The Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Ultra, and Leica Leitzphone shown at MWC will be available in Australia from this month, elevating the smartphone photography experience.
Thanks to a partnership with the cult favourite camera company Leica, the Xiaomi 17 lineup offers excellent photography capabilities from the redesigned camera island.
Leica Leitzphone
The most exciting model in the lineup is the Leica Leitzphone, built from an anodised aluminium shell and featuring a user interface customised by Leica experts to deliver unique photography controls.
The Leitzphone features a spinning ring on the camera island that can be assigned to different controls like manual focus, zoom, or depth of field.
Excitingly, the phone is also compatible with 67mm camera filters, meaning you can easily add shimmer glass, neutral density filters, circular polarisers, or all sorts of effects filters to differentiate your shots.
In terms of software, the Leitzphone offers a few bespoke filters and photographic styles that aim to deliver that classic film look.
Overall, the Leitzphone is essentially a step-up version of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.
It’s offered in black with 1TB storage for an RRP of $2299.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
The keystone of the lineup is the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, built upon the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset found in many of this year’s flagship devices.
The camera suite on offer is one of the highlights, featuring a new 50-megapixel 1-inch LOFIC main camera sensor that provides improved dynamic range and should help it perform well in mixed-lighting scenes. The lens is a flexible 23mm equivalent with image stabilisation.
That sensor is paired with a 200-megapixel 75-100mm optical zoom telephoto lens for a full-frame equivalent 400mm focal length – that’s a pretty impressive zoom capability.
The remaining lens on the back is the 50-megapixel 14mm equivalent ultrawide lens that should have close focus capabilities and should be useful for anything the other two lenses can’t handle.
Coming in black, white, or starlit green, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is offered with either 512GB of storage for $1799 or 1TB of storage for $1999.
Xiaomi 17
The Xiaomi 17 is the base model in the lineup – but it’s not to be underestimated. It features the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset that offers plenty of power for demanding apps.
The camera suite is slightly more modest, but still provides an excellent 50-megapixel 23mm optically stabilised main lens and a 17mm 50-megapixel ultrawide lens with electronic stabilisation.
The remaining lens on the rear is a 60mm optically stabilised floating telephoto lens that should be perfect and flattering for portraits while supporting close focus.
The phone also offers a big 6330mAh battery that should comfortably last all day even with heavy usage.
This model comes in Black, Venture Green, Alpine Pink, or Ice Blue. 256GB storage models will run $1399, while 512GB models come in at $1599.
Photography Kit Pro
The Photography Kit Pro is a premium grip that can be attached to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra or the Leica Leitzphone that provides a dedicated shutter button and ring control, as well as an additional 2000 mAh battery.
It retails for $349 and only comes in black.
Availability
Xiaomi doesn’t have a physical presence locally just yet, but the new devices can be ordered directly from the online store.
Through 18th March there are several deals to look out for.
Orders for the Leica Leitzphone will receive the Photography Kit Pro at no extra cost.
Orders of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will come with an exclusive die-cast model of the company’s signature electric sports car.
Lastly, orders of the Xiaomi 17 will receive a $200 discount towards the 512GB model, essentially meaning you get the 512GB for the price of the 256GB variant.
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