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Marques Brownlee
Xiaomi 17 Ultra - More Camera than Phone!
Xiaomi 17 Ultra - More Camera than Phone!
Marques Brownlee
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12:05 · Jan 22, 2026
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Pronunciation scoring isn't supported on this browser — you can still record and listen back.
So,
the
year
is
2026,
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0:02
So, the year is 2026,
0:04
and it feels like most smartphones these days are like 50% computer,
0:08
50% camera and the camera has been a more
0:12
and more increasingly important part of every smartphone.
0:16
But what if we just went all the way?
0:17
What if it was just all camera
0:19
that happens to have a phone attached to it?
0:22
So, this is a Leica camera,
0:24
but now this is the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition.
0:28
Everything about this just kind of screams,
0:30
"I'm really trying to buy a camera,"
0:32
and then the rest of the smartphone is kind of secondary to
0:35
that.
0:36
And it starts all the way from the unboxing.
0:38
So, from the jump,
0:39
they make it very clear
0:40
that this is a Leica Edition with their heavy use of
0:42
that logo.
0:43
You get the phone in the box, of course,
0:45
but just to lean all the way into the camera feel,
0:47
you also get this custom case with MagSafe magnets built in,
0:51
which also has a Leica logo on it.
0:53
And you will also get an aluminum lens cap that works with this case,
0:58
which obviously also says Leica even bigger on it.
1:01
And it comes with this really soft,
1:03
extremely high-quality microfiber cleaning cloth for keeping those lenses clean,
1:08
and... a wrist strap
1:09
that can attach to the corner of the case like a camera lanyard.
1:12
This accessories package alone probably costs 50,
1:15
60 bucks just based on how nice they are.
1:17
Now, you probably remember the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Pro Max from last year,
1:21
which pretty clearly took after the iPhone 17 Pro
1:24
and Pro Max as far
1:24
as design.
1:25
But this 17 Ultra?
1:26
Not so much.
1:27
This camera kind of looks... a little different and is pretty sweet, actually.
1:32
I've got this cream colorway here,
1:33
but there's actually a kind of a two-tone look.
1:35
The bottom two-thirds of the phone or camera has a slight texture,
1:40
where the top third is just smooth.
1:41
The buttons are super clicky,
1:43
and I kind of love the circular volume buttons with the plus
1:46
and minus on them.
1:46
Kind of a throwback to, like, the 2010s with the iPhone 4 days.
1:50
But again, this is a camera more than it is a smartphone,
1:52
so all of the branding on the back, of course, is horizontal.
1:56
And if you've been paying any attention to the branding,
1:58
you've probably also noticed it says Leica on this phone more than it says
2:02
Xiaomi.
2:02
See, the Xiaomi text on the back here is one time,
2:05
but there's the Leica logo up here in the corner.
2:07
It also says Leica on the camera plateau itself.
2:10
And... turn it sideways
2:11
and you'll see it says "Leica Camera Germany" on the side of the phone,
2:15
right above this sweet knurled texture for better grip.
2:18
And to top it all off,
2:19
the big camera plateau sits in a circle surrounded by a metal ring with
2:24
more texture for grip.
2:25
And that ring actually moves!
2:28
So, we'll get to that in a second.
2:29
Really the only thing missing, and I'm kind of shocked it is is, like,
2:33
just a dedicated camera shutter button in
2:35
that normal spot on the side for taking pictures in landscape mode.
2:38
But, you know, if it's really all about these cameras,
2:39
then let's just get right to them.
2:41
So, it's a triple camera setup on the back here main camera, ultrawide,
2:45
and a telephoto.
2:46
And each one kind of has its own little magic to it.
2:48
The main camera is a massive 1-inch sensor.
2:51
It's 50 megapixels, it's at f/1.67, and it's just, it's absolutely gigantic!
2:56
The ultrawide is a good sensor too.
2:58
It's a nice wide 14-millimeter lens, 50 megapixels at f/2.2.
3:03
And then... there's the zoom, which is a 200-megapixel sensor, but more importantly,
3:08
it's also a real variable focal length zoom.
3:11
So, it'll zoom in
3:12
and out smoothly from a 75-millimeter equivalent to 100-millimeter equivalent,
3:16
from f/2.39 to f/2.96.
3:19
So, there is a lot going on here.
3:21
Now, you know what's really interesting now
3:22
that I've been shooting with this camera is I wouldn't crown it necessarily the
3:27
absolute best set of smartphone cameras.
3:30
Like quality-wise, it's still really good, it's very high up there,
3:33
but it's not necessarily, like, the absolute best.
3:35
It's got some flaws.
3:36
It's not super clinical.
3:37
But!
3:38
I would still crown it the best overall, like,
3:42
most fun smartphone camera shooting experience that I've ever had!
3:46
And you know, when I first got this phone, I was a little nervous.
3:48
It was, it was... you know, covered in Leica logos,
3:51
and I feel like this was primed to disappoint me.
3:54
Like, I would figure out it's just really a... branding exercise from the Leica
3:58
licensing department.
3:59
But this has turned out to be a much more thoughtful... execution than I
4:03
was expecting.
4:03
This camera app and the experience taking photos is is just fun!
4:07
It's a lot of fun, which is what you want out of a camera.
4:10
So, if you're just pointing and shooting like a normal smartphone camera,
4:12
you'll have a great time.
4:14
It's got reliable, quick autofocus.
4:16
That big sensor gives you a lot of detail
4:18
and a nice shallow depth of field.
4:20
Images look great.
4:21
It still does the classic Xiaomi brightening of skin tones,
4:24
but that's not shocking at this point either.
4:26
I also shot most of my Tesla Model Y Performance review on the Auto
4:30
Focus channel with this phone in video mode,
4:32
and it looks great!
4:33
It's so easy to just point
4:34
and shoot and get good-looking 8K video out of this phone without even batting
4:38
an eye.
4:39
The microphones aren't as great, but I used an external mic with that video,
4:42
which solved it instantly.
4:43
So, go watch that over there and subscribe, if you're into car videos.
4:46
But then beyond just the normal point-and-shoot, there's so many camera features.
4:50
So, I'll just, I'll give you some of my highlights.
4:52
So, the ultrawide, like I mentioned, is actually very wide.
4:56
It's a 14-millimeter equivalent, and it's actually decent quality,
4:58
which makes it very usable.
4:59
So, that's really good.
5:00
The variable zoom is pretty smooth and... actually works.
5:05
It's a 75 to 100-millimeter zoom,
5:07
which means you can punch in with the full 200 megapixels before doing any
5:12
cropping,
5:13
which makes it that much more powerful of a zoom.
5:15
And then the Leica partnership goes even deeper.
5:18
So, there's standard photos where you can switch between Leica Vibrant
5:21
or Leica Authentic profiles,
5:23
I mostly stick with Vibrant because it looks good,
5:25
but when I do want a little more character,
5:27
you can swipe over to Leica Essential Mode.
5:29
So, if you thought buying an actual Leica camera was too expensive,
5:33
now... you can get one just through the image processing pipeline of this phone!
5:39
Kind of.
5:39
I'm exaggerating a little bit,
5:40
but it is worth noting that this isn't just filters;
5:43
it is actually built into the capture process, so you can't, like,
5:46
undo it at all.
5:47
So, the M9 is locked in daylight white balance
5:50
and obviously is more contrasty
5:51
and has a different color profile,
5:53
but it looks really good still sharp,
5:55
but a little less processed-looking and more organic.
5:58
It's just fun to take more artsy-looking photos with this.
6:01
Then the M3 is monochrome, but again,
6:04
it's not just a black and white filter.
6:05
It's actually emulating Leica Monochrom M11.
6:09
So, it's contrasty, it has less dynamic range,
6:12
it also has a nice grain to it.
6:13
These are obviously not the highest quality photos of all time
6:17
but they are fun.
6:18
There's dozens of other subtle looks
6:20
that you can switch between in the camera app too,
6:22
and there's a ton of other camera modes.
6:25
Uh... also it is very satisfying to have a 200-megapixel telephoto
6:29
that you can then continue to crop in on
6:31
and get really respectable far-zoom stuff without needing a bunch of AI enhancement physics.
6:37
Uhh... also, 1920 by 1080 video at 1920 FPS.
6:45
'Cause... why not?
6:46
And so then, there is the ring around the camera on the back of
6:49
this phone.
6:50
Okay, so... this ring obviously it's metal,
6:53
it turns and it turns fluidly but as I turn.
6:56
I get these haptics that make it feel like it's clicking.
6:59
So, it simulates a notched ring, and it's, it's pretty convincing and satisfying.
7:03
So, twisting this ring really quick will actually act
7:06
as a camera shortcut for opening the camera.
7:08
And then once it's open,
7:09
you can zoom in
7:10
and out while taking photos in the normal camera mode by just turning the
7:13
ring.
7:14
But they didn't stop there.
7:15
In video mode, the ring is actually mapped to adjusting exposure value by default.
7:20
And then the customization keeps going
7:22
because you can go into the camera ring settings,
7:24
and there's a whole menu
7:25
that lets you choose what the ring does in every single camera mode
7:29
and how sensitive it is.
7:30
So, in Pro mode, for example,
7:32
you can map the ring to be a manual focus ring
7:34
if you really want to,
7:36
or... for it to change shutter speed or... white balance Kelvin value,
7:40
which is sick!
7:41
It's like the iPhone's camera control,
7:42
but way more physical and clearly with way more flexibility.
7:46
They really went all out with this camera experience, from the sensors,
7:52
the hardware itself, to the accessories around it, to all the software customization,
7:57
all the modes, to all the Leica integration, to the camera ring.
8:01
And the best part is... it's a Xiaomi phone,
8:04
so the rest of the phone underneath is still really good. -- It's actually
8:08
a flagship!
8:09
It has a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.1 storage.
8:15
So, performance is pretty great for a "camera."
8:17
It also has this huge 6.9-inch flat 120Hz display
8:21
that gets up to 3,500 nits.
8:24
It's got a 6,800 milliamp-hour silicon carbon battery with 90-watt fast charging,
8:28
50-watt wireless charging,
8:29
and it also somehow keeps its full IP69 dust and water resistance rating,
8:33
despite having the moving part, that camera ring.
8:36
So, that's pretty cool too.
8:37
And it's running the same software as other Xiaomi flagships:
8:40
HyperOS 3 on top of Android 16.
8:42
But you know what?
8:43
It's not perfect, though.
8:44
Nothing's ever perfect.
8:46
This does have some flaws,
8:47
and I'll just I just want to start with the camera ring.
8:50
Like, it's a really cool idea, obviously, and it works!
8:53
But similar to Apple's camera control,
8:56
it's a little more awkward to use sometimes in real life.
9:00
It feels a little bit clunky.
9:01
Like, if you stick to the default, which is zooming in and out,
9:04
there's about a 99.995% chance your fingers will get in the shot,
9:10
especially if you zoom out to the ultra-wide,
9:12
versus just a regular zoom by pressing on the touchscreen.
9:14
And it's also... annoyingly easy to accidentally trigger
9:17
or brush the ring just
9:18
when you're holding the phone,
9:19
which means sometimes accidentally quick-launching the camera app.
9:22
Then there's the variable zoom from the telephoto lens from 75 to 100 millimeters.
9:26
And... it's cool, it's really interesting tech, but it's also not that much zoom.
9:32
Like, it's, it's cool
9:33
that they've fit it into a periscope camera
9:35
that turns all the elements sideways
9:37
and takes advantage of the space.
9:39
But you can see it's, it's 3.2x to 4.3x;
9:42
that's where all the smooth continuous zoom is.
9:44
So, I feel like you could just take two steps forward
9:46
and get the same result.
9:47
And then... you know,
9:48
for a phone that's so focused on being such a good camera experience,
9:51
I'm usually going in
9:52
and playing with the settings
9:53
and trying to get the highest quality photos possible.
9:55
So, I'm going from the 12-megapixel binned photos to 50 megapixels,
9:59
and then... when I close the camera app, and then reopen it again,
10:04
it's back to 12 every single time.
10:06
I can't think of a real camera
10:08
that would forget my settings
10:10
if I sat it down for a
10:12
while and picked it back up
10:13
and woke it up again.
10:15
And I know that's what most smartphones do,
10:17
they always switch back to the binned settings just to keep your storage use
10:20
down.
10:20
But this isn't supposed to be a normal camera phone, you know?
10:24
But look, there is
10:24
that famous quote --
10:25
and you've probably heard it before --
10:27
that the best camera is the one you have with you.
10:31
And I don't know who said it first or, or where it came from,
10:35
but it's still true.
10:36
And so, it's pretty sick that, in the year 2026,
10:38
you can have that be a full-fledged Leica experience
10:42
that fits in your pocket.
10:44
So, well played, Xiaomi.
10:46
Well played.
10:46
And shout-out to Rocket Money for sponsoring this video,
10:49
because it's January and so it's, of course, resolution time.
10:52
And I'm sure I'm not alone,
10:53
but one of my resolutions is to clean up spending,
10:56
and Rocket Money has been the perfect tool to help me do that.
10:58
It automatically tracks all my transactions in one place.
11:01
And as you can imagine when I first connected all my accounts,
11:04
there was immediately a couple subscriptions
11:05
that it shows that I'm paying for
11:07
that I kind of forgot I was paying for.
11:09
But then the best part, I think,
11:10
is that you can cancel them right in the app with a couple of
11:13
taps.
11:14
So, that was just a great beginning-of-the-year task for me,
11:17
saving the hassle of digging through emails
11:19
and dealing with customer service
11:20
and trying to accomplish the same thing in other ways.
11:22
And then the nice thing is once you're in,
11:23
you get a bird's-eye view of all your finances.
11:26
All my accounts are in one dashboard, so checking, savings, credit card,
11:30
so I can actually see how much I spend on... video gear versus other
11:34
more responsible things without logging into five different apps.
11:37
And I also like
11:37
that it automatically categorizes all spending
11:39
so I can see the breakdown.
11:41
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who is a little surprised by
11:43
how much you eat out versus groceries.
11:45
But now, I know!
11:46
Rocket Money is free to download,
11:47
and you can unlock even more features with Premium,
11:49
so you can head over to RocketMoney.com/MKBHD or scan the QR code.
11:53
There's also going to be a link in the description
11:55
if you want to check it out.
11:56
Thanks for watching!
11:58
Catch you guys in the next one.
11:59
Peace!
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