Although you could argue that the cheaper Xiaomi 17 is the brand’s best phone for most people, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is just so far ahead of the competition that anything other than the top spot feels undeserved. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra which, despite being a great phone, is just far too iterative for a flagship device, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra now leads the charge when it comes to smartphone cameras.
On the back, the 17 Ultra now packs (as part of its massive camera bump) a new 200Mp periscope telephoto lens, alongside a 50Mp main and ultrawide. Working in tandem with that 200Mp lens is a mechanical optical zoom system that delivers stunning results for scenes that are far off in the distance. Taking the phone around King’s Cross St Pancras station, the 17 Ultra allowed us to capture pretty much anything our eyes could spot, making it the ideal companion for any adept photographer who’s always looking for a gallery-worthy shot.
Although the native camera experience is excellent, we still recommend picking up £179 photography kit that’s available for the 17 Ultra, as it makes the process of taking pictures feel far more seamless, as the camera grip case rests beautifully in the hand and provides quick access to video capture, and moving through settings via a rotating dial. The massive 6,000mAh battery just backs up the 17 Ultra’s prowess, allowing it to be an all-day camera that doesn’t need to rely on a power bank (unless you really push it).
When it comes to lining up shots, the jaw-dropping 6.9-inch OLED display, with its 3500 nits of peak brightness, is very easy to use outdoors. Having all that space available makes the process of photo editing a breeze, not to mention the cinematic quality that then comes with watching content. It seems absurd to us that for such an expensive phone, Xiaomi still hasn’t matched Samsung and Google on the full seven years of software updates, instead settling for five, so that’s something to bear in mind further down the line.
Who should buy the Xiaomi 17 Ultra?
Professional and amateur photographers who want a true camera-like experience on their phone.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra: Further considerations
It’s very expensive and not as future-proof as Google and Samsung’s flagships.
