Xiaomi 17 Ultra - More Camera than Phone!

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra functions primarily as a Leica-branded camera with advanced features, while also retaining flagship smartphone capabilities.

• The Xiaomi 17 Ultra prioritizes its camera capabilities with extensive Leica branding and accessories.

• It features a powerful triple camera system and innovative software, including unique Leica image profiles and dedicated shooting modes.

• A customizable camera ring offers physical control over various camera functions, despite some minor usability issues.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is designed to be more camera than phone, featuring extensive Leica branding and an array of sophisticated camera hardware and software. Despite some minor usability quirks with its unique camera ring and setting retention, it delivers an exceptionally fun and capable photography experience, backed by high-end smartphone specifications.

Design & Leica Integration

• 00:00:22 The Xiaomi 17 Ultra heavily emphasizes its camera identity and Leica partnership, evident from its unboxing experience which includes a custom Leica-branded case, aluminum lens cap, and wrist strap. The phone's physical design prioritizes the camera, featuring horizontal branding, multiple Leica logos, and a knurled texture for enhanced grip, effectively positioning it as a camera first.

Advanced Camera System

• 00:02:42 The Xiaomi 17 Ultra boasts a triple camera setup, including a massive one-inch 50-megapixel main sensor, a 14mm equivalent 50-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 200-megapixel telephoto with a real variable focal length zoom from 75mm to 100mm. The Leica partnership extends to image processing, offering 'Leica Vibrant' and 'Leica Authentic' profiles, alongside 'Leica Essential' modes like M9 (daylight white balance, high contrast) and M3 (monochrome emulating Monopan 50 film), enhancing the creative shooting experience.

Innovative Camera Ring

• 00:06:46 A distinctive feature is the fluidly turning metal ring around the camera plateau, which provides haptic feedback to simulate clicks. This customizable ring acts as a camera shortcut, facilitates smooth zooming in normal photo mode, adjusts exposure value in video mode, and can be mapped in Pro mode to control manual focus, shutter speed, or white balance Kelvin value, offering a unique physical control experience.

Smartphone Performance & Flaws

• 00:08:04 Beneath its camera focus, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is a flagship smartphone with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a 6.9-inch 120Hz display, a 6,800 mAh battery, and an IP69 dust and water resistance rating. However, it has some flaws, including the camera ring's tendency to get fingers in wide shots or accidentally trigger the camera app, the limited zoom range of the variable telephoto, and the camera app's inability to retain user-selected settings like 50-megapixel resolution after closing.