM + eSIM) |
| **Durability & Biometrics** | IP68 ā¢ Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint ā¢ AI face unlock |
| **Cooling** | Xiaomi 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop |
| **Operating System** | Xiaomi HyperOS 3 |
## **Specs and pricing**
The 17 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and itās teamed with 16GB of RAM and either 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage.
Performance upgrades over the Xiaomi 15 Ultra are what weāve come to expect from the latest flagship Snapdragon chip. Anyone upgrading from last yearās device (which, I assume, wonāt be very many people at all) can expect 20% faster CPU performance and 23% better graphics. However, upgrade from an earlier model, and those increases will, obviously, be significantly more noticeable during intense tasks and gaming sessions.
When it comes to benchmarks, the 17 Ultra has achieved an AnTuTu V11 score of over 3.5 million points. I have absolutely no idea what that means, but it apparently places it at the top of the performance charts at the time of writing.
Iāll let you all argue the relevance and legitimacy of that in the comments section.
Whatās slightly more interesting is the fact that the 17 Ultra has undergone a pretty significant thermal overhaul, thanks to the introduction of the Xiaomi 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop system, which features a bionic vapour chamber and new capillary structure. Once again, that means as much to me as K-Pop, but the fact it apparently delivers a 50% improvement in thermal conductivity is *not* to be sniffed at.
> Check out my [Nothing Phone (4a) review](https://markellisreviews.com/reviews/nothing-phone-4a-pro-review/)\!
The battery weighs in at 6,000mAh and is, as one must expect these days in Android Land, made from silicon carbon. Itās now customary for brands to list how much silicon content their batteries actually contain, and I can confirm that the 17 Ultra has 16% silicon. Thatās a good number, apparently, and will help keep the Reddit threads at bay. Hopefully.
Charging capabilities remain bonkers with 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, both thanks to Xiaomiās HyperCharge technology.
Pricing for both versions (thereās a non-Ultra, too) in the UK is as follows:
- **Xiaomi 17 Ultra**
- 16+512 ā Ā£1,299
- 16+1T ā Ā£1,499
- **Xiaomi 17**
- 12+256 ā Ā£899
- 12+512 ā Ā£999
So, it aināt a cheap phone. It therefore needs to do that āone thingā rather brilliantly, doesnāt it?
But first, letās begin with the design.
## **Design**
Just like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is an absolute chonk of a phone. It is, in fact, slightly larger than the device it replaces, but itās also marginally thinner and lighter, too.
As a result, the 17 Ultra feels less chunky than the 15 Ultra ā a feat which is aided by the first flat display Xiaomi has ever placed into a flagship smartphone. That LTPO OLED display is 6.9 inches with a variable 120Hz refresh rate and 3,500 nits of peak brightness.
Itās a handsome, purposeful-looking phone. I was sent the Starlit Green version to review, which includes flecks of, apparently, āgenuine mineral particlesā. Itās an acquired taste (I rather like it), which is why you might be glad to hear thereās a white and a black version available, too (I can confirm that the latter, in particular, is very smart, having seen a fellow tech reviewerās sample this morning at Heathrow airport).
> More: [Xiaomi 15T Pro review](https://markellisreviews.com/reviews/xiaomi-15t-pro-review-a-real-looker/)
Just like any camera-focused smartphone, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has an unashamedly ginormous camera bump smack-bang in the middle of the upper portion of the rear casing. Despite this, Xiaomi appears to have handled the weight distribution rather nicely, with only a smidgen of top heaviness exhibiting itself during one-handed operation. However, Iād warn anyone coming from a device with a lesser camera bump to expect a period of adjustment before accepting that it is, as youāll see in a moment, utterly worth the extra heft.
Thereās barely any table wobble because of that voluminous bump, either. Which is nice.
For those wondering, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is made from a combination of aluminium alloy and composite fibreglass. Water and dust resistance tops out at IP68, and Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0 should ensure any nasty drops are dealt with as un-catastrophically as possible.
## **Camera**
When Xiaomi launched the 17 Ultra in China on Christmas Day last year, they also announced a āāGlobal Imaging Strategic Cooperationā with revered camera-maker, Leica. The Leica logo can be found on the 15 Ultra, too, but the 17 Ultra is the first device to benefit from Leica having far earlier involvement in the development process.
Spec-wise, the main camera features a 50MP 1-inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor with LOFIC HDR technology. This, in theory, should help prevent overexposure in high-contrast scenes such as sunsets and fireworks.
Thereās a new telephoto, too, which features a world-first 200MP 75-100mm mechanical optical zoom. That means lossless, zero-crop imaging across that entire focal range.
Rounding things out is a 50MP ultra-wide camera with a 115Ā° field of view and a Samsung JN5 sensor, which also supports 5cm macro photography for those tight close-ups
> Is it better than this? [Oppo Find X9 Pro review](https://markellisreviews.com/reviews/oppo-find-x9-pro-review/)
Thereās no need to beat around the bush here. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra takes utterly wonderful photos. *Really* wonderful. There are two Leica modes ā Authentic and Vibrant. The former is slightly more contrasty, while the latter saturates the colours a little more. There are plenty more filters to choose from, and you can shoot fully manual if you wish (and RAW).
The resulting images, straight out of the camera without any tweaking, have that *something* about them, which comes from Leicaās involvement. They have drama, character, and while a little over-sharpened and, at times, a bit too contrasty, they do at least immediately please. Portraits, in particular, are stunning (although I did encounter a few instances where the shutter wasnāt quite quick enough to capture my fast-moving son and faster-moving puppy).
> Find out the [best smartphone camera](https://markellisreviews.com/buying-guide/best-phone/) in our full guide\!
About that mechanical lossless zoom. Itās lovely to see such technology enter the flagship market, and I have a feeling this is just the start. But thatās also its Achilles heel. The 75-100mm zoom range, which uses the mechanical element, relates to 3.2x to 4.3x on the camera app slider. Simply put, itās not a particularly long zoom range. Thereās also an audible āwhooshingā noise when you hit 4.3x, which is, I presume, something to do with the motors powering the zoom. Itās not annoying or distracting, but itās not something Iāve ever heard before on a smartphone.
Video tops out at 8K/30fps. I never test at that resolution, but I can confirm that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra produces some great-looking 4K footage which Iād happily use for occasional b-roll on my YouTube channel.
Xiaomiās latest flagship phone has one job, which is to make that mahoosive camera bump worthwhile, and it does that in spades.
## **Performance, battery, and OS**
I donāt do benchmarks, I donāt play games on smartphones, and I have little interest in ā or possess the required skills for ā undertaking detailed battery testing.
This makes these sections of smartphone reviews rather straightforward for yours truly, and it speaks highly of how far these devices have come in recent years.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra, just like every other flagship smartphone Iāve tested recently, is as fast as most people need it to be, has cooling capabilities that should prevent slowdowns during strenuous tasks, and has a battery that will get you through a couple of days on the long end.
> Latest: [iPhone 17e specs](https://markellisreviews.com/tech-news/iphone-17e/)
And, *yes*, it has all the fancy generative and helpful AI stuff baked right into HyperOS 3 (which just so happens to be a great mobile OS, too).
There. Done.
## **Conclusion**
If you want an [Android phone](https://markellisreviews.com/buying-guide/best-android-phone/) that is *all* about the camera and you donāt mind giving up some of the weight savings of the slimmer, smaller camera-bumped alternatives, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra delivers in spades.
I love a simple conclusion.
[Android](https://markellisreviews.com/tag/android/) [Smartphones](https://markellisreviews.com/tag/smartphones/) [Xiaomi](https://markellisreviews.com/tag/xiaomi/)
[Mark Ellis](https://markellisreviews.com/author/mellis/ "Posts by Mark Ellis")
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Mark Ellis has been the Chief Reviewer and the driving force behind MarkEllisReviews.com since its inception in 2020 (the guy the websiteās named after!). As the founder of the site, Mark has built a reputation for delivering relatable tech reviews and advice for normal people. Now Mark primarily reviews the biggest tech releases from Apple to Android and attends events across the globe to keep his finger on the pulse of upcoming developments. He also makes videos for his YouTube channel with an audience of over 260,000 subscribers.
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80% **80%**
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra makes it's intentions clear from the off thanks to a very large camera bump; to be the best camera system you can buy on an Android phone. And I think it might have pulled it off...but is that enough?
##### The Good
1. Hugely dynamic camera system
2. Super high-spec display
3. Attractive design finish
##### The Not So Good
1. Very expensive
2. Zoom range could be wider
- User Ratings (0 Votes)
**0**
## Need-to-knows
- One of the most capable phone camera systems on the market
- Smart-looking design
- Hefty camera bump
- Pricey
***
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra was a mythical beast within Tech Review Land last year.
āHave you had it yet?ā
āThe camera *is* incredible. Theyāre not messing around. Have you seen the photos that thing takes? Iād show you, but I had to give mine back for the next person.ā
āI think Iāve got the review unit you had.ā
āIām still waiting for mine to be delivered.ā
This resulted in a smartphone which was as coveted as it was highly reviewed. And for good reason ā it was a superb flagship smartphone with an industry-defining camera system. I know this because I eventually got my hands on one, even if it was too late for a full review.
This year, itās different. Iāve got the Xiaomi 17 Ultra sitting next to me as I type. Better still, I received it a couple of weeks before the launch date.
Without giving too much away, what I love the most about this new Xiaomi flagship is that it sets out to do just one thing very, *very* well, and it delivers. And boy, do we need that from smartphones in 2026.
## At a glance
| Feature | Xiaomi 17 Ultra |
|---|---|
| **Colours & Storage** | Black, White, Starlit Green ā¢ 16GB+512GB / 16GB+1TB |
| **Size & Weight** | 162\.9 Ć 77.6 Ć 8.29 mm ā¢ 218.4ā219 g |
| **Processor** | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) |
| **CPU / GPU** | 2Ć Prime cores up to 4.6GHz + 6Ć Performance cores up to 3.62GHz ā¢ Adreno GPU |
| **RAM & Storage Type** | LPDDR5X RAM ā¢ UFS 4.1 storage |
| **Display** | 6\.9ā³ HyperRGB OLED ā¢ 2608 Ć 1200 ā¢ 1ā120Hz adaptive |
| **Brightness** | Up to 3500 nits peak |
| **Protection** | Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0 |
| **Rear Cameras** | 50MP 1ā³ main (Leica, OIS) ā¢ 200MP telephoto (75ā100mm, OIS) ā¢ 50MP ultra-wide |
| **Front Camera** | 50MP autofocus |
| **Video** | Up to 8K 30fps ā¢ 4K Dolby Vision up to 120fps |
| **Battery & Charging** | 6000mAh ā¢ 90W wired ā¢ 50W wireless |
| **Audio** | Stereo speakers ā¢ Dolby Atmos ā¢ Hi-Res Audio |
| **Connectivity** | 5G ā¢ Wi-Fi 7 ā¢ Bluetooth 6.0 ā¢ NFC |
| **SIM** | Dual SIM (nano + nano / nano + eSIM / eSIM + eSIM) |
| **Durability & Biometrics** | IP68 ā¢ Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint ā¢ AI face unlock |
| **Cooling** | Xiaomi 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop |
| **Operating System** | Xiaomi HyperOS 3 |
## **Specs and pricing**
The 17 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and itās teamed with 16GB of RAM and either 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage.
Performance upgrades over the Xiaomi 15 Ultra are what weāve come to expect from the latest flagship Snapdragon chip. Anyone upgrading from last yearās device (which, I assume, wonāt be very many people at all) can expect 20% faster CPU performance and 23% better graphics. However, upgrade from an earlier model, and those increases will, obviously, be significantly more noticeable during intense tasks and gaming sessions.
When it comes to benchmarks, the 17 Ultra has achieved an AnTuTu V11 score of over 3.5 million points. I have absolutely no idea what that means, but it apparently places it at the top of the performance charts at the time of writing.
Iāll let you all argue the relevance and legitimacy of that in the comments section.
Whatās slightly more interesting is the fact that the 17 Ultra has undergone a pretty significant thermal overhaul, thanks to the introduction of the Xiaomi 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop system, which features a bionic vapour chamber and new capillary structure. Once again, that means as much to me as K-Pop, but the fact it apparently delivers a 50% improvement in thermal conductivity is *not* to be sniffed at.
> Check out my [Nothing Phone (4a) review](https://markellisreviews.com/reviews/nothing-phone-4a-pro-review/)\!
The battery weighs in at 6,000mAh and is, as one must expect these days in Android Land, made from silicon carbon. Itās now customary for brands to list how much silicon content their batteries actually contain, and I can confirm that the 17 Ultra has 16% silicon. Thatās a good number, apparently, and will help keep the Reddit threads at bay. Hopefully.
Charging capabilities remain bonkers with 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, both thanks to Xiaomiās HyperCharge technology.
Pricing for both versions (thereās a non-Ultra, too) in the UK is as follows:
- **Xiaomi 17 Ultra**
- 16+512 ā Ā£1,299
- 16+1T ā Ā£1,499
- **Xiaomi 17**
- 12+256 ā Ā£899
- 12+512 ā Ā£999
So, it aināt a cheap phone. It therefore needs to do that āone thingā rather brilliantly, doesnāt it?
But first, letās begin with the design.
## **Design**
Just like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is an absolute chonk of a phone. It is, in fact, slightly larger than the device it replaces, but itās also marginally thinner and lighter, too.
As a result, the 17 Ultra feels less chunky than the 15 Ultra ā a feat which is aided by the first flat display Xiaomi has ever placed into a flagship smartphone. That LTPO OLED display is 6.9 inches with a variable 120Hz refresh rate and 3,500 nits of peak brightness.
Itās a handsome, purposeful-looking phone. I was sent the Starlit Green version to review, which includes flecks of, apparently, āgenuine mineral particlesā. Itās an acquired taste (I rather like it), which is why you might be glad to hear thereās a white and a black version available, too (I can confirm that the latter, in particular, is very smart, having seen a fellow tech reviewerās sample this morning at Heathrow airport).
> More: [Xiaomi 15T Pro review](https://markellisreviews.com/reviews/xiaomi-15t-pro-review-a-real-looker/)
Just like any camera-focused smartphone, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has an unashamedly ginormous camera bump smack-bang in the middle of the upper portion of the rear casing. Despite this, Xiaomi appears to have handled the weight distribution rather nicely, with only a smidgen of top heaviness exhibiting itself during one-handed operation. However, Iād warn anyone coming from a device with a lesser camera bump to expect a period of adjustment before accepting that it is, as youāll see in a moment, utterly worth the extra heft.
Thereās barely any table wobble because of that voluminous bump, either. Which is nice.
For those wondering, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is made from a combination of aluminium alloy and composite fibreglass. Water and dust resistance tops out at IP68, and Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0 should ensure any nasty drops are dealt with as un-catastrophically as possible.
When Xiaomi launched the 17 Ultra in China on Christmas Day last year, they also announced a āāGlobal Imaging Strategic Cooperationā with revered camera-maker, Leica. The Leica logo can be found on the 15 Ultra, too, but the 17 Ultra is the first device to benefit from Leica having far earlier involvement in the development process.
Spec-wise, the main camera features a 50MP 1-inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor with LOFIC HDR technology. This, in theory, should help prevent overexposure in high-contrast scenes such as sunsets and fireworks.
Thereās a new telephoto, too, which features a world-first 200MP 75-100mm mechanical optical zoom. That means lossless, zero-crop imaging across that entire focal range.
Rounding things out is a 50MP ultra-wide camera with a 115Ā° field of view and a Samsung JN5 sensor, which also supports 5cm macro photography for those tight close-ups
> Is it better than this? [Oppo Find X9 Pro review](https://markellisreviews.com/reviews/oppo-find-x9-pro-review/)
Thereās no need to beat around the bush here. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra takes utterly wonderful photos. *Really* wonderful. There are two Leica modes ā Authentic and Vibrant. The former is slightly more contrasty, while the latter saturates the colours a little more. There are plenty more filters to choose from, and you can shoot fully manual if you wish (and RAW).
The resulting images, straight out of the camera without any tweaking, have that *something* about them, which comes from Leicaās involvement. They have drama, character, and while a little over-sharpened and, at times, a bit too contrasty, they do at least immediately please. Portraits, in particular, are stunning (although I did encounter a few instances where the shutter wasnāt quite quick enough to capture my fast-moving son and faster-moving puppy).
> Find out the [best smartphone camera](https://markellisreviews.com/buying-guide/best-phone/) in our full guide\!
About that mechanical lossless zoom. Itās lovely to see such technology enter the flagship market, and I have a feeling this is just the start. But thatās also its Achilles heel. The 75-100mm zoom range, which uses the mechanical element, relates to 3.2x to 4.3x on the camera app slider. Simply put, itās not a particularly long zoom range. Thereās also an audible āwhooshingā noise when you hit 4.3x, which is, I presume, something to do with the motors powering the zoom. Itās not annoying or distracting, but itās not something Iāve ever heard before on a smartphone.
Video tops out at 8K/30fps. I never test at that resolution, but I can confirm that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra produces some great-looking 4K footage which Iād happily use for occasional b-roll on my YouTube channel.
Xiaomiās latest flagship phone has one job, which is to make that mahoosive camera bump worthwhile, and it does that in spades.
## **Performance, battery, and OS**
I donāt do benchmarks, I donāt play games on smartphones, and I have little interest in ā or possess the required skills for ā undertaking detailed battery testing.
This makes these sections of smartphone reviews rather straightforward for yours truly, and it speaks highly of how far these devices have come in recent years.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra, just like every other flagship smartphone Iāve tested recently, is as fast as most people need it to be, has cooling capabilities that should prevent slowdowns during strenuous tasks, and has a battery that will get you through a couple of days on the long end.
> Latest: [iPhone 17e specs](https://markellisreviews.com/tech-news/iphone-17e/)
And, *yes*, it has all the fancy generative and helpful AI stuff baked right into HyperOS 3 (which just so happens to be a great mobile OS, too).
There. Done.
## **Conclusion**
If you want an [Android phone](https://markellisreviews.com/buying-guide/best-android-phone/) that is *all* about the camera and you donāt mind giving up some of the weight savings of the slimmer, smaller camera-bumped alternatives, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra delivers in spades.
I love a simple conclusion. | |||||||||
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