Xiaomi 17 is a small(ish) phone with a big(ish) battery
Source: The Verge
Launch Overview
Xiaomi has just given a global launch to two of its latest flagship phones, the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra, along with a Leica‑branded Leitzphone edition of the Ultra. There’s no sign, however, of the 17 Pro, which launched in China with an additional display mounted next to the rear cameras.
The 17 and 17 Ultra will apparently be available soon in the UK, Europe, and select other markets. The 17 — pitched as a rival to the likes of the iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy S26 — will cost £899 / €999 (about $1,200), while the larger and more capable Ultra starts from £1,299 / €1,499 ($1,750). The limited‑edition Leitzphone will be substantially more expensive at £1,699 / €1,999 ($2,300), though it includes 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, along with a few extra accessories.
Images
I like the simple, sleek aesthetic of the phone.
The 6.3‑inch display isn’t tiny, but it does make the phone small by modern standards.
All three of the phone’s rear cameras are 50‑megapixel.
Xiaomi 17 – a compact flagship
The 17 is an extremely capable small‑ish flagship, with a 6.3‑inch OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and a large 6,330 mAh silicon‑carbon battery (though sadly smaller than the 7,000 mAh version launched in China). I won’t be writing a full review of the 17, but I did spend a week using it as my main phone and found that the battery cruised past the full‑day mark, though it wasn’t quite enough for two full days of my typical usage. That’s far better battery life than you’d find in similarly sized phones from Apple, Samsung, or Google.
The cameras impress too, with 50‑megapixel sensors behind each of the four lenses, selfie included. Pound for pound, you won’t find many better camera systems in any phone this size.
Photo gallery
1/10 – I’ve been largely impressed by the Xiaomi 17’s cameras.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra – the larger, more powerful sibling
The Ultra, unsurprisingly, takes things to another level. It’s much larger, with a 6.9‑inch display, and weighs a hefty 218 g. Despite that, the 6,000 mAh battery is actually smaller than the 17’s, though I found it delivered pretty similar longevity.
The 17 Ultra is larger
(Further details and images would follow in the original article.)
In just about every respect, but strangely has a smaller battery.
The enormous camera is, as ever for Xiaomi’s Ultra phones, the highlight. There are 50‑megapixel sensors for each of the main, ultrawide, and selfie cameras, with a large 1‑inch‑type sensor behind the primary lens. The periscope telephoto is even more impressive: 200‑megapixel resolution, a large 1/1.4‑inch sensor, and continuous optical zoom from 3.2× to 4.3× (the equivalent of 75‑100 mm).
Xiaomi isn’t the first to pull off a true zoom phone — Sony’s Xperia 1 IV got there first in 2022 — but the telephoto camera here is far more capable than that phone’s, with natural bokeh and impressive performance even in low light.
This is the Leica‑branded Leitzphone version of the 17 Ultra.
The camera capabilities are supported by Xiaomi’s ongoing photography partner Leica, but it’s the pair’s Leitzphone that really emphasizes that. Slightly redesigned from the 17 Ultra Leica Edition that was released in China last December, this version includes Leica branding across the hardware and software, a range of Leica filters and shooting styles, and a rotatable rear‑camera ring that can be used to control the zoom. It’s the first Leica Leitzphone produced by Xiaomi — after a trio of Japan‑only Sharp models — and comes with additional branded accessories, including a case with a lens cap and a microfiber cleaning cloth.
Xiaomi has plenty of other announcements alongside the 17 series phones at MWC this year, including a super‑slim magnetic power bank, the Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro tablets, and a smart tag that supports both Google and Apple’s tech‑tracking networks.
Photography by Dominic Preston / The Verge
- Dominic Preston