Xiaomi 17 Ultra packs 1-inch sensor, 200MP periscope, 6800mAh

Xiaomi's new flagship, the 17 Ultra, lands in China with an ambitious camera stack, a massive 6,800mAh battery and top-tier silicon. It arrives in a standard model and a Leica-branded variant that adds tactile controls and camera-focused software — a clear play for mobile photography enthusiasts.

The headline camera specs are attention-grabbing: a 50MP primary using a 1-inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor with LOFIC support, backed by a 200MP Samsung HPE 1/1.4-inch periscope telephoto that enables continuous optical zoom. Completing the trio is a 50MP ultrawide with autofocus. Around front there's a 50MP selfie shooter and an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint reader.

Display duty is handled by a flat 6.9-inch M10 AMOLED LTPO panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, 2608 x 1200 resolution and up to 3,500 nits peak brightness. Xiaomi protects the screen with its Dragon Crystal Glass 3.0 and pairs it with stereo speakers and a quad-mic array for improved audio capture.

Under the hood sits Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with memory options up to 16GB LPDDR5X and storage up to 1TB UFS 4.1. The phone ships with HyperOS 3.0 and a suite of AI features built into the interface and camera pipeline.

• Primary camera: 50MP 1-inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor (Leica branded)
• Telephoto: 200MP Samsung HPE 1/1.4-inch periscope with continuous optical zoom
• Ultrawide: 50MP with autofocus
• Front camera: 50MP
• Battery: 6,800mAh silicon-carbon cell; 90W wired, 50W wireless, 22.5W reverse wired charging
• Platform: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, up to 16GB RAM, up to 1TB storage
• Connectivity: Wi‑Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, dual-satellite comms
• Other: IP66/IP68/IP69 ratings, infrared sensor, Hi-Res audio

Leica edition: tactile controls and photo-first extras

The Leica edition keeps the same internal hardware but dresses the 17 Ultra in camera-inspired touches: a dual-tone finish echoing Leica M cameras, knurling on the frame, and the signature red Leica badge on the back. The standout is a mechanical zoom ring that lets photographers manually tweak focal length, exposure and white balance — a niche but satisfying feature for serious shooters.

Xiaomi bundles Leica Moment shooting modes optimized for a 3:2 aspect ratio, a security and encryption chip, and dual-satellite communication on the Leica model. The special packaging includes camera-style accessories like a lens cap, lanyard, magnetic case and cleaning cloth, reinforcing the handset’s photography focus.

Both versions will be available in China starting December 27 through Xiaomi's official store. Colorways for the regular 17 Ultra include Black, Cool Smoke Purple, Starry Green and White; the Leica edition ships in Black or Off-White.

Pricing in China starts at CNY 6,999 (roughly $995) for the 12GB/512GB standard model. Higher trims include 16GB/512GB for CNY 7,499 (~$1,065) and 16GB/1TB for CNY 8,499 (~$1,210). The Leica variant is positioned above the base models at CNY 7,999 (~$1,140) for 16GB/512GB and CNY 8,999 (~$1,280) for 16GB/1TB.

With its 1-inch sensor, 200MP periscope and giant battery, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra stakes a claim as a photography-forward Android flagship. Whether the Leica edition's mechanical zoom ring will sway traditional camera users remains to be seen, but Xiaomi has clearly doubled down on camera innovation and endurance.

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