Xiaomi 17 Ultra (Global) review

Larger and brighter LTPO OLED screen

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra gets a slightly bigger display this year, measuring 6.9" in diagonal, up from the 6.73" on the previous generation. Interestingly, the screen resolution has dropped to 1200 x 2608px in the process, so the pixel density here works out to 416 ppi compared to the 522 ppi on the previous model. Still, we can't say that the display's sharpness left us wanting in any way.

The AMOLED display here uses an RGB matrix, instead of the traditional PenTile arrangement, which was often blamed for making text less sharp than on RGB panels. Xiaomi calls this HyperRGB display, likely because it has a full set of sub-pixels per single pixel, while the PenTile's full pixels share some of the sub-pixels.

15 Ultra's PenTile panel • 17 Ultra's HyperRGB panel

For the end user, the HyperRGB panel means better visual and sharper image quality overall, compared to PenTile panels of the same resolution and PPI. Since the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has a higher pixel density, the new subpixel arrangement offsets the lower screen resolution quite successfully, and both displays are equally sharp.

Even if there is any difference, it's really hard to spot beyond 400 ppi. You will have to be pixel-peeping to find any real sharpness issues at this screen diagonal.

Refresh rate is again 120Hz, and since it's an LTPO panel, the control over the refresh rate is quite granular. The supported HDR standards are plenty - HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HDR Vivid. Color depth is 12-bit, and Xiaomi advertises high-frequency 2160Hz PWM for dimming, so people with sensitive eyes will appreciate it.

The new display is touted as slightly brighter, but that was only true for peak brightness in HDR scenarios.

When testing with our regular 75% white patch, we only got 639 nits in manual mode and 1,132 nits in Auto mode, and both these numbers are noticeably lower than the 15 Ultra.

With a 10% fill, however, we got 3,674 nits, which was higher than what the 15 Ultra could muster in this scenario. With the 10% patch, we squeezed out even slightly more in the 17 Ultra's Gallery app compared to the web browser - it went as high as 3,790 nits - a boost which was absent on the 15 Ultra.

Refresh rate

As we already mentioned, the LTPO OLED display performs a granular control over the refresh rate. You can choose between a Default and Custom refresh rate options. The default one is actually automatic, while the Custom mode lets you cap the refresh rate to either 60 or 120Hz.

We suggest leaving it on Default because the system is smart enough to choose the correct refresh rate depending on the scenario. When the display is idle, it reduces the refresh rate to 1Hz, while every app or system menu boosts it to 120Hz. That includes Chrome and YouTube.

It's not often that we see the YouTube app refresh at 120Hz when just browsing or reading the comments. Only when you start watching a video will the display refresh rate drop down to match the video's frame rate. We tested 24, 30, and 60 fps videos, and the display was able to match their framerates with its refresh rate successfully.

Battery life

The global Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a 6,000 mAh battery as opposed to the 6,800 mAh battery the Chinese version has. Naturally, we got a slightly lower battery life test result compared to that of the Chinese model, which provided stellar performance (21:29h endurance rating).

Outside of this context, the 17 Ultra's battery life is excellent. For one, it earned a significantly higher Active Use Score than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. The Active Use Score of 19:09h is also higher than what most globally-available competitors scored, except for the Oppo Find X9 Pro.

Charging speed

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra supports 90W wired charging over the company's proprietary HyperCharge and also 50W wireless charging when paired with Xiaomi's wireless charging stands. It also has a smaller 6,000 mAh battery than the Chinese model, so it's no surprise that it charges a tad faster than its Chinese counterpart.

Either way, the new tests on the global Xiaomi 17 Ultra make a lot more sense, and it's much closer to the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max with its 100W charging.

The handset reached a full charge from 1% in 43 minutes, while a 30-minute charging cycle replenished the battery to 72%. Now, that's a lot more competitive compared to rivaling phones.

There are some battery health-oriented features in place. You can limit the charging capacity to 80% or apply smart charging to avoid overcharging as the system learns your charging habits and finishes charging the battery only when needed. You can, of course, disable fast charging altogether.

Additionally, the phone supports 22.5W reverse wired charging and 10W reversed wireless charging. Not too shabby!

Speakers

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a pair of hybrid stereo speakers with the main one at the bottom of the frame, while the other also acts as an earpiece at the top. As a result, the bottom-firing speaker is notably louder, but doesn't negatively affect the sound experience all that much.

Compared to the previous generation, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra's speakers are quieter, earning a "Very Good" -24.1 LUFS score. However, the tuning here is nicer as the tracks generally sound fuller and warmer, while the vocals are cleaner.

It's definitely one of the nicest sets of speakers you can get on a smartphone, with only a few handsets offering better ones. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is one of those. In comparison to most direct rivals like the Oppo Find X9 Pro or the vivo X300 Pro, however, the 17 Ultra has an advantage when it comes to sound quality.

Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.