The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is Xiaomi’s latest statement piece in mobile photography. Co-engineered again with Leica, the 17 Ultra builds on the company’s Ultra-series momentum from the excellent Xiaomi 15 Ultra, but pushes even harder into “phone as camera” territory.
The 17 Ultra still sees Xiaomi continue pursuing 1-inch sensors in phones, with a new 1-inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor utilizing new tech for even better HDR. But the headline-grabbing news is Xiaomi combining the two separate telephoto cameras on the 15 Ultra into a single new 200MP telephoto camera featuring a 75-100mm mechanical optical zoom. Whilst we have seen this used on a few niche Sony Xperia phones, it's the first attempt by Xiaomi, and perhaps signals the start of a new chapter in the Ultra phone wars.
