The new Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition looks more like a camera that has an Android phone attached to it than anything else.
The new Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition has just launched in China and, while it looks to be a China-specific model (at least for now), it has some serious camera chops
The base model, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, is already a phone with an impressive camera spec. Based around a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, it features a 1-inch sensor 50MP main camera Light Fusion 1050L sensor with LOFIC high-dynamic-range technology to improve highlight retention and low-light performance. This is paired with a 200MP periscope telephoto camera with a continuous optical zoom of 75–100 mm equivalent, and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide that delivers a 115° field of view.
It also has a 6.9-inch AMOLED screen that's rated up to 3500 nits.
But it's the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition that is the real eye-catcher. This version features all the usual Leica design cues you would expect at the high-end, including Leica camera styling, finely machined details, Leica engraving and the classic Leica red dot prominently displayed.
As well as some additional Leica tuning under the hood, it also adds a physical Master Zoom Ring around the rear camera island. This lets users manually adjust zoom, focus, and other imaging parameters with full haptic feedback. Using it also automatically opens the Leica-designed camera app and lets users switch between the rear cameras.
We've seen an increasing amount of mechanical and otherwise gimmicks added to smartphone camera capabilities as the manufacturers try to put clear blue water between themselves and the competition in what is becoming a homogenous market beyond the usual Android/iOS distinction. This seems one that might actually be good, however.
While majoring on the stills aspects of the new phone, video capabilities have been slightly overlooked by Xiaomi so far. While we wait for an official spec sheet, 8K30 and 4K120 on the main camera are suspected, however, and makes sense given the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 video pipeline.
Currently a China-only release, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at CNY 6999 ($1000) with the much more tempting Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition only adding CNY 1000 ($140) and starting at $1140.