Nowadays, people prioritize the camera over battery life or speed when choosing a phone, and there is also a growing craze for small, compact devices. Xiaomi has targeted both these aspects with its new lineup, the Xiaomi 17 and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Both phones have just launched in India and feature capabilities that are simply not found in any other flagship device on the market.
Let’s take a look in simple terms at what these phones bring to the table, what’s impressive, what falls a little short, and whether they have the potential to mark a major comeback for Xiaomi in India.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra: The Ultimate Camera Beast
First up, let’s talk about the Ultra. The moment you hold this phone in your hand, it offers a distinct and unique feel. The back features a silky matte finish that feels smooth to the touch yet isn’t slippery. The camera module itself is massive featuring Leica branding, a red accent ring, two smaller flash units, and a design characterized by two large eyes. This aesthetic truly makes the device look and feel like a professional camera.
Photography Kit Pro
And the most special feature of all is the Photography Kit Pro. It comes packaged in a large box containing a magnetic case, a removable camera ring allowing you to attach filters, a hand grip that doubles as a 2000mAh power bank, a red wrist strap, and a suite of physical controls including a red shutter button half press to focus and full press to capture, a zoom lever, a dedicated video button, and a rotating dial that controls exposure, filters, and focus settings. It truly transforms the phone into a device that feels just like a real camera.
Camera Setup:
Main Camera
50MP 1 inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor Xiaomi’s in house technology featuring LOFIC HDR delivering exceptional HDR performance in both daylight and low light conditions, effectively managing highlights without crushing the shadows.
Telephoto
200MP periscope lens with variable optical zoom ranging from 75mm to 100mm offering 3.2x to 4.3x magnification, providing lossless zoom capabilities, support for 30cm macro photography, and producing clean natural looking shots even in low light environments.
Ultra wide
50MP sensor with a 14mm focal length delivering distortion free images with excellent detail retention even in low light situations.
Selfie Camera
50MP autofocus front camera delivering excellent quality. In photos, the Leica colors feel magical, rich, natural, and featuring a creamy depth of field. For portraits, edge detection is superb, and skin tones are perfect. You will absolutely fall in love with the filters like Leica Black and White and Vibrant.
For video, you get 8K at 30fps across all cameras, and 4K at 120fps with Dolby Vision on both the main and telephoto lenses. It is stable, detailed, and offers smooth panning though there is a slight jerk when switching lenses which could likely be fixed via a software update.
Display
6.9 inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, 3500 nits peak brightness, 12 bit color depth supporting 68 billion colors, and Dolby Vision support delivering fantastic HDR experiences on Netflix and YouTube.
Performance
Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor paired with 16GB RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. Heavy games run smoothly. The device gets slightly warm but there is absolutely no lag.
Battery
6000mAh battery capacity with 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. It delivers around 7 to 8 hours of screen on time and reaches a full charge in about 45 minutes.
Build and Connectivity
Premium build quality with IP68 and IP69 rating for dust and water resistance. It also includes an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner along with WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity.
Xiaomi 17: The Compact King
Now, let’s talk about the smaller Xiaomi 17. This one is designed specifically for compact phone enthusiasts. It serves as the successor to the Xiaomi 15, with a few notable upgrades.
Size and Design
6.3 inch display that feels slightly smaller and wider in the hand, weighing around 191g.
Battery
A 6330mAh silicon carbon battery, the largest battery ever featured in a compact phone, delivering more than 8 hours of screen on time.
Charging
Supports 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
Camera
50MP main sensor Light Fusion 950, 50MP ultra wide lens, and a 50MP 2.5x telephoto lens. The Leica style color science remains consistent, producing excellent photos though the zoom capability is slightly more limited capped at 2.5x.
Display and Performance
1.5K LTPO AMOLED display with 3500 nits brightness and better PWM dimming. It runs on the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivering smooth gaming and multitasking.
Speakers are loud and punchy and the haptics feel crisp giving one of the best experiences in a compact phone.
Pricing and Offers
The Xiaomi 17 starts at ₹89,999 for 12GB plus 256GB and ₹99,999 for 12GB plus 512GB. Pre book the 512GB variant at the base price along with a free damage plan.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is priced at ₹1,39,999 for 16GB plus 512GB and ₹1,29,999 with a ₹10,000 bank discount. Pre booking from 13 to 17 March includes the Photography Kit Pro worth ₹19,999 for free.
The sale starts from 18 March on Amazon and the Xiaomi store.
Specifications of Xiaomi 17 Ultra
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| RAM / Storage | 16GB / 512GB |
| Display | 6.9 inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, 3500 nits |
| Camera | 50MP 1 inch Main, 200MP 75 to 100mm Telephoto, 50MP Ultra wide, 50MP Selfie |
| Battery | 6000mAh, 90W Wired Charging, 50W Wireless Charging |
| Build | IP68 / IP69, 218g |
| Software | HyperOS 3 Android 16 |
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Leica camera setup with 1 inch sensor and variable optical zoom unique in India.
- Photography Kit Pro gives real camera feel.
- Big battery and fast charging.
- Premium build and display quality.
Cons
- A bit heavy and warm in heavy use.
- Price is high better with offers.
- 1.5K resolution instead of 2K.
Conclusion
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is absolutely great for camera lovers with variable zoom, a 1 inch sensor, and Leica magic making it the most interesting flagship in India right now. For those who prefer a compact device, the Xiaomi 17 offers a well balanced option with a large battery, excellent performance, and a capable camera.
With both of these phones, Xiaomi has truly brought something fresh to the table. If camera capabilities or a compact form factor are your top priorities, you definitely need to check out this series. Let us know in the comments will you go for the Ultra or the standard 17 and do not miss the launch offers.
