Xiaomi’s Ultra series has always been about redefining what a flagship can deliver, and the latest Xiaomi 17 Ultra represents a significant evolution of its Ultra line, co-engineered with Leica under a new “Strategic Co-creation Model.” Where the Xiaomi 15 Ultra impressed with its quad-camera versatility and faster wireless charging, the 17 Ultra shifts emphasis toward durability, imaging breakthroughs, and endurance.
Despite housing a larger 6000mAh battery, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is slimmer at 8.29mm and lighter than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s 9.35mm frame. But with a slightly wider body of 77.6mm, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra stretches your hand a little for single-hand operation. Xiaomi’s Shield Glass 3.0 offers 30% greater drop resistance compared to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.
Combined with a fibreglass back, aluminium alloy frame, and IP68 certification up to 6m depth, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is built to withstand more demanding conditions than its predecessor. The 6.9-inch HyperRGB OLED panel delivers 3,500 nits peak brightness, 12-bit colour depth, sharper resolution, HDR content looks richer, and outdoor visibility is great.
Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, performance is fluid across multitasking, gaming, and creative workflows. While wireless charging speed is slower than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s 80W, the larger battery ensures longer endurance, making it a practical trade-off for heavy users. Running on HyperOS 3, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra integrates deeper AI features with the AI Creativity Assistant and Circle to Xiaomi HyperConnect file sharing and Multicam setup, enhancing both productivity and imaging workflows.
These functions are embedded in the various apps, ps and you can find out more about how these AI features are available from the Settings – Xiaomi HyperAI menu.
Xiaomi trims the quad-camera setup of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra into a triple Leica system on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. I spent some time on this new system and felt it delivered excellent image quality when shooting with the 50MP 1-inch main sensor. The resolution, dynamics, contrast and details are not over-sharpened.
The ultra wide-angle maxes at 0.6x (14mm), though I’d wish it could go even wider. Still, it is sufficient to create dramatic viewpoints.
The single 200MP telephoto lens offers versatility in handling zoom range from 75mm upwards. In normal Photo mode, the images are saved in 12.5MP, and you can adjust the zoom range all the way to 120x. Images captured at the upper zoom range appear more AI-processed in getting high clarity. There is no option to disable AI processing.
Switching to 50MP, the camera system is restricted to fixed focal lengths to prevent the use of digital crop, which degrades image quality. There is also a 200MP mode where the camera system further restricts to 75mm, 85mm, 90mm and 100mm.
Low-light images are captured with fast shutter speeds thanks to a large aperture. Colours are accurate, and exposure is well-balanced.
Its black-and-white filters grab visual attention with masterful contrast and film-like character.
Through Leica UltraPure optical lens treatment and configuration, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra performs reliably across a wide range of lighting conditions, preserving detail in both bright and low-light scenes.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is a refined flagship with a slimmer design, a brighter screen, and an upgraded front camera that represents Xiaomi’s vision of what a modern flagship should be: powerful, immersive, and built to last.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra retails at SGD 1799.00 and is available now.
