Xiaomi 17 is a small phone with a big battery

Xiaomi has just launched the global launch of two of its latest flagship phones, the Xiaomi 17 and 17 Ultra, along with… The Leica-branded Leitzphone version of the Ultra. However, there is no sign of the 17 Pro, which was launched in China with an additional display installed alongside the rear cameras.

Apparently, the 17 and 17 Ultra will soon be available in the UK, Europe and select other markets. The 17th – He was shown as a competitor to the likes of iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy S26 It will cost £899/€999 (about $1,200), while the larger, more capable Ultra starts at £1,299/€1,499 ($1,750). The Leitzphone Limited Edition will be much more expensive at £1,699/€1,999 ($2,300), though it does include 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, along with some additional accessories.

The 17 is a very capable compact flagship, with a 6.3-inch OLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, and a large 6,330 mAh silicon-carbon battery (although it’s unfortunately smaller than the phone). The 7,000 mAh version has been launched in China). I won’t write a full review of the 17, but I spent a week using it as my main phone, and found that the battery topped the full-day mark, though it wasn’t quite enough for two full days of my usual use. That’s much better battery life than you’ll find on similarly sized phones from Apple, Samsung, or Google.

The cameras are impressive too, with 50MP sensors behind each of the four lenses, including selfies. Pound for pound, you won’t find many better camera systems in any phone this size.

Unsurprisingly, the Ultra takes things to another level. It’s much larger, with a 6.9-inch screen, and weighs 218 grams. However, the 6,000mAh capacity is actually smaller, though I found it to offer broadly similar lifespan.

The enormous camera, as always for Xiaomi’s Ultra phones, is the highlight. There are 50-megapixel sensors for both the main, ultra-wide and selfie cameras, with a large 1-inch type sensor behind the primary lens. The telephoto periscope lens is even more impressive: 200MP resolution, a large 1/1.4-inch sensor, and 3.2x to 4.3x continuous optical zoom, equivalent to 75-100mm. Xiaomi is not the first to make a true zoom phone – Sony Xperia 1 IV It first arrived there in 2022 – but the telephoto camera here is much more capable than the one on this phone, with natural bokeh and impressive performance even in low light.

The camera capabilities are backed by Xiaomi’s still photography partner Leica, but it’s the pair’s Leitzphone that really confirms it. Slightly redesigned from the 17 Ultra Leica Edition that was Released in China last DecemberThis includes Leica branding across hardware and software, a range of Leica filters and shooting modes, and a rotatable rear camera ring that can be used to control zoom. It’s Xiaomi’s first Leica Leitzphone – after only three Japanese Sharp models – and comes with additional branded accessories, including a lens hood case and a microfiber cleaning cloth.

Xiaomi has plenty of other announcements besides the 17 series phones at MWC this year, including Ultra-slim magnetic power bankthe iPad 8 and iPad 8 Pro tabletsand A Smart tag Which supports Google and Apple’s technical tracking networks.

Photography by Dominic Preston/The Verge