Went hands-on with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, and it's more camera than phone The Xiaomi 17 Ultra feels less like a smartphone and more like a high-end camera, with its focus on advanced photography features. The phone’s 75–100mm focal length range delivers a compression effect that enhances portrait shots, as demonstrated by a test shot of a Greco-Roman statue framed against an arched colonnade. The background softened naturally, while the subject’s stone details remained sharp, achieved without relying on portrait mode or edge detection algorithms. The mechanical zoom between 75mm and 100mm operates subtly, with a 25mm range that doesn’t dramatically alter composition. While the engineering behind this continuous optical zoom is impressive for Xiaomi, it doesn’t fundamentally change how users approach photography. Beyond 17.2x, the phone’s AI zoom steps in, sharpening edges rather than inventing detail. At 30x and 60x, images appear crisp but lack the painterly texture of more dramatic zooms. These extreme shots serve as reference points rather than finished products, yet they hold up better than many competitors. The main camera, however, surprised the reviewer, who noted its ability to handle high-contrast scenes with ease. A harbor shot at golden hour, featuring palm fronds, fishing boats, and deep shadows, was captured without losing detail in either the bright sky or the dark foreground. The Leica Authentic mode, which reduces saturation and adds a mild vignette, rendered the scene in a cinematic, cooler tone. The 1-inch LOFIC sensor plays a key role in this performance, capturing a wide dynamic range in a single exposure. A late-night shot of a pink Vespa on a cobblestone street, with street lights casting a yellow glow and lit windows behind, was captured without over-processing.#xiaomi_17_ultra #xiaomi #snapdragon_8_elite_gen_5 #hyperos_3 #leica_authentic_mode
