Xiaomi 17 Ultra (Global) review

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Introduction and specs

We already reviewed the Chinese version of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra - in its special Leica edition, nonetheless. The company is now releasing this Ultra cameraphone to global markets.

The most notable difference between the two phones is the battery capacity - it's 6000 mAh on the global as opposed to 6800 mAh. It may be a downgrade to the model released in China, but it's in fact an upgrade over the 5,410 mAh battery in last year's Xiaomi 15 Ultra. That difference alone was enough for us to revisit the global model for another review, but we also wanted to make sure there were no other differences to the model released in the company's homeland.

On paper, all other aspects of the globally-released Xiaomi 17 Ultra are the same - it's an impressive powerhouse of a phone as the Chinese model - Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, flat and bright 6.9-inch LPTO OLED display, and potent and versatile camera hardware.

The main 50MP 1-inch sensor remains, and so does the 200MP camera, but this time around, it has continuous optical zoom ranging from 3.2x to 4.3x, and since the sensor is big enough, it handles further digital crop very well. The selfie unit is also much improved, now 50MP with autofocus.

Last but not least, this is the first flagship Xiaomi device with a global HyperOS 3 that comes in our office, so let's take a deeper dive and see what the new features are.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra specs at a glance:

• Body: 162.9x77.6x8.3mm, 224g; Glass front, fiber-reinforced plastic back / silicone polymer back (eco leather), aluminum frame; IP68/IP69 dust-tight and water-resistant (high-pressure water jets; immersible up to 6m for 30 min), Aerospace-grade glass fiber.
• Display: 6.90" LTPO AMOLED, 68B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, Dolby Vision, HDR Vivid, HDR10+, 3500 nits (peak), 1200x2608px resolution, 19.56:9 aspect ratio, 416ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M); Adreno 840.
• Memory: 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.1.
• OS/Software: Android 16, HyperOS 3.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.7, 23mm, 1.0"-type, 1.6µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 200 MP, f/2.4-3.0, 75-100mm, 1/1.4", 0.56µm, multi-directional PDAF (30cm - ∞), OIS, 3.2-4.3x continuous optical zoom, zoom ring; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 115˚, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, dual pixel PDAF; Depth: TOF 3D.
• Front camera: 50 MP, (wide), 1/2.88", 0.61µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/480/960/1920fps, gyro-EIS, Dolby Vision HDR 10-bit rec. (4K@60fps, 1080p); Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS.
• Battery: 6000mAh; 90W wired, 90W PPS, PD3.0, QC3+, 50W wireless, 22.5W reverse wired, 10W reverse wireless.
• Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LHDC 5, MIHC; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); stereo speakers; Two-way satellite communication.

One thing that Xiaomi will do differently in global markets is regarding the Leica version of the phone. In its Chinese iteration, it the Leica edition came with a rotating ring on the camera island, satellite connection and a dedicated security chip. Also, it already has a much nicer dual-tone design.

Now, a version of the same phone is coming to global markets too, although with a different name. It will be "Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi". A little-known fact is that Leica has a high-end, camera-oriented smartphone lineup and the Leitz Phone 3 is the latest model in it. The series is exclusive to Japan, and allegedly, now, for the first time, users outside of Japan will be able buy one.

The name "Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi" clearly implies that Xiaomi is taking the backseat with this one though it's still very much the Xiaomi-made device you see here.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra unboxing

But let's turn our attention back to the more commonly available Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Unlike the Chinese retail package, the European one excludes the charger, so you get the basic box, containing a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging and data transfer.

You do get a transparent hard case, though. And Xiaomi will be offering two distinct types of Camera grips, which you can accessorize the phone with.