Xiaomi has finally brought the 17 Ultra to Malaysian shores, and it is arriving with its fancy Leica Leitzphone sibling in tow.
Under the bonnet, the 17 Ultra is packing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip and a hefty 16GB of RAM. You can pick it up with either 512GB or a massive 1TB of internal storage, which should be plenty for all those high-res snaps and videos you will be taking.
For the screen, we are looking at a 6.9-inch LTPO OLED panel that hits a peak brightness of 3,500 nits, which is perfect for those bright afternoons. It features a 120Hz refresh rate and supports over 68 billion colours, so everything should look incredibly vibrant and sharp. Xiaomi has also used their Shield Glass 3.0 and given the device an IP68 rating, meaning it should survive a bit of a splash or a dusty environment without much fuss.
As you would expect from an Ultra model, the camera setup is the real star of the show. The main sensor is a 1-inch type 50MP unit, but the clever bit is the 200MP telephoto lens. It has a variable focal length that moves smoothly between 75mm and 100mm, which is brilliant for getting that perfect portrait framing. You also get a 50MP ultrawide and a 50MP selfie cam. If you are into video, it can record 4K at 120fps in Dolby Vision.
Keeping the phone powered is a 6,000mAh battery. While that is a touch smaller than the version sold in China (6,800mAh), you still get rapid 90W wired charging and 50W wireless. The reverse-wired charging is quite quick at 22.5W.
In terms of looks, the Starlit Green finish has some lovely mineral flecks, while the classic Black and White models use a sleek, durable composite fiberglass.
Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi
If you really want to splash out, the Leica Leitzphone edition is the one to watch. It has the same internal specs but adds a physical, rotating Leica Camera Ring on the back to control your zoom and exposure manually.
It even comes with a special Leica Essential mode that mimics the photographic style of legendary cameras like the M3 and M9.
For the serious mobile photographers, there are two accessory kits available. The standard photography kit is super light and gives you a two-stage shutter button, while the Pro version adds a premium leather-like finish and an extra 2,000mAh battery to keep you going through a long shoot.
Pricing and Availability
Price-wise, the standard Ultra starts at RM5,499 for the 512GB model and hits RM5,999 for the 1TB version. The Leica edition is more of a splurge at RM7,499 for the 16GB+1TB model.
The photography kit is priced at RM799, while the Pro version retails at RM1,099.
You can find them at official Xiaomi physical stores, their website, or via Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.