Xiaomi has officially confirmed that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will be unveiled next week in China, setting the stage for the company’s next ultra-premium smartphone release. The confirmation came directly from Xiaomi founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun, who indicated the launch will likely follow the company’s typical Thursday announcement schedule. While the device has been the subject of steady leaks, this marks the first formal acknowledgment of its arrival.
Alongside the launch timing, Xiaomi also revealed an expansion of its long-running imaging partnership with Leica. The two companies are moving beyond co-branding and joint tuning into what they describe as a strategic co-creation model. Under this approach, Xiaomi and Leica will collaborate from the earliest stages of product development, particularly around optical design and imaging systems. The aim appears to be deeper integration rather than surface-level camera enhancements.
As part of this shift, Xiaomi has introduced a new smartphone optical system that includes what it claims is the industry’s first Leica APO-certified telephoto lens for mobile devices. According to Xiaomi, this lens is designed to improve color accuracy, reduce chromatic aberration, and maintain clarity at longer focal lengths. The company says these changes are intended to benefit night photography, high-contrast scenes, and telephoto performance, areas that have traditionally been challenging for smartphone cameras.
Hardware leaks suggest the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will return to a flat display design, moving away from heavily curved panels. The screen is expected to use a high-efficiency display that delivers sharpness comparable to or exceeding conventional 2K panels while consuming less power. Internally, the phone is rumored to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, paired with a battery approaching 7,000mAh, which would place it among the largest batteries in its class.
Charging specifications are expected to remain aggressive, with reports pointing to 100W wired fast charging and 80W wireless charging support. Other anticipated features include an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and IP68-rated dust and water resistance, both now standard expectations for ultra-premium devices.
The camera system is rumored to shift to a triple-camera setup. This may include a 50-megapixel primary camera using OmniVision’s OV50X 1-inch sensor, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera with macro capabilities, and a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera offering up to 5x optical zoom. If accurate, this configuration would emphasize image quality and zoom performance rather than increasing camera count.
Xiaomi may also use the event to introduce a new NAS product, signaling continued investment in its broader ecosystem strategy. Blind pre-orders for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra have already begun in China, suggesting confidence in demand ahead of the official reveal. A global launch is expected later, likely in March, alongside the standard Xiaomi 17.
