Xiaomi 17 Ultra launched with 200MP periscope camera and 6,800mAh battery

The Xiaomi 17 Pro series made massive news when it launched back in September. But now the company has launched its actual flagship device, which will compete with the likes of other titans like Vivo X300 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra, and so on. There are some interesting upgrades Xiaomi has taken on this beast. Now, let's dive into this article, where I will discuss everything about the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, including its price in Nepal, specifications, and availability.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra Overview

Display and Design

The bigger story here is the flat screen. This is Xiaomi's first Ultra phone with a completely flat display and flat vertical frame, ditching the curved edges that every previous Ultra model had. The phone measures 8.29mm thick and weighs 224g, which makes it the thinnest Ultra Xiaomi has ever made despite packing such a big battery. It's rated IP66, IP68, and IP69 for dust and water resistance. Moreover, the phone comes in Black, White, Cool Smoke Purple, and Starry Green. 

For display, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has gone with the  6.9-inch LTPO OLED with 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The panel uses TCL's M10 display technology with 12-bit color, peaks at 3,500 nits, and supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The display is protected by Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 3.0. 

Performance

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra obviously runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with Adreno 840 GPU. This chipset is already the best chipset you can get in any device and it is also present in the entire Xiaomi 17 series lineup. Moreover, for memory, you get either 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5X RAM with either 512GB or 1TB UFS 4.1 storage. Xiaomi's thrown in five signal enhancement chips and support for 51 4G/5G bands, plus UWB for indoor positioning and smart device interaction.

• Also, read

• Xiaomi becomes the Number 1 Brand in Nepal both in terms of sales volume and revenue

• Xiaomi 17 is now official with a massive 7,000mAh battery and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

• Xiaomi 17 Pro Max Review: Is the hype real?

Camera System

The 17 Ultra packs a triple Leica rear camera setup. The main camera uses a 50MP 1-inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor with LOFIC ultra-high dynamic range technology. Similarly, the telephoto here is a 200MP periscope lens with a large 1/1.4-inch HPE sensor and continuous optical zoom from 75mm to 100mm, going up to 400mm total zoom range. It also supports 30cm telephoto macro. Plus, you get an ultrawide, which is a 50MP sensor with 115° field of view and 5cm super macro support.

Xiaomi has also included a ‘Fireworks Mode’ that uses AI scene recognition and adjusts exposure frame-by-frame for high-contrast lighting situations. For video recording, you get to click up to 8K@30fps, and the front camera is a 50MP OmniVision OV50M with 4K@60fps recording.

The most interesting announcement is definitely the mechanical ring, which is present in the Leica edition. It has a Master Zoom Ring, which is a physical ring that controls focal length, exposure compensation, and white balance. The Leica Edition also includes exclusive Leica Moment modes, Leica M9 CCD look, and Leica M3 + MONOPAN 50 black-and-white textures. Similarly, the box comes with a magnetic protective case, lens cap, hanging rope, and cleaning cloth. 

Battery and Charging

The 17 Ultra also gets big battery bump compared to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, with the capacity of 6,800mAh battery with 90W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 22.5W reverse wired charging. It also supports 90W PPS protocol. 

Software and Other Features

The phone runs Android 16 with HyperOS 3.0. There are stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 with LHDC 5.0, NFC, an IR blaster, and USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort support. The 17 Ultra also includes a 3D ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor and an X-axis linear motor for haptics.

Xiaomi has also announced an unusual integration with the Apple ecosystem. According to Xiaomi, now you can control the Xiaomi phone from an iPhone, mirror and control Apple devices like iPhone, iPad, and Mac from the Xiaomi phone, and do two-way mirroring between Xiaomi devices. This is rare for an Android brand. Meanwhile, the Leica Edition also gets a dedicated security and privacy encryption chip plus BeiDou and TianTong dual-satellite communication.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra Specifications

• Design, Build: 8.29mm thickness, 224g weight, Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 3.0, IP66 + IP68 + IP69 rating, Colors: Black, White, Cool Smoke Purple, Starry Green
• Display: 6.9-inch LTPO OLED, 1.5K resolution (2608 × 1200 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate (1-120Hz adaptive), 12-bit color, 3,500 nits peak brightness, 1060 nits HBM, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, TCL CSOT M10 panel
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm)
• Memory: 12GB/16GB LPDDR5X RAM, 512GB/1TB UFS 4.1 storage
• Software & UI: Android 16 with HyperOS 3.0
• Rear Camera:
  • 50MP Light Fusion 1050L main (1-inch, f/1.67, 23mm, OIS, LOFIC HDR)
  • 200MP HPE periscope telephoto, continuous optical zoom, 3.2x-4.3x optical, up to 400mm total zoom
  • 50MP Samsung JN5 ultrawide
• Front Camera: 50MP OmniVision OV50M (4K@60fps)
• Security: 3D ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
• Connectivity: 5G (51 4G/5G bands), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, LHDC 5.0, GPS (multi-satellite), NFC, IR blaster, UWB, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2
• Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, gyro, compass, barometer
• Battery: 6,800mAh with 90W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, 22.5W reverse wired charging, 90W PPS protocol

Xiaomi 17 Ultra Price in Nepal and Availability

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is priced starting at CNY 6,999 for the 12GB + 512GB variant in China. The Leica Edition starts higher and goes up to CNY 8,999 for the 1TB variant. If it launches in Nepal, expect pricing to start at no less than NPR 150,000 for the base variant.