Xiaomi takes night photography to another level with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, the “master of the night”

On February 28, Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi 17 series models and the exclusive Leica Leitzphone, with the aim of offering users the possibility of working with cameras from the Leica quality in a smartphone. And so it has been.

With the 17 Ultra model, the Chinese company has achieved raise the level of your photography thanks to its circular camera module that houses a 1 inch 50MP main camera, which, due to its size, captures more light and detailand a 50 MP wide angle with a 115º field of view.

Furthermore, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is the first model to include LOFIC HDR technology to enhance night photography. In fact, the company has dubbed this ‘smartphone’ as “Master of night” (master of the night).

The theory sounds great, but the practice is even better. We have been able to test the Xiaomi 17 Ultra on the streets of Barcelona and Madrid in light and shadow conditions at dusk.

(Photos)

But also in nighttime scenarios, where 17 Ultra is grown to enhance the contrasts of neon lights or lamps.

(Photos)

In this way, everyday scenarios become professional portraits thanks to the quality of Leica cameras in a Xiaomi smartphone. Furthermore, capturing this type of images is relatively simple thanks to its different photography modes to highlight scenes, fireworks, silhouettes or flames.

Switching between modes is quite easy, especially when the telephone itself is the one that proposes the most suitable when analyzing the camera environment. For example, during the global presentation of the Xiaomi 17 series at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, the mobile phone suggested using the Stage mode directly.

(Xiaomi presentation photo)

IMPRESSIVE ZOOM

If the two 50MP cameras are not enough, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra camera module also includes a 200 MP telephoto lens with a 1/1.4 inch sensorwith up to 17.2x magnification zoom at optical level.

Thanks to it, users can capture targets at a considerable distance without having to resort to improvements driven by artificial intelligence, although the 17 Ultra also incorporates the function for more distant shots.

(Zoom image montage)

DESIGN AND SCREEN

Regarding the design of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, its innovative color ‘Starlit Green’ It improves in person, with bright details that stand out against the sober but elegant dark green.

Users accustomed to medium or small-sized mobile phones may initially be bothered by the size of the 17 Ultra, especially due to the dimensions of its circular camera module, in addition to its 8.9 inch screen; but your 8.29mm thickness and his weight 219 gramswhich make it the thinnest and lightest phone in the Ultra series, they make up for it.

(Mobile photo)

BATTERY

Although the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has had to reduce the capacity of its battery due to European regulation, going from 6,800 mAh in China to 6,000mAh in Europecontinues to represent a considerable improvement over the 5,410 mAh of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.

Tested throughout the Mobile World Congress taking photos and videos with the highest quality parameters, the device has not required more than two full charges in four days.

However, we have noticed that after a long time of using the camera, the device has reached a relatively high temperaturethus increasing battery consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

In short, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is a model designed for content creators and professionals that they will take advantage of its very complete camera module without having to pay the 2,000 euros that the more specialized Leica Leitzphone model costs.

However, for those users who intend to give more everyday use or that they do not prioritize the power of the camera over other features, The model 17 is presented as a better alternativesince it has a battery with greater capacity (of 6.300 mAh) without giving up an outstanding camera (it also has a 50MP camera), for a price that starts at 999.99 euros compared to the 1,499.99 euros for the 17 Ultra.