Let down by Galaxy S26 series? Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Ultra just launched globally

Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi 17 series in China last year, but we’ve had to wait a while for a global release. Fortunately, the company has just launched the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra outside China.

The two phones have a number of features in common. This includes the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, 50W wireless charging, an IP68 rating, a 50MP f/2.2 selfie camera, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, and the HyperOS 3 skin.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra: New camera king?

Xiaomi’s Ultra phones usually bring fantastic camera hardware, and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is no exception. Expect a 50MP one-inch main camera (Light Fusion 1050L, LOFIC), a 50MP ultrawide shooter (ISOCELL JN5), and a 200MP variable telephoto camera (ISOCELL HPE).

We’ve seen variable telephoto cameras before, but this is the first time we’ve seen a variable tele camera paired with a 200MP sensor. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s tele camera offers optical zoom between 75mm and 100mm (~3.1x to ~4.1x). This isn’t a wide range of optical zoom compared to the Sony Xperia 1 VII‘s tele camera (3.5x to 7.1x), but it does allow Xiaomi to ditch the long-standing 3x 50MP camera. Furthermore, Xiaomi is promising ~17.2x lossless zoom.

Other camera features worth knowing include 4K/120fps video capture with Dolby Vision HDR, 8K/30fps video, and 4K/120fps capture via the ACES standard.

Otherwise, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra packs a 6.9-inch 120Hz OLED screen (2,608 x 1,200, LTPO, Shield Glass 3.0), 90W wired charging, the aforementioned 50W wireless charging, and a 6,000mAh battery. The latter is a drop from the Chinese model, which offers a 6,800mAh battery.

Xiaomi is also bringing its Leica edition Xiaomi 17 Ultra to global markets. The Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi, to give its full name, has a rotating dial around the rear cameras to control camera zoom.

Xiaomi 17: A smaller (but not small) flagship

The standard Xiaomi 17 clearly doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the Ultra device, but you’re still getting a pocket-friendly phone with some premium stylings. Expect a 6.3-inch OLED screen (2,656 x 1,220, LTPO), 100W wired charging via the USB-PD PPS standard, 50W wireless charging, and a 6,330mAh battery. Again, this is a downgrade from the Chinese variant’s 7,000mAh battery. Nevertheless, it also means that the global Xiaomi 17 has a slightly bigger battery than the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.

Don’t expect camera hardware upgrades here, though, as the Xiaomi 17 has a triple 50MP rear camera system that’s similar to the Xiaomi 15. In fact, we actually see two downgrades here. The 50MP main camera (1/1.3-inch) has a slightly narrower f/1.7 aperture compared to the Xiaomi 15’s f/1.6 aperture. This also extends to the ultrawide camera, which goes from f/2.2 to f/2.4. Thankfully, the 50MP 2.6x camera is effectively intact here. Xiaomi has also switched from a 32MP f/2.0 selfie camera to a 50MP f/2.2 shooter.

Xiaomi 17 series: Pricing and availability

The Xiaomi 17 starts at €999 (~$1,181) for the base 256GB model. Expect to find the phone in Black, Venture Green, Alpine Pink, and Ice Blue.

Eyeing the Xiaomi 17 Ultra? Then you’ll need to pay €1,499 (~$1,771) for the base 512GB variant. The Ultra model is available in Black, White, and Starlit Green.

Otherwise, the Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi comes in at €1,999 (~$2,362) for the sole 1TB model.