The Xiaomi 17 Ultra: When will it launch in India, and at What Price? We will get all of that, but before that, a very happy New Year.
Ultra phones are top-of-the-segment smartphones, and are supposed to come with a large display, a big battery, the best processors, and large camera sensors. Xiaomi 17 Ultra checks all these boxes.
For the first time, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is available in two variants: Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition. We can expect it to launch between March & April. The both version will be identical to each other
Let's see what we can expect from the Indian market version, but first, let's take a look at the Chinese version's specifications:
- Display & Design
- Processor
- Camera
- Battery & Ports
Xiaomi 17 Display & Design
Compared to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, the Xiaomi 17 gets a slightly larger 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED panel while retaining 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ support. Key upgrades include enhanced PWM dimming at 2160Hz and a higher peak brightness of 3500 nits, making the display brighter and easier on the eyes.
The phone features a flat display and a flat back, with subtle corner curves that improve grip while maintaining a premium in-hand feel. Xiaomi continues to stand out with a fresh and distinctive design approach. The rounded volume rocker buttons are particularly eye-catching, adding a unique touch that even evokes a nostalgic charm reminiscent of early-2000s mobile phones or could be from Leica cameras.
What truly sets Xiaomi apart is its willingness to break away from industry trends—rather than making minor, predictable design tweaks like many major smartphone brands, Xiaomi consistently delivers designs that feel bold, lively, and refreshingly different.
Do note back is fiberglass with a mat finish, at vary list it won't catch fingerprints easily.
Processor & Performance
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra becomes the first smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 (3nm) chipset, delivering flagship-class performance across the board. In benchmark tests, it scores an impressive ~3.9 million points on AnTuTu, while Geekbench results stand at 3,401 in single-core and 9,941 in multi-core performance.
The phone comes with 16GB ram and 512GB of internal memory
These top-tier scores translate into effortless real-world usage, allowing the device to handle the most demanding, graphics-intensive games with ease. Interestingly, some tech reviewers note that the phone tends to warm up slightly more during extended photo and video recording sessions than during long gaming sessions, suggesting camera workloads place a higher thermal load on the system.
Camera
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra features a versatile triple-camera setup comprising a 50MP wide sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and a powerful 200MP periscope telephoto camera. While the configuration may appear like a downgrade compared to last year on paper, it’s anything but. The standout 200MP periscope telephoto lens supports up to 4.3× continuous optical zoom and offers a variable aperture ranging from f/2.4 to f/3.0. Additionally, the focus distance can be adjusted between 75mm and 100mm, enabling greater flexibility for portraits, detailed zoom shots, and long-range photography.
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| Sample Picture- 1 Credit goes to Reddit post |
The image shows excellent sharpness with clean details and minimal noise. Colors look rich yet natural, with accurate skin tones and well-balanced warm hues. The dynamic range is strong, preserving details in both highlights and shadows without overexposure. Overall, the photo delivers a natural, premium, flagship-level camera output.
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| Sample Picture - 2 |
This shot highlights the Xiaomi 17 Ultra's excellent low-light handling. Despite the dark surroundings, the fireworks are well-exposed with strong brightness control, avoiding highlights.
Dynamic range is a major strength here. The balance between light and dark creates a cinematic look without losing visual information.
The strong contrast between the bright fireworks and the silhouetted subject adds depth and storytelling to the frame.
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| Camera Ring and Grip |
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition blurs the line between smartphone and camera. Its rotating control ring enables precise control over autofocus, zoom, aperture, and other camera parameters, making it an ideal choice for photography enthusiasts who want a professional shooting experience in their pocket.
The rotating control ring is not mechanically linked to the camera hardware. Instead, it uses an embedded set of 20 high-strength ball bearings that deliver an exceptionally smooth and precise tactile response. In simple terms, it functions much like a ring-style PC mouse, offering fluid, accurate input for camera controls without direct hardware coupling.
Battery & Ports
In China, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is equipped with a massive 6,800mAh battery, a notable upgrade over last year’s Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which featured a 6,000mAh battery in the Chinese market. However, the Indian variant of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra arrived with a smaller 5,400mAh unit. Based on this trend, it’s reasonable to expect that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra could launch in India with at least a 6,000mAh battery, offering a significant improvement in battery life for Indian users.
It comes with a 3.2 USB Type-C port, and the phone supports 90W fast charging
Final Verdict
Xiaomi is a very interesting company, on one hand, the brand is taking a safe way by making the same design tweaks here and there every year, and on the other hand, some company realy taking a leap, like Xiaomi 17 Ultra, experimenting with hardware and camera.
I believe Xiaomi 17 Ultra is the peak of smartphone camera, as one of the most ambitious flagship smartphones of the year, especially for photography enthusiasts. From its refined flat design and premium in-hand feel to the stunning 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED display with improved brightness and eye-friendly PWM dimming, Xiaomi delivers a well-rounded premium experience. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5, the phone offers top-tier performance that handles demanding games and heavy workloads effortlessly.
The Leica-tuned camera system, led by a versatile 200MP periscope telephoto lens and enhanced by a unique rotating control ring, elevates mobile photography to near-compact camera levels. Add to that a massive battery—expected to be at least 6,000mAh in India—and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra emerges as a true powerhouse. Overall, it’s not just a smartphone with a great camera; it’s a pocket camera that also happens to be one of the most powerful Android phones.
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