200 MP camera flagship Xiaomi 17 Ultra gets special Leica edition with zoom ring

Xiaomi has been teasing the Xiaomi 17 Ultra for a while now, and the camera flagship is now official in China. Alongside the regular version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phone, the brand has introduced a special Leica Edition, which comes in two color options: white and black.

Both the colorways of the Xiaomi 17 Leica Edition feature a sleek overall outlook compared to the regular version. They have a dual-tone design and a prominent Leica logo, making the phone look very similar to a traditional camera. The other parts of the phone, such as areas of the mid-frame, have a special Leica inscription and knurling.

That said, this special variant not only offers a different look, but it also brings a functional addition. The camera ring surrounding the rear Leica camera setup of the phone can function like an actual zoom ring. However, it seems that the users won't be restricted to only one functionality, and the ring will allow focus and exposure control as well.

Beyond all these, users can take their photography experience with this phone further with the camera kit that the brand sells for both the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica and the regular version. This kit has a 67 mm filter adapter, a detachable shutter button, and a camera grip. It also sports a built-in 2,000 mAh battery to extend the runtime during photography (compact Iniu 10K power bank curr. $19.99 on Amazon).

The other core aspects of this new Snapragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phone remain the same. That includes the 200 MP periscope telephoto that's paired with a 1-inch primary sensor and a 14 mm ultrawide. As for the price, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition is available in two configurations in China.

Among them, the base config with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage goes for CNY 7,999, around $1,138. The configuration with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, on the other hand, costs CNY 8,999, about $1,280. Xiaomi has also shared some camera samples taken by this edition of Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which are attached below. They are the result of what the brand claims to be Leica-focused AI that's baked into this version of the phone.