GSMArena Team,
21 January 2026.
1. Introduction and unboxing2. Design and build3. Lab tests – display, battery life, charging, speakers4. Software and performance5. Camera, photo and video quality6. Alternatives, pros and cons, verdictXiaomi 17 Ultra specificationUser opinions and reviewsReview comments (32)
Design, build and handling
The new Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s design feels somewhat more refined, but still quite familiar. Most notably, the design has shifted to a flatter appearance and feel. The back and front panels are now completely flat, and so is the side frame.
The camera bump remains a big flat circle, and in the 17 Ultra by Leica’s case, the ring around it rotates. It’s a mechanical ring used for zooming or exposure value adjusting. The ring can also be used for launching the camera app.
Although we really liked the rotating ring concept initially, in daily use, we often found ourselves rotating the ring unintentionally, so in the end, we ended up turning it off altogether.
The Leica edition also retains the dual-tone design, which we had on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. You can get it in Black or White.
The standard version is also offered in Starry Green and Purple in addition to the usual Black and White paint jobs – at least for the Chinese market.
The side frame, as already mentioned, is completely flat this time, and the Leica iteration gets a knurling that doesn’t just feel nice, it also provides additional grip.
Of course, the side frame is made of aluminum, but the back is either made of a fiber-reinforced plastic back, in the case of the standard 17 Ultra, or a mix between fiber-reinforced plastic and eco leather finish on the 17 Ultra by Leica.
While the 17 Pro Max and the 17 Ultra get a lot of heat because they technically have plastic backs, the finish here feels nothing like plastic. Its smooth matte surface feels a lot like glass, and it’s also much more durable than your regular phone glass.
Speaking of glass, the front is protected by the Xiaomi Shield Glass 2.0, a second-generation in-house protective sheet. And if the previous generation found on the 15 Ultra is of any indication, the Xiaomi Glass Shield is impressively resistant to scratches. After a year of daily use, the 15 Ultra’s display remains in pristine condition, so we hope the 17 Ultra’s display is just as tough.
Oh, and the screen glass is completely flat this time. We kind of liked the slight curvatures of the previous model, as it provided better comfort while executing the back gestures, but it is what it is.
Overall protection is also improved as the newer Ultra is now IP68 and IP69 rated against water and dust. In theory, it can withstand high-pressure water jets and can be immersed at up to 6m for 30 minutes.
Going around the sides, we find two separate flat buttons for volume adjusting sitting above the power button. Fairly conveniently placed. The bottom side is where you will find the SIM card tray that can hold up to two physical SIM cards. The phone also supports eSIM.
As is the case with several Xiaomi models, the IR blaster is hidden around the cameras on the back.
The under-display fingerprint reader is of the ultrasonic kind, and it works flawlessly. The newer generation scanner should now also play well with tempered glass screen protectors.
Dimensions-wise, the 17 Ultra is understandably bigger as it carries a larger 6.9-inch display. However, the difference between the new and the older Ultra is quite negligible. The 17 Ultra is only ever so slightly taller and wider, but considerably thinner at 8.5mm, down from 9.4mm.
All in all, the 17 Ultra by Leica is a heavy phone, tipping the scales at 230 grams, but it also feels quite solid in the hand, and this design provides an excellent grip. We aren’t quite sure about the rotating ring, though, as it felt more like something you wish to avoid rotating than helping with the camera experience and usability.