Xiaomi has quietly raised the bar in the flagship space. The new Xiaomi 17 Ultra is now official in China, and it is clearly built for users who care most about cameras, raw power, and premium details. It doesn’t chase flashy design ideas — instead, it sticks to performance, photography, and daily reliability.
A true flagship at the core
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra runs on Qualcomm’s latest 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, built for speed and efficiency in real-world use. Xiaomi pairs it with up to 16GB of LPDDR5x Ultra RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage, so heavy apps, gaming, and multitasking feel smooth without effort.
It ships with Android 16 and HyperOS 3, along with system-level AI features designed to quietly improve performance, battery behavior, and overall smoothness while staying out of the way.
Flat design with a slim feel
For the first time, Xiaomi has given its Ultra series a completely flat 2D display and a flat vertical frame. The phone measures 162.9mm by 77.6mm and is just 8.29mm thick, making it the slimmest Ultra Xiaomi has made so far.
There’s no secondary display on the back like some earlier models. Xiaomi clearly chose a clean, simple design instead of experimenting with extra screens.
Colors and a camera-focused Leica Edition
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is available in Black, White, Starry Green, and Cool Smoke Purple. The Starry Green version stands out with a mineral-grain texture that gives it a unique finish.
Alongside it, Xiaomi also announced a special Leica Edition aimed at users who want a phone that feels closer to a dedicated camera.
A powerful new camera setup
This time, Xiaomi moved from four cameras to three — but the hardware is stronger. The main camera is a 50MP Light Fusion 1050L sensor with a large 1-inch size, LOFIC technology, and optical image stabilization. It is joined by a 50MP ultra-wide camera with autofocus and a 200MP Samsung HPE periscope telephoto camera.
The telephoto system supports continuous optical zoom from 3.2x to 4.3x, offering more flexibility when framing shots. The phone can also record video in 8K. On the front, there is a 50MP selfie camera.
What makes the Leica Edition special
The Leica Edition uses the same camera hardware but adds a mechanical zoom ring. This ring allows manual control over focal length, exposure, and white balance. The design takes inspiration from Leica’s M-series cameras, with a dual-tone look, knurled edges for grip, and the classic red Leica logo on the back.
Display, sound, and battery life
The phone comes with a 6.9-inch flat LTPO AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 3500 nits of peak brightness. It is protected by Dragon Crystal Glass 3 and includes an in-display fingerprint scanner.
Stereo speakers, a quad-mic setup, and Hi-Res audio support handle sound. Power comes from a 6,800mAh battery with 90W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 22.5W reverse charging.
Price and availability
In China, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at CNY 6,999, roughly ₹89,000. Higher variants go up to CNY 8,499, while the Leica Edition is priced at CNY 8,999. Sales began on December 27, and Xiaomi has not shared any details yet about a global launch.
Ramesh is a technology writer at gemch.in, covering smartphone launches, leaks, and comparisons. His articles focus on real-world features, performance, and value-for-money insights to help readers make informed buying decisions.