Beebom
Rating9
Xiaomi 17 Ultra's camera hardware is so good that it will make you forget about professional DSLR and Mirrorless shooters. The night shots from this phone are simply out of this world, and the multi-focal length captures detailed 200MP shots at varying distances. Not to forget, it also packs a gorgeous display, strong performance, and a dependable battery. However, the software has adware, and there is a need for a little more polish in the UI. Overall, it is an excellent "camera" phone to get, if that is where your priority lies.
Pros
- Class-leading camera
- Premium and durable build quality
- Top-tier performance
- All-day battery life
Cons
- Phone feels top heavy
- Main camera rattles aggressively due to large sensor size
- Glance and other bloatware present
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra seems like an undercover spy. A camera disguising itself as a smartphone, trying its best not to blow the cover. While Xiaomi's Ultra series has always delivered class-leading optics, this one features a continuous zoom with its multifocal lens. Further cementing my doubt that this is more of a camera than it lets on. But to find out the truth, I took the phone under my supervision, and after using it for a few days, and I will share my findings in this Xiaomi 17 Ultra review.
Unboxing
Before we uncover the secret in this Xiaomi 17 Ultra review, let's search through it's box contents:
- Xiaomi 17 Ultra smartphone
- Transparent plastic case
- 100W FlashCharge adapter
- USB Type A to C cable
- SIM Ejector tool
- Get started guide and warranty card
Xiaomi 17 Ultra Key Details
- Adreno 840
- 90Watt (wired)
- Wireless Charging Supported
- Light Hunter 1050L
- SAMSUNG ISOCELL JN5
Hybrid Stabilization
8K@30fps
- 1.5K AMOLED
- LTPO
- Dolby Vision
- 512GB (UFS 4.1)
- OmniVision OV50M
- 4k@60fps
- Fiberglass (Back)
- Aluminium Frame (Side)
- IP66/68/69 (Dust and Water Resistant)
- 6 year(s) of OS Update
Build and Design
- 162.9 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm, 218 grams weight
- Aluminium alloy frame, fiberglass back
- IP 68/69 dust and water tight, USB Type-C 3.2
When I took the Xiaomi 17 Ultra out of the box, it felt pretty familiar, like I had used it before. And I know why. It looks almost identical to the Vivo X300 Pro. From the huge camera island in the centre to the light matte texture on the back and soft curved sides. However, the phone is slightly lighter and slimmer than last year's model, despite packing a big battery (more on that later).
I have the Black variant of the phone, which feels quite stealthy with a red accent around the camera bump. But I especially loved the rounded volume buttons, which add to the aesthetic of a traditional camera. The Leica edition of this phone has a rotating camera bezel to zoom in and out. It's not the most subtle disguise for a camera, but since my review unit doesn't have this feature, I will let it slide.
That said, the phone is comfortable to hold given its large size. During my Xiaomi 17 Ultra review period, I never felt uneasy carrying the device. The matte texture also offers a nice grip. It also now comes with an IP68/69 rating. So, it will survive the waterboarding.
However, one thing that took me by surprise is that the phone rattles a lot. The huge one 1-inch sensor tends to shake quite a bit as I was strolling through the park, and it almost gave me a heart attack, thinking I might have broken something inside. It shouldn't shake this way when you are using the camera app, but for the most part, it will give you the scary chills from time to time.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra Photography Kit Overview
Like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, the 17 Ultra also gets a Photography Kit Pro. It features a textured case and a detachable grip that turns the phone into a compact camera. The grip has a thumb rest, a two-stage shutter button, a video record button, a customizable dial for EV, ISO, shutter speed, etc., and even a zoom flicker.
There’s also a 2,000mAh battery inside, which won’t fully charge the phone but gives you extra shooting time. The real highlight is the 67mm filter mount. I tried it with an ND filter, and it genuinely helps capture better shots against harsh sunlight. That said, it does make the phone bulky, which is why I couldn't get much mileage out of it. It’s great if you’re coming from a DSLR, but I’d still stick to the on-screen controls.
Display and Audio Quality
- 6.9-inch (1200 x 2608) 1.5K, 120Hz LTPO AMOLED Display
- 10-bit panel, Dolby Vision, HDR 10+ supported, 2160Hz PWM dimming
- Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0 protection, 3500 nits peak brightness
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has perfected its smartphone disguise with a larger 6.9-inch display with evenly thin bezels all around. However, the resolution has taken a hit, from 1440p on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra to 1.5K on this device. This is a bummer, especially when you factor in the six-figure cost of this flagship phone.
But besides that, the display looks gorgeous with excellent colour reproduction that makes content watching quite enjoyable. During my Xiaomi 17 Ultra review period, I enjoyed the latest season of One Piece on this stunning screen, and gladly, it supports Dolby Vision and HDR 10+ on Netflix too.
The outdoor brightness is also an improvement over last year. But I still found it to be a little dim as I was taking photos in the greenery of Lodhi Garden. It's not bad, but I do wish it were a bit brighter. Xiaomi has also done a good job with the stereo speakers, as they get plenty loud and sound full even at max volume. It's a pretty good get-up for this camera, but not enough to con me.
Performance Tested
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm), Adreno 840 GPU
- 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM + Up to 1 TB UFS 4.1 storage
- Xiaomi 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop cooling system
To perfect its smartphone disguise, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra ships with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. This is the top-of-the-line processor seen on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and the OnePlus 15. It is a crazy, powerful chipset, outstanding in all the benchmarks we ran on this phone. Here are the results:
Benchmarks aside, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra doesn't even flinch in everyday usage. Animations, multitasking, heavy apps, all of them were not an issue for this smartphone. In gaming, the 17 Ultra can handle BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile at 120FPS at low to medium graphics. While demanding titles like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves can be enjoyed at 60FPS on the highest settings.
During my Xiaomi 17 Ultra review period, I played CoD: Mobile and Genshin for at least an hour each, and yet it showed no signs of excessive heating. That's thanks to the Xiaomi 3D IceLoop cooling system. So, if you want a camera baked into the best gaming mobile phones, this is a top contender.
| Games | Settings |
|---|---|
| Wethering Waves | High Settings + 60 FPS |
| Genshin Impact | High Settings + 60FPS |
| CoD Mobile | Max Graphics = Max + Max (60FPS) | Max Framerate = Medium + Ultra (120FPS) |
| BGMI | Max Graphics = Ultra HDR + Ultra | Max Framerate = Smooth + Extreme |
Software and Updates
- HyperOS 3 based on Android 16
- Up to 5 major Android updates, 6 years of security patches
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes with HyperOS 3 based on Android 16 out of the box. With a commitment to 5 years of Android updates, which is almost up there with the Vivo and OnePlus flagship phones as well.
As I said in my Poco X8 Pro review, HyperOS 3 feels like a refinement in so many ways. The experience is smoother than before. Animations feel more refined, the UI is slightly cleaner with more rounded corners and improved UI elements, and there’s a noticeable effort to make things more cohesive. There are also a bunch of Xiaomi AI features that I couldn't carefully test out in my limited Xiaomi 17 Ultra review period.
However, one thing that irks me is that it still comes with adware. Yes! It features a Glance lockscreen, which is unwarranted for a phone that costs north of Rs 1 lakh. I also found Indus AppStore and Agoda already installed on the device after setup. I would understand the company doing it for budget phones like the Poco M8, but for a premium device, this is completely unacceptable.
Cameras Reviewed
- 50 MP (main), f/1.7, 23mm, 1.0", OIS, video recording up to 8K 30FPS/ 4K 120FPS
- 200 MP (periscope), f/2.4-3.0, 75-100mm, 3.2x-4.3x zoom + 50 MP (ultraiwde), f/2.2, 14mm, 115˚
- 50 MP (selfie), f/2.2, 21mm, 1/2.76", video recording up to 4K 60 FPS
My main reason for suspecting the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is its cameras. It has a huge 1.0-inch sensor as its main camera and a multi-focal periscope lens. And the results are nothing short of stunning.
The main camera takes absolutely amazing photos in the daylight. The subject looks detailed, with natural colours and on-point white balance. Nothing looks overprocessed, and that's for a reason. Xiaomi has deliberately limited AI processing to let the strong hardware do most of the heavy lifting. So, what you see in the viewfinder is typically what the final image will look like.
At night, the 1-inch sensor takes in ample light to produce extravagant night photos. It preserves details in the shadows that phones like the Find X9 Pro would wipe away. Highlights don't blow out either, but Xiaomi does need to improve its exposure handling. Maybe allow a little post-processing in the photos.
The 200MP telephoto camera can shift between 75mm and 100mm focal lengths. This isn't a digital crop, so you still get the same quality at different zoom distances. The results are sharp, close-up photos that don't fall apart when you zoom in. It also adds a natural bokeh effect behind the subject.
It takes portraits as good as you would expect from a professional DSLR camera. Given that it keeps AI processing to a minimum, the images look more natural and less "generated" at longer zoom ranges. However, photos also tend to look flat at times compared to the likes of Vivo flagship phones.
The ultrawide camera takes consistently sharp and detailed photos of grand vistas. Whether it is day or night, the photos turn out clean and consistent with the other lenses.
For selfies, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra delivers what you’d expect from a phone that takes photos seriously. Skin tones are accurate, and details are sharp without going overboard. However, you do need to turn off the artificial skin smoothing option to get these results.
In terms of videos, it can shoot up to 8K 30FPS or 4K 120FPS in Dolby Vision or LOG format. Meanwhile, the ultrawide lens and the selfie camera record in 4K 60FPS.
Battery Life and Charging
- 6000 mAh silicon carbon battery
- 90W wired charging, 50% charge in 20 minutes
- 50W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless charging
Coming to the battery life, Xiaomi 17 Ultra holds up quite well given its 6000 mAh capacity. This is not as large as the 2026 standard. It's even less than Xiaomi's own 17 Pro Max. I still averaged somewhere around 8–8.5 hours of screen-on time during my Xiaomi 17 Ultra review period.
The battery easily lasted through the intense camera sessions where I took the phone out for the whole day to take samples, and even made it last overtime for nighttime photos. Thankfully, it charges fast too at 90W with the supplied adapter. Going from 0–50% in just 20 minutes.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review Verdict: Should You Buy It?
So after my complete investigation, I have finally uncovered that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is not a camera pretending to be a phone. Instead, it is the other way around. From its minimal yet practical design, the beautiful display, loud speakers, top-notch performance, and good battery life, it is right up there with Android's best in 2026.
Even the titans like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra can't match its camera capabilities. That's why I cannot stop praising its camera setup. It is the kind of hardware that only brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have the guts to pull off. That said, the minor trade-offs here can't be ignored. Glance lock screen and bloatware apps in a premium phone is atrocious. These let-downs don't instill confidence in recommending Xiaomi 17 Ultra, unless the phone is heavily discounted.
Disclaimer: The price & specs shown may be different from actual. Please confirm on the retailer site before purchasing.
