Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica Adds Manual Zoom Ring, Pro Camera

Key Takeaways:

• Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica brings a physical zoom ring that controls zoom, focus and exposure and launches the Leica camera app.
• Triple rear cameras: 50MP Type 1 LOFIC main, 50MP ultra-wide, and a 200MP periscope telephoto with 75–100mm equivalent.
• Hardware: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, up to 16GB RAM, 6,800mAh battery, 6.9-inch M10 AMOLED with 3,500-nit peak.
• China launch first; Leica edition adds accessories and Leica-certified APO optics and costs roughly CNY 7,999 (~$1,138).

What photographers get

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica targets mobile photographers with hardware and controls modeled on traditional cameras. Its headline feature is a mechanical zoom ring that gives tactile control over zoom, manual focus, and exposure compensation.

Xiaomi says rotating the ring also opens a Leica-designed camera app and switches between rear lenses, cutting down on screen taps and making quick focal changes easier in the field.

Camera hardware details

The primary shooter is a 50MP Type 1 Light Fusion 1050L sensor using LOFIC (Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor) and dual conversion gain. Xiaomi claims the sensor’s full-well capacity is roughly 6.3× that of the previous-generation Type 1 sensor in the 15 Ultra, improving dynamic range and highlight handling.

That main sensor pairs with a 23mm-equivalent f/1.7 lens. The other rear modules include a 50MP ultra-wide with a Type 1/2.76 sensor and 14mm-equivalent optics delivering a 115° field of view using Leica UltraPure lenses, and a 200MP telephoto with a Type 1/1.4 sensor in a periscope design.

Telephoto, zoom and Leica APO

The periscope telephoto offers a 75–100mm equivalent range and a continuous 3.2–4.3× zoom when you use the physical ring. Xiaomi and Leica say the telephoto uses an APO optical design to reduce chromatic aberration; CineD reports this is the first Xiaomi flagship to earn Leica’s APO certification.

Performance, display and battery

Under the hood is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with up to 16GB of RAM and HyperOS 3.0. The phone includes a large 6,800mAh silicon-carbon battery and a 6.9-inch M10 AMOLED LTPO display rated to 3,500 nits peak brightness.

Selfie duties are served by a 50MP front camera. The Leica edition ships with extras—lens cap, lanyard, case, and cleaning cloth—aimed at photographers who treat the phone like a camera tool.

Pricing and availability

Xiaomi announced the phones in China first. The 17 Ultra starts at CNY 6,999 (12GB/512GB) and the Leica edition (16GB/512GB) starts at CNY 7,999, roughly $1,138 at current exchange rates. Global availability is expected in the coming months.