Review: Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Leitzphone pack Leica Magic into a flagship phone

The large screen, powerful camera system, and top-notch performance can eat right into battery life, but Xiaomi has managed to pack a 6,000 mAh battery into the 17 Ultra (up from 5,410 mAh last year). The jump gives it great endurance, and this phone can last a few days between charges.

I wish Xiaomi had found a way to include Qi2, because magnetic wireless charging is the only thing I missed when switching from the Pixel 10 Pro XL (although you can add it with the photography kit bag). The 17 Ultra supports impressively fast 50W wireless charging, but the camera module makes it uncomfortable to use with some devices. Wireless chargers. Wired charging up to 90W with appropriate adapter (not included).

The software was the big caveat, but I didn’t find much to complain about with the 17 Ultra. Xiaomi’s HyperOS mimics iOS in places, and I still don’t like the unlabeled quick settings icons, but for the most part it’s quite good. The Leica interface, with its simple app icons and photography tools, is much prettier than the slightly cartoonish HyperOS, but it’s very easy to customize. I don’t think bloatware has any place on a flagship phone, so I’m always annoyed when I see apps like Facebook and TikTok pre-installed.

There’s plenty of AI on board, if you’re interested, and you can use Google’s Gemini or Xiaomi’s HyperAI for all kinds of photo and video editing, transcription, translation, summarization, and more. It’s not quite as elegant as Google’s Pixel, but you can achieve broadly the same results.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra isn’t officially available in the US, but you can get it for £1,299 in the UK (€1,499 in Europe). The Leitzphone is priced at £1,799 (€1,999). For people who can get their hands on the global model more easily, it’s a nearly flawless flagship contender that will satisfy anyone who wants a big, powerful phone that’s dedicated to photography first.