Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition Features Innovative Rotatable Camera Zoom

Xiaomi has chosen the festive season to unveil its flagship smartphone for the year, the 17 Ultra. This model ditches the additional rear display found in the 17 Pro, opting instead for a manual zoom ring integrated directly into the camera setup.

This rotating zoom feature is exclusive to the Leica edition of the phone, which also showcases the iconic Leica red dot logo and a textured finish along the sides. Users can customize the ring for exposure or focus adjustments, and the Leica version comes with unique software enhancements, including special film simulation effects, along with physical accessories like a lens cap and a branded cleaning cloth.

Aside from these distinctions, the Leica edition is identical to the standard 17 Ultra. It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, offering up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM. The device boasts a large 6.9-inch OLED display and is powered by a robust 6,800mAh silicon-carbon battery.

The camera system is where the 17 Ultra truly shines. It features a 50-megapixel main camera with a 1-inch-type sensor and a wide f/1.7 aperture, complemented by selfie and ultrawide cameras of the same resolution.

A significant upgrade comes in the telephoto department; instead of the dual zoom lenses seen in the 15 Ultra, the new model sports a single 200-megapixel periscope camera capable of 3.2x to 4.3x zoom. Notably, it offers continuous optical zoom, a feature first introduced in smartphones by the Sony Xperia 1 IV, with a variable aperture ranging from f/2.4 to f/3.0.

The 17 Ultra starts at ¥6,999 (approximately $1,000), while the Leica edition is priced at ¥7,999 (around $1,140). Xiaomi has announced plans for a global launch of the 17 Ultra in 2026, though the exact timing and whether the Leica edition will be included remain uncertain. The Xiaomi 15 and 15 Ultra had their international debut at MWC 2025 in March, so a similar rollout could be on the horizon.