The Xiaomi 17 Ultra features a triple-camera system consisting of a 14mm ultra-wide lens, a 23mm Leica 1-inch ultra dynamic camera, and a Leica APO 200MP 75-100mm optical zoom telephoto camera.

 Last Summer rumors suggested that Leica and Xiaomi were about to end their partnership… to be quickly dismissed by Wang Hua, Xiaomi’s General Manager of Public Relations, that considered them baseless as, in fact, he added, the partnership with Leica remained strong and actively expanding. Now, as the company officially unveiled the flagship Xiaomi 17 Ultra, Xiaomi announced the upgrade of the Global Imaging Strategic Cooperation between Xiaomi and Leica. Building upon the highly productive “Joint R&D” foundation, the two parties are introducing a new “Strategic Co-creation Model”, with Xiaomi 17 Ultra being the first product born from this new collaborative framework.

The new flagship smartphone from the company promises to set new standards in mobile optical performance. Equipped with a triple-camera system consisting of a 14mm ultra-wide lens, a 23mm Leica 1-inch ultra dynamic camera, and a Leica 200MP 75-100mm optical zoom telephoto camera, designed to cover a wide range of shooting scenarios, including landscape, portrait, and street photography, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is now available in China and will also be available in other markets in 2026.

The new model introduces improvements in optical design and image processing that enable cleaner and more accurate night photography, supporting more consistent results in low-light environments. The magic starts with the Leica 1-inch ultra dynamic camera, which is built on a Light Fusion 1050L sensor that incorporates LOFIC HDR technology, delivering a full well capacity 6.3× greater than the previous generation 1-inch sensor. This allows for improved highlight control and shadow detail in high-contrast scenes, including backlit and night environments.

LOFIC magic and Leica APO certification

LOFIC sensors are the next big thing in smartphone photography, with Apple designing its own version to be available in 2028, and Sony suggesting end of 2026 for their own version, while Honor pioneered its use in the Magic6 Ultimate smartphone, from 2024. Other companies, from Samsung or OPPO to vivo, are also looking at LOFIC as the base for their future sensors.

LOFIC is not new as it’s used in the automotive industry for the cameras in vehicles, that need to adapt to changing light conditions. LOFIC enables creation of sensors with higher total dynamic range, enabling them to achieve optimal object detection in vehicle driver assistance and autonomous driving systems. LOFIC technology is key to realizing low noise, high sensitivity, and good linear response because it can achieve a wide dynamic range… in a single exposure.

The Leica 200MP 75-100mm telephoto camera adopts three precisely matched lens groups and a prism, addressing traditional limitations in mid-to-long focal length image quality. Its second and third lens groups can move independently to adjust focal length and focus, enabling optical zoom across the 75-100mm equivalent range. Throughout this range, Xiaomi 17 Ultra fully utilizes its 1/1.4″ large telephoto sensor and supports native 200MP image quality without digital cropping.

This telephoto features a Leica APO optical lens design, using 3 custom glass material lenses to reduce chromatic aberration at the hardware level. This design ensures that all colors converge at the same point of focus, eliminating color fringing and delivering sharper, more accurate images. The lens significantly reduces purple and green fringing, even in high-contrast telephoto images. The exceptional optical quality of this lens also makes Xiaomi 17 Ultra the first Xiaomi flagship to receive Leica APO certification.

Across the entire camera system, Xiaomi 17 Ultra features a Leica UltraPure optical design with G+P lens group, significantly minimizing linear arc ghosting and contributing to more stable and consistent image quality in challenging lighting conditions.

The Leica version of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra features a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform and an Adreno 840 with ultra-large graphics cache, ensuring smooth handling of complex tasks. Empowered by Xiaomi 3D Dual-Channel IceLoop System and a new capillary structure, Xiaomi 17 Ultra achieves a 50% improvement in thermal conductivity compared to the previous generation. A massive 6800mAh battery is packed into the thinnest Xiaomi Ultra body ever, without compromising 90W wired HyperCharge, 50W wireless HyperCharge, and 90W universal PD PPS charging.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra is equipped with a state-of-the-art display to ensure professional-level experience, featuring 120Hz LTPO refresh rate and 3500 nits peak brightness. Xiaomi HyperRGB significantly enhances screen power efficiency — with the clarity matching 2K displays with a power consumption lower than typical 1.5K displays, balancing display quality and battery life. Backed by the latest Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0, the screen’s drop resistance is up to 20 times that of ordinary strengthened glass.

Besides the Xiaomi 17 Ultra there is also a Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica, introduced as a tribute to masterful image creators. The version, which stands as the realized expression of the Strategic Co-creation Model, uniting concept, design, and technology through deep, end-to-end collaboration was designed with direct involvement from the original Leica team, and inspired by the classic Leica M-series cameras.

The back panel on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica features a dual-tone design, where the textured leather complements a matte finish. The meticulously knurled middle frame, engraved with “LEICA CAMERA GERMANY,” provides an exceptional anti-slip grip. For the first time, the prestigious Leica red dot badge graces the body, embodying the most iconic imaging design as well as certifying its imaging prowess.

CAI Photo Authenticity Protection tech in a smartphone

The exclusive Leica Camera Ring inherits the classic operational logic of cameras and reimagines in a new form for the smartphone, with the embedded 20 high-strength ball bearings adding an extra smooth tactile feel. It all fosters an immersive, intuitive interaction on focus, allowing the capture of every extraordinary moment in a state of creative flow. An internal optical displacement sensor detects movement as minute as 0.03mm, enabling precise focus adjustment with the ring. A dedicated sealing design ensures the device maintains its IP66 / IP68 / IP69 dust and water resistance ratings.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica features the exclusive Leica Essential mode, which uses innovative technical approaches to recreate the legendary image qualities of two iconic Leica cameras within a phone. For the Leica M9 style, Xiaomi trained a “RAW-to-RGB” Style Transfer model based on hundreds of thousands of photos captured by actual Leica M9 cameras. The Leica M3 style digitally models the color response, tonality, and grain of Leica MONOPAN 50 film, producing authentic black-and-white film-like images beyond what ordinary filters can achieve.

Furthermore, Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica introduces the mobile industry’s first CAI Photo Authenticity Protection technology, which is realized by a digital signature to every photo through a dedicated security chip, ensuring its real origin instead of an AI-generated one.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica will go on sale on Mi.com, Xiaomi Store, and other official channels at 10AM on December 27th. The standard version is available in three versions – 12GB/512GB, 16GB/512GB and 16GB/1TB – with prices starting at $995, with $1200 for the 1TB model. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica costs +/- $1,100 for the base version and +/- $1,280 for the 16GB/1TB option.