The smartphone world is bracing for the debut of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, expected to be unveiled later this month as the successor to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. Once launched, this model will become the fourth device in the recently introduced Xiaomi 17 series, sitting alongside the standard Xiaomi 17, the Xiaomi 17 Pro, and the top-end Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. While hardware leaks have been circulating for weeks, the design of the Ultra model has remained largely under wraps—until now.
First Look at the New Design
A new leak has finally given enthusiasts a glimpse of what the Xiaomi 17 Ultra might look like. Tipster Smart Pikachu shared what appears to be a real-life photo of the device on Weibo, and the image reveals a major design shift—particularly in the camera layout. Instead of the iconic circular Leica-branded module seen on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, the upcoming model appears to adopt a rectangular camera deco positioned at the center of the back panel.
The leaked image shows four camera lenses, one of which is believed to be a periscope telephoto sensor, suggesting Xiaomi is aiming for impressive zoom capabilities again. The camera bump also includes a dual LED flash and additional cutouts that may house supporting sensors. The unit shown in the photo features a black finish and a metal frame, although visible screw holes hint that this could be a prototype or engineering test model without its final rear panel.
Expected Specifications and Performance
If this design carries over to the retail version, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will stand apart visually from the rest of the series. While the standard Xiaomi 17 continues the square camera design of last year, the Ultra seems to be adopting its own identity.
On the inside, the phone is rumored to be a performance beast. Reports suggest it will run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset built on a 3nm process, promising major gains in efficiency and processing power. The camera setup is also expected to see changes. Instead of a quad-camera layout like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is rumored to include a refined triple-camera system featuring:
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50MP main camera
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200MP telephoto camera
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50MP ultrawide camera
Together, these sensors could deliver one of the most versatile and powerful imaging experiences in the premium smartphone category.
