A thorough look at the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, a smartphone equipped with a 200-megapixel camera co-developed with Leica, and how its dedicated grip transforms it into a digital camera-like device.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra , a smartphone equipped with a high-performance camera bearing the Leica brand, was released on March 5, 2026. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is characterized by its high camera performance, and can also be customized to look like a camera by attaching a separately sold dedicated case and grip. We were able to borrow a Xiaomi 17 Ultra, so we first took a detailed look at its exterior.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra | Xiaomi Japan | All Specifications and Features
Below are the packaging boxes for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and the separately sold Xiaomi 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes in three colors: black, white, and starlit green, and a special edition 'Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi' is also available. For this review, we borrowed the standard white model.
The Leica logo is printed in red on the presentation box.
This is the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. The display is a 'Xiaomi HyperRGB OLED' with a size of 6.9 inches, a resolution of 2608 x 1200 pixels, and a peak brightness of 3500 nits. The refresh rate is variable, ranging from 1 to 120 Hz.
The bezel width is approximately 1.5mm according to actual measurements.
The top of the display features a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
The back has a smooth texture. It features a large, circular camera system on the top.
The rear camera consists of three types: main, telephoto, and ultra-wide-angle, and together they are named 'VARIO-APO-SUMMILUX 1:1.67-2.9/14-100 ASPH.'.
The camera specifications are as follows: The telephoto camera is equipped with an optical zoom lens, and both the main camera and the telephoto camera have optical image stabilization.
Main: 1-inch sensor, 50 million pixels, 23mm focal length (35mm equivalent)
Telephoto: Sensor size 1/1.4 inch, 200 million pixels, focal length 23mm (75-100mm equivalent)
Ultra-wide angle: Sensor size 1/2.75 inch, 50 million pixels, focal length 14mm (35mm equivalent)
The camera part protrudes quite a bit.
Check the buttons and ports. On the left side of the camera, you'll find the volume control buttons and the power button side by side.
There's nothing on the other side.
The bottom has a USB Type-C port and a SIM card slot.
Nothing is mounted on the top surface.
The dimensions of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra are 162.9mm (height) x 77.6mm (width) x 8.29mm (thickness). Here's what it looks like next to the iPhone 17 Pro.
I tried holding it in my hand.
Because the camera protrudes quite a bit, you end up holding the bottom half of the device more than the front, which makes it feel a little unstable.
The actual weight is 221g.
I'll also try out the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro.
The box contained a grip, case, strap, a ring for attaching a 67mm diameter filter, and two accessories in different colors that attach to the shutter button.
The grip features a recording button, a shutter button, and a dial. Around the shutter button is a lever, which, when rotated, allows you to switch the zoom magnification.
The grip has a USB Type-C port on the inside.
I put a case on my Xiaomi 17 Ultra.
A grip has also been attached.
It now looks more like a digital camera than a smartphone.
A holder is provided where your thumb rests when you grip the handle.
Even when gripping the phone tightly, you can rest your thumb on the holder, which helps avoid the problem of the screen switching unexpectedly when you're only gripping it and it registers as a touch.
Accessory buttons and a strap are also attached.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra weighed 352g with the case, grip, accessory buttons, and strap attached.
This is what it looks like when you take a picture of someone holding the camera from the front. It doesn't look like a smartphone at all, and the Leica logo stands out.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is available for purchase from the official online store and Amazon.co.jp, among others. The 16GB RAM/512GB storage version can be purchased from Amazon.co.jp for 199,800 yen.
Amazon | Xiaomi 17 Ultra 16GB+512GB Japanese Version Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 200MP Super Telephoto Camera Variable Optical Zoom 90W Hypercharge docomo/au/SoftBank/Rakuten Mobile Starlit Green Xiaomi SIM-free Smartphone | Smartphones Online Shopping
We'll be publishing a review article later that will test what kind of photos you can take with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, so please look forward to it.
[to be continued]
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in Hardware, Smartphone, Review, Posted by log1o_hf