Xiaomi 17 Ultra 1TB starlit green

For photographers and videographers — especially zoom lovers — the Xiaomi 17 Ultra stands above its rivals in image quality. It’s also a superb all-around flagship with top-tier performance, strong battery life, fast charging, and a gorgeous display. HyperOS may feel quirky to some, but this is undoubtedly one of the best phones of 2026.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra feels, at times, like using a camera that happens to be an Android phone. Those who value what large sensors and Leica-approved optics can do are going to be in photography heaven here. On the flip side, however, there's the consideration of the noisy "rattle" from that new camera system when it's not active, the huge camera enclosure to the rear, and the simple fact that a 75-100mm mechanical zoom is only a marginal gain. Overall, though, photo aficionados will love the Xiaomi 17 Ultra for its unique features and image quality results. It's niche, but it's nifty.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra delivers one of the best camera systems I’ve used on a phone, with a superb 1-inch sensor, excellent night performance, and Leica profiles that give images a real filmic character. It’s also blisteringly fast, handling demanding edits with ease. However, lens-to-lens color inconsistencies, a mechanically clever but modest zoom range, and slightly weaker macro hold it back from being the complete package.

It’s not a battery champ and is rather pricey, but photographers won’t mind: the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is a simply outstanding cameraphone with epic performance and streamlined software.