Xiaomi, Unlike Google And Samsung, Thinks Camera Hardware Comes First

When it launched nan 17 and 17 Ultra successful Europe connected Saturday, Xiaomi bucked an manufacture trend: it didn’t really talk astir AI each that much. And it really didn’t talk astir AI erstwhile it showed disconnected nan 2 phones’ cameras, including a special version 17 Ultra co-created pinch Leica. According to Angus Ng, nan company’s head of communications and nationalist relations, that’s nary mistake.

“We’re still presently focusing connected what is nan limitation of hardware,” Ng told maine astatine MWC 2026, erstwhile I asked why its photography attack seemed truthful different to Google and Samsung’s caller Pixel 10A and Galaxy S26 launches. “If it really comes to a constituent wherever we cannot do immoderate much innovations, past we’ll besides commencement looking astatine nan package side.”

“Obviously we do person package and AI processing wrong our existent imaging sensors and imaging system, but it’s conscionable not arsenic evident arsenic Samsung,” he added. “When we did usage AI processing 2 years ago, a twelvemonth ago, erstwhile we really focussed connected that, nan feedback wasn’t that overwhelmingly positive.”

As for why Samsung has taken a different approach, Ng has a individual theory, and not needfully a flattering one: “Because their hardware did not upgrade, they focused their strategy connected software.”