Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica: First global hands-on video compares to Vivo X300 Pro and shows video samples
Ben's Gadget Reviews is usually one of the first English-speaking YouTubers who gets access to new Chinese smartphones and gadgets. Case in point, he is only a few hours behind his Chinese colleagues, who were allowed to try the brand-new Xiaomi 17 Ultra even before launch. Needless to say, this is not a full review video, but the nearly 15-minute video that’s embedded below shows an initial unboxing and hands-on of the Leica Edition, which will likely launch globally under the "Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi" name.
As we criticized as well, Ben points out the missing camera shutter button on the side, but he praises other aspects of the first Xiaomi phone with the red Leica label, such as the ridged frame or the zoom ring with haptic feedback. After going through the setup process of the Chinese model variant and installing a few apps like the Google Play Store, Ben shows some initial photos taken with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. An initial comparison with the Vivo X300 Pro is also included, in both cases he uses the telephoto and zoom cameras of these two camera flagship phones.
First zoom and video samples of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra
We prefer the first photo from Vivo because it is noticeably sharper, although the yellowish background of the wall is captured better by the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. In the second shot, neither image is ideal. On the X300 Pro, the face looks overly AI-processed, while the Xiaomi 17 Ultra makes it look soft. The reviewer then goes on to share his first video footage from Hong Kong. Xiaomi seems to have done a good job with the transition from the optical zoom range to digital zoom starting at 100mm.
Up to around 10x, the results still look very good. After that, the first artifacts become noticeable. Some of the photos from the dark alleys of the Chinese megacity may look convincing at first glance, but moving people are often not rendered sharply. It remains to be seen if Ben will pay more attention to these details in further test videos, but for now he seems quite happy with the initial results. Anyone who wants to see more Xiaomi 17 Ultra test results from China and comparison photos with other camera flagships should check out our recent in-depth coverage.
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