Xiaomi 17 Ultra: Details of first launch tipped with two Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 smartphones also rumoured

In recent years, Xiaomi has waited around four months or so before complementing its current flagships with an Ultra-branded counterpart. For instance, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra debuted on February 27 before launching internationally alongside the Xiaomi 15 (curr. $889 on Amazon) shortly afterwards. By contrast, the Xiaomi 15 landed with the Xiaomi 15 Pro in China on October 29, 2024.

This year, the Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max arrived simultaneously on September 25. Various details about a prospective Xiaomi 17 Ultra then emerged a few days later, with camera upgrades and satellite connectivity rumoured. Meanwhile, other evidence indicated that Xiaomi was working towards offering the Xiaomi 17 Ultra before the end of the year in some capacity.

According to Digital Chat Station, suggestions of a December release for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra were accurate. Additionally, the same leaker indicates that Xiaomi will introduce two Snapdragon 8 Gen 5-powered smartphones the same month, one a 'large-battery performance phone' and the other a 'slim photography phone'. Based on recent rumours, these other two smartphones could fall under the Civi and Redmi Turbo series as successors to the Civi 5 Pro and Redmi Turbo 4 Pro.

Currently, this release window is only expected to apply in China. In comparison, it remains unclear whether Xiaomi plans to wait until MWC 2026 in early March before introducing the Xiaomi 17 Ultra globally. Likewise, international availability is unknown for either of Xiaomi's rumoured Snapdragon 8 Gen 5-powered smartphones.