Xiaomi 17 Is A Small(ish) Phone With A Big(ish) Battery

Xiaomi has conscionable fixed a world motorboat to 2 of its latest flagship phones, nan Xiaomi 17 and 17 Ultra, on pinch a Leica-branded Leitzphone version of nan Ultra. There’s nary sign, however, of nan 17 Pro, which launched successful China pinch an further show mounted adjacent to nan rear cameras.

The 17 and 17 Ultra will apparently beryllium disposable soon successful nan UK, Europe, and prime different markets. The 17 — sounded arsenic a rival to nan likes of nan iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy S26 — will costs £899 / €999 (about $1,200), while nan larger and much tin Ultra starts from £1,299 / €1,499 ($1,750). The limited-edition Leitzphone will beryllium substantially much costly astatine £1,699 / €1,999 ($2,300), though it includes 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, on pinch a fewer other accessories.

The 17 is an highly tin small-ish flagship, pinch a 6.3-inch OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and ample 6,330mAh silicon-carbon artillery (though sadly smaller than nan 7,000mAh type launched successful China). I won’t beryllium penning a afloat reappraisal of nan 17, but did walk a week utilizing it arsenic my main phone, and recovered that nan artillery cruised past nan full-day mark, though wasn’t rather capable for 2 afloat days of my emblematic usage. That’s acold amended artillery life than you’d find successful likewise sized phones from Apple, Samsung, aliases Google.

The cameras impressment too, pinch 50-megapixel sensors down each of nan 4 lenses, selfie included. Pound for pound, you won’t find galore amended camera systems successful immoderate telephone this size.

The Ultra, unsurprisingly, takes things to different level. It’s overmuch larger, pinch a 6.9-inch display, and weighs a hefty 218g. Despite that, nan 6,000mAh is really smaller, though I recovered it delivered beautiful akin longevity.

The tremendous camera is, arsenic ever for Xiaomi’s Ultra phones, nan highlight. There are 50-megapixel sensors for each of nan main, ultrawide, and selfie cameras, pinch a ample 1-inch-type sensor down nan superior lens. The periscope telephoto is moreover much impressive: 200-megapixel resolution, a ample 1/1.4-inch sensor, and continuous optical zoom from 3.2x to 4.3x, nan balanced of 75-100mm. Xiaomi isn’t nan first to propulsion disconnected a existent zoom telephone — Sony’s Xperia 1 IV sewage location first successful 2022 — but nan telephoto camera present is acold much tin than that phone’s, pinch earthy bokeh and awesome capacity moreover successful debased light.

The camera capabilities are supported by Xiaomi’s ongoing photography partner Leica, but it’s nan pair’s Leitzphone that really emphasizes that. Slightly redesigned from nan 17 Ultra Leica Edition that was released successful China past December, this includes Leica branding crossed nan hardware and software, a scope of Leica filters and shooting styles, and a rotatable rear camera ringing that tin beryllium utilized to power nan zoom. It’s nan first Leica Leitzphone produced by Xiaomi — aft a trio of Japan-only Sharp models — and comes pinch further branded accessories, including a lawsuit pinch a lens headdress and a microfiber cleaning cloth.

Photography by Dominic Preston / The Verge