7. Xiaomi 17 Ultra pricing and availability<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\nThe Xiaomi 17 Ultra<\/b> is Xiaomi\u2019s flagship smartphone for 2026, and it certainly delivers a premium experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Equipped with the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, the excellent hardware is powered by a larger 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery that should offer improved battery life.<\/p>\n
Running on the new HyperOS 3, the 17 Ultra offers new AI features that we\u2019ll touch on below, as well as a smoother and more refined experience.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Xiaomi has launched a special Leica Leitzphone<\/b> edition that is essentially the 17 Ultra, but with more premium materials and a few software tweaks. We\u2019ll cover the Leitzphone in this review as well, but most of our talking points will be based on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.<\/p>\n
Xiaomi thinks that these improvements to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra warrant a slight price increase to S$1,799<\/b>, but do they? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\nDesign, Display, Audio<\/h2>\n![\"Xiaomi](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/hardwarezone\/f1e0b0c953aabff9ce61a2f1c23f09b9203c4d24768fc399d1e49ea7e6960745?w=1000&q=85\")
\nThe flat display and back makes the phone feel better in the hand<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
In a big change, Xiaomi has left the curved screen and back in the past as it joins us in the future with a flat display and rear glass panel. This design choice can be subjective, but we think it makes the 17 Ultra feel nicer in the hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xiaomi has managed to reduce the thickness and weight of its flagship smartphone from last year\u2019s, with the 17 Ultra now just 8.29mm thick and weighing 219g. The 1-inch type main camera sensor does contribute to the size, making it larger than most competitors.<\/p>\n![\"Xiaomi](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/hardwarezone\/2406d986204f033906c245ac0568ede90cebe159fba79c415c7395057b0d0a15?w=1000&q=85\")
\nGorgeous Starlit Green colourway<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The Starlit Green colourway we have is stunning, with flecks of gold on the back that resembles a starry sky. The camera bump\u2019s diameter is ever so slightly smaller as well, and thanks to the larger width and flat back of the phone, the bump doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s pushing right up against the sides of the phone.<\/p>\n
The larger dimensions allow for a new 6.9-inch HyperRGB OLED display that can achieve a peak brightness of 3,500 nits<\/b> and supports a 1-120Hz refresh rate<\/b> as well as HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The screen is protected by Xiaomi\u2019s new Shield Glass 3.0, which is supposedly 30% more drop-resistant.<\/p>\n
The phone is still IP68<\/b> dust and water resistance rated, so there\u2019s no issue with bringing this to the beach or using it under rain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unlike last year, the new stereo dual speakers on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra are balanced and can handle audio quite deftly. That being said, we\u2019ll still recommend a pair of true wireless earbuds to enjoy music properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Leica](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/hardwarezone\/91e5a28482622f7e5c710e323152877c77ea4f3c5be2f419fbc87778feb42bc7?w=1000&q=85\")
\nLeica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
As for the Leitzphone, it comes in a single colour option: silver aluminium sides and a matte black glass back. It\u2019s highly reminiscent of a Leica camera, and we find it more aesthetically pleasing than the China version, which is called the Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Leica](\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/hardwarezone\/535a869f02c09f76b056c6a6704f517776c8ce6728757eb2db8cbbe45408a1f0?w=1000&q=85\")
\nThis phone feels excellent in the hand.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The knurled sides offer excellent grip, and small touches like the engraved \u201cLeica Camera Germany\u201d on the side makes this phone feel more premium. The internal hardware of the phone is identical to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, aside from the addition of a security chip to enable CAI Photo Authenticity Protection technology, which applies a digital signature to each photo to indicate it\u2019s not an AI creation.<\/p>\n
Refined and even more iOS-like<\/h2>\n
HyperOS 3<\/b> is finally here, and Xiaomi has taken some major design cues from Apple\u2019s iOS.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One such new feature is the Hyper Island, which offers bite-sized information from apps like Timer, Calendar, Music and more. Even third-party apps like Apple Music are supported, which is excellent.<\/p>\n
Xiaomi HyperAI features also get an upgrade, with AI Writing now available in third-party apps like WhatsApp and Instagram thanks to the new AI Writing Assistant feature that is able to scan content on the screen to offer writing guidance for captions or replies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried it out with a photo of a $50 note and the results were surprisingly decent, even if it did read very much like an AI-generated caption.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also AI Search, which uses natural language search to find photos, files, recordings, notes and messages. It\u2019s a bit of a shame that it\u2019s unable to be used with he Calendar app, since I\u2019d have loved to get a quick summary of my upcoming week\u2019s schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some of the searches don\u2019t quite work as expected, however. I saved some upcoming flight details in a note, specifically titled \u201cFlight details Barcelona\u201d, and the search bar couldn\u2019t pull it out. However, when I simply typed \u201cBarcelona\u201d, the details inside the note was shown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most of the other AI features are similar to what Xiaomi offered in the 15 Ultra, so we won\u2019t touch on them too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n