In the U.S., discussions about top camera phones largely center around iPhones, the Samsung Galaxy series, and, lately, the Google Pixel. In contrast, people in Asia and parts of Europe get a wider range of choice with companies like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo upping their camera game.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which recently had its global launch, is one of those devices, with a big camera bump that houses a versatile set of sensors, and a partnership with the storied German camera maker Leica to supply software-level changes and sensibilities to how scenes are shot.
The camera has tons of options to choose from, ranging from different focal lengths on the hardware side to various filters and settings to change how the final image looks.
Xiaomi has also released external add-ons that snap on like a cover to the camera, as well as a USB-based accessory that provides hardware buttons to shoot video or photos. While these add-ons don’t particularly add a lot of features, it makes one-hand operation of the camera easier.
Besides the camera, Xiaomi has packed its phone with top components to compete with the best phones of the year. I will talk about the camera in detail, but let me get the rest of the hardware description out of the way.
Hardware
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra uses Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processors, which will be the choice of flagships this year. On the front, there is a 6.9-inch AMOLED screen with 1200 x 2608 pixels resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.
The screen is quite bright at a peak brightness of 3,500 nits. This is handy in operating the phone in bright conditions and also makes for a good video-watching experience.
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The 6,000 mAh battery is possibly one of the best outcomes of the Silicon/Carbon-Ion tech Xiaomi is using. Given the sheer size of the battery, it can last you a couple of days of light to medium usage, and also has good standby time. While the battery is big, the phone is still lighter than the iPhone Pro Max, so that is also a win for the company’s engineering team.
The phone supports 90W of wired charging, and you can use the charger Xiaomi supplies with the phone or any PD (Power Delivery) 3.0 or PPS (Programmable Power Supply)-based charger. It also supports 50W with Xiaomi’s own charger.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has 16GB of RAM and two memory options of 512GB and 1TB.
Camera
Xiaomi is using a 1-inch type 50-magapixel sensor with an f/1.67 aperture for the main camera, aiming to gather more light. The camera takes sharp and vivid photos without losing the white balance. The sensor is good at catching details in different lighting conditions. Just like the iPhone Pro Max, with the main camera, you can switch to 23mm, 28mm, and 35mm equivalent framing.
The phone has a rather unique 200-megapixel telephoto lens. Instead of offering staggered optical zoom options like 2x and 4x, it has continuous optical zoom from 3.2x to 4.3x. On the face of it, this doesn’t seem like a lot, but when taking photos of pets or framing certain objects within the frame, it is very handy. One limitation is that on the camera UI, you can easily jump to 75mm, 85mm, 90mm, and 100mm focal lengths, but you need to press down the zoom control and move around the dialer if you need to get to other focal lengths between 75mm and 100mm.
The company is using a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera with an f/2.2 aperture. This lens is also helpful for very impressive macro shots. Largely, this camera is sufficient, but it does lose a bit of detail as compared to the other two cameras in certain shots. There is also a 50-megapixel selfie camera, but remember to turn off all the beauty filters.
Camera controls are a standard affair, but the option for you to get one object’s photo in different looks is aplenty. By default, the camera follows a Leica authentic color scheme, but with one tap, you can change it to Leica Vibrant. There is a filter option that gives you options like positive and negative film; Leica-specific filters like vivid, natural, black & white, speia, and blue; and Xiaomi’s own filters like cinematic, monsoon, teal mist, and scarlet.
The company’s two add-ons are called The 17 Ultra Photography Kit and The 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro. The base version acts like a cover and snaps to the phone directly. It connects to the phone through Bluetooth, has a two-stage shutter button (for autofocus and capturing shots), and a video recording button. The case uses contact charging for its battery.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro packs a cover and another camera-grip-like controller that attaches to the phone via USB-C. The Kit Pro also has a 2,000 mAh battery to power its operation. The grip allows you to hold the phone with one hand easily.
On top of the grip, there is a dedicated shutter button and a video recording button. There is also another customizable dial that can control exposure, filters, ISO, shutter speed, or white balance. You can also use this dial to skim through the gallery. The Kit Pro also comes with a ring, where you can fit in compatible 67 mm camera filters.
I used the Kit Pro consistently when I was moving around the streets because I could easily grip the phone with one hand and take photos with a good number of camera controls at my fingertips. Plus, using a camera-like add-on made it fun to snap photos and videos. I really appreciated having a hardware zoom control.
Both kits activate a fastshot software mode within the camera, which has easily accessible controls for street photography.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra will face competition in the global market from upcoming devices such as the Vivo X300 Ultra, which also has a swanky photography kit including a 2.35x telephoto extender, and the Oppo Find X9. But because of the earlier launch of its phone, Xiaomi might enjoy this momentum. Apart from the camera, the phone packs a punch if you are okay with a big camera housing on the back.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at €1,499 in Europe. The Photography Kit is priced at €99.99, and the Photography Kit Pro is priced at €199.99.
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