Never mind the S26 Ultra, this eagerly anticipated Ultra phone is launching next week

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra was one of our favorite camera phones of 2025. We were expecting the Xiaomi 17 Ultra to launch in early 2026, but the company has just confirmed that the new phone will arrive next week.

Xiaomi confirmed on Weibo that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will be launched next week. This would be much earlier than recent Xiaomi Ultra phones, which have typically launched in February or March around Mobile World Congress.

The Chinese manufacturer also noted that this will be the first phone launched as part of an “upgraded” partnership with Leica. Xiaomi says this expanded partnership now takes the form of “strategic co-creation” where the two companies jointly develop products as opposed to merely conducting joint R&D.

What should we expect from the phone, though? Well, Xiaomi revealed that the device will have the first Leica-certified APO telephoto lens, as well as a new “next-generation” one-inch main camera sensor. In terms of the former, an APO lens enables photos with reduced chromatic aberration and color fringing. Xiaomi didn’t reveal which one-inch sensor it’s using for the main camera, but leaks point to the Omnivision OV50X alongside a 200MP tele camera.

Otherwise, the company claims that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will deliver better low-light image quality, more accurate details in high-contrast scenarios, and “creative freedom” for telephoto shots.

It’s worth noting that next week’s launch will likely be a China-only affair. So it’s still possible that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will only launch globally at MWC. But I hope the company reduces the current months-long gap between its Chinese and global flagship releases.