In the United States, discussions about top camera phones have largely 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 range of choices as companies such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo strengthen the camera market.
The recently launched globally, Xiaomi 17 Ultra is one such device, with a big camera bump that houses versatile sensors and a partnership with renowned German camera maker Leica to offer software level changes and sensibilities in how scenes are captured.
Cameras have 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 external add-ons that fit over the camera like a cover, as well as USB-based accessories that provide hardware buttons for taking videos and photos. These add-ons don’t add much functionality, but they do make it easier to use your camera one-handed.
Beyond the camera, Xiaomi has packed the best components into the phone to compete with this year’s best phones. I’ll explain the camera in detail, but I’ll skip the rest of the hardware.
hardware
Xiaomi 17 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor, making it this year’s flagship choice. On the front, there is a 6.9-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1200 x 2608 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz.
The screen is very bright with a peak brightness of 3,500 nits. This is convenient for operating your phone in well-lit areas and also provides a great video viewing experience.
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The 6,000 mAh battery is probably one of the best achievements of the silicon/carbon ion technology used by Xiaomi. Considering the size of the battery, it can last several days of light to moderate usage and has a long standby time. Despite the larger battery, the phone is lighter than the iPhone Pro Max, so this is another win for the company’s engineering team.
The phone supports 90W wired charging and you can use the charger provided by Xiaomi for the phone or a PD (Power Delivery) 3.0 or PPS (Programmable Power Supply) based charger. It also supports 50W with Xiaomi’s own charger.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra has 16GB of RAM and two memory options: 512GB and 1TB.
camera
Xiaomi uses a 1-inch 50 megapixel sensor with f/1.67 aperture for the main camera, aiming to collect more light. Capture sharp and vivid photos without disturbing the white balance. This sensor is great at capturing details in a variety of lighting conditions. Like the iPhone Pro Max, the main camera can switch to 23mm, 28mm, or 35mm equivalent framing.
This phone has a 200 megapixel telephoto lens which is quite unique. Instead of offering alternating optical zoom options like 2x and 4x, it has continuous optical zoom from 3.2x to 4.3x. It may not seem like much at first glance, but it can be extremely useful when taking photos of your pet or when you want to frame a specific object. One limitation is that the camera’s UI allows you to easily jump to 75mm, 85mm, 90mm, and 100mm focal lengths, but if you need to go to other focal lengths between 75mm and 100mm, you have to press the zoom control and move the dialer.
The company uses a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture. This lens also lends itself to some very impressive macro photography. Most of the time this camera is sufficient, but certain shots lose 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 beauty filters.
Camera controls are a standard feature, but there are plenty of options for getting photos of a single object in different looks. By default, the camera follows Leica’s stock color scheme, but you can change it to Leica Vibrant with one tap. There are filter options that offer options such as positive and negative film. Leica-specific filters such as Vivid, Natural, Black and White, Spare and Blue. And Xiaomi’s own filters such as Movie, Monsoon, Teal Mist, and Scarlet.
The company’s two add-ons are called The 17 Ultra Photography Kit and The 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro. The basic version acts like a cover and attaches directly to your phone. It connects to your phone via Bluetooth and has a two-stage shutter button (for autofocus and capturing shots), and a video recording button. This case uses contact charging for the battery.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro ships with a cover and a separate camera grip-like controller that connects to your phone via USB-C. The Kit Pro also has a 2,000 mAh battery to power its operation. The grip allows you to easily hold your phone with one hand.
The top of the grip has a dedicated shutter button and video shooting button. There’s also another customizable dial that lets you control exposure, filters, ISO, shutter speed, or white balance. You can also use this dial to take a quick look at your gallery. Kit Pro also comes with a ring to attach a compatible 67mm camera filter.
I consistently used the Kit Pro when moving around the city because I could easily hold the phone with one hand and have plenty of camera controls at my fingertips to take photos. Moreover, add-ons like camera have made it fun to take photos and videos. I really appreciated having a hardware zoom control.
Both kits enable FastShot software mode within the camera, giving you easy access to controls for street photography.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra will face competition in the global market from upcoming devices such as the Vivo X300 Ultra and Oppo Find X9, which come with fancy photography kits including a 2.35x telephoto extender. However, due to the early launch of the smartphone, Xiaomi may be able to enjoy this momentum. Camera aside, this phone packs a punch if you’re okay with a large camera housing on the back.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra price starts from 1,499 euros in Europe. The price of the Photo Kit is 99.99 euros and the price of the Photo Kit Pro is 199.99 euros.
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