In the US, the debate about the best camera phones has mostly centered around the iPhone, the Samsung Galaxy series and, more recently, the Google Pixel. In contrast, people in parts of Asia and Europe have a wider choice with companies like Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo developing their camera games.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra, recently launched globallyit’s one of those devices that’s partnered with storied German camera maker Leica to provide software-level changes and sensitivity around shooting scenes, with a large camera body that packs a versatile array of sensors.
The camera has a lot of options to choose from, from different focal lengths on the hardware side to different filters and settings to change how the final image looks.
Xiaomi has also released an external attachment that sticks to the camera like a cover, as well as a USB-based accessory that provides hardware buttons for taking videos or photos. While these attachments don’t add a lot of functionality, they do make the camera easier to operate with one hand.
Along with the camera, Xiaomi has packed the phone with the best components to compete with the best phones of the year. I’ll talk more about the camera, but let me get the rest of the hardware description out of the way.
Apparatus
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra uses Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processors, which will be the choice of flagships this year. On the front, there is a 6.9-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1200 x 2608 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
The screen is quite bright at 3500 nits peak brightness. This is handy for operating the phone in bright conditions and also makes for a good video viewing experience.
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The 6000 mAh battery is one of the best results of the Silicon/Carbon-Ion technology used by Xiaomi. Considering the large battery size, it can last for several days of light to moderate usage and also has good standby time. Even though the battery is big, the phone is still lighter than the iPhone Pro Max, which is a win for the company’s engineering team.
The phone supports 90W wired charging and you can use the Xiaomi power supply with the phone or any PD (Power Delivery) 3.0 or PPS (Programmable Power Supply) based charger. It also supports 50W with Xiaomi’s own charger.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has 16GB of RAM and two storage options of 512GB and 1TB.
Camera
Xiaomi uses a 1-inch 50-megapixel sensor with an f/1.67 aperture for the main camera to capture more light. The camera takes sharp and vivid photos without losing white balance. The sensor captures details well in different lighting conditions. Like the iPhone Pro Max, with the main camera you can switch to 23mm, 28mm and 35mm equivalent frames.
The phone has a rather unique 200-megapixel telephoto lens. Instead of offering stepped optical zoom options like 2x and 4x, there’s a continuous optical zoom from 3.2x to 4.3x. It doesn’t seem like much, but it is very convenient when taking photos of pets or framing certain objects in the frame. One limitation is that you can easily switch to focal lengths of 75mm, 85mm, 90mm and 100mm in the camera UI, but if you need to reach other focal lengths between 75mm and 100mm, you have to press down on the zoom control and move around the dial.
The company uses a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture. This lens is also useful for high-impact macro shots. For the most part, this camera is adequate, but in certain shots it loses a bit of detail compared to the other two cameras. There’s also a 50-megapixel selfie camera, but don’t forget to turn off all the beauty filters.
The camera controls are a standard affair, but there are plenty of options to get a photo of the same subject in different views. By default, the camera follows the original Leica color scheme, but with one tap you can change it to Leica Vibrant. There is a filter option that gives you options like positive and negative film; Leica-specific filters such as vivid, natural, black-and-white, speia and blue; and Xiaomi’s own filters like cinema, monsoon, river mist and red.
The company’s two accessories are called The 17 Ultra Photography Kit and The 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro. The basic version works like a cover and sticks directly to the phone. It connects to the phone via Bluetooth, has a two-stage shutter button (for autofocus and stills) and a video recording button. The case uses contact charging for the battery.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro includes a cover that connects to the phone via USB-C and a controller similar to another camera grip. Kit Pro also has a 2000 mAh battery to run it. The grip allows you to easily hold the phone with one hand.
On top of the grip there is a dedicated shutter button and a video recording button. There’s also another customizable dial that can control exposure, filters, ISO, shutter speed or white balance. You can also use this dial to browse the gallery. The Kit Pro also comes with a ring that you can attach to compatible 67mm camera filters.
I was constantly using the Kit Pro while out on the streets, as I could easily hold the phone with one hand and take pictures with a multitude of camera controls at my fingertips. Plus, using a camera-like attachment made taking photos and videos fun. I really appreciated the hardware scale control.
Both sets enable an in-camera fastshot software mode with easy-to-reach controls for street photography.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra will compete in the global market with upcoming devices like the Vivo X300 Ultra, which has a great photography suite including a 2.35x telephoto extender and the Oppo Find X9. However, Xiaomi can enjoy this momentum due to the earlier release of its phone. Apart from the camera, the phone packs a punch if it has a large camera body on the back.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at 1,499 euros in Europe. The Photography Kit costs €99.99 and the Photography Kit Pro costs €199.99.
