Having used the Xiaomi 12 as my personal phone during the pandemic, sliding back into using the Xiaomi ecosystem came easily to me. Jumping on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra was just like riding a bike – a big, highly improved bike that is.

At first, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra felt a bit heavy in my hand at 223 g, but I eventually got used to it. I got to use the white variant, which looks great in photos when you take those mirror selfies. Although I still have a hard time removing and putting back the clear case that came with the phone. I don’t know if it's a “me” problem, though.

As a content creator, capturing high-quality photos is essential to my work, which is why I appreciate Xiaomi’s core philosophy of pushing photographic capabilities to their limits, and their continued partnership with Leica makes this possible. A partnership that has been going strong for four years now, and one that I have always been excited about, being a fan of Leica’s craftsmanship when it comes to cameras.

I learned that the Xiaomi-Leica partnership is guided by three key pillars: optics, aesthetics, and experience, and I have seen that myself firsthand from the Xiaomi 12 to the Xiaomi 17; the improvement has been exponential.

A work trip in Beijing with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra was both exciting and enjoyable, as I was able to capture many photos and, by extension, many memories with its impressive camera system. Trust me, I’ve felt what it's like to be frustrated because the phone I was using couldn’t keep up with my fast-paced lifestyle, producing poor-quality photos, and that wasn’t the case with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.

With international travel becoming popular among Filipinos, having a powerful smartphone on hand to be able to capture photos on the go, no matter if you are briskly walking through the Forbidden City, or making your way along the crowds of the Qianmen Beijingfang’s Temple Fair, can mean the difference between having vivid, memorable photos and bland ones.

Setting the camera to “Dynamic Shot” will give you a short clip to review and choose the best frame for your photo. Aside from the main photo, there is also a short video clip that comes with it, in case you want to choose an alternate shot. It makes me think this feature would have been great during celebrity fan meets, where you only get one chance to snap that memorable photo with your bias or favorite actor. And when your camera is unable to keep up with high-demand events like that, then that’s goodbye to having a decent selfie with your favorite celebrity.

One of the things that impressed me with the photos captured by the Xiaomi 17 Ultra was the vivid and deep colors, without having the need to edit them anymore. Should you want to do some post-process editing, though, the native photo app on the phone includes HSL options and curves.

Our trip included a visit to the Xiaomi Smart Factory, where we were able to talk with some of the engineers of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. They shared their approach towards improving the camera performance. Compared with the previous generation of HDR technology, they worked on solving previous problems, such as the multi-frame HDR operation and motion blur. They solved these problems by improving the design of the image sensor by enlarging the light bucket to be able to capture more light.

I appreciate the Xiaomi philosophy of continuing to push the boundaries of mobile imaging and overcoming the technical difficulties that come with it. Such as the Leica 1-inch ultra-dynamic camera, which features the LoFiQ Light Fusion 1050L sensor and Leica ultra-pure optics. This helps deliver stunning dynamic range and vivid true-to-light imagery, as you can see from the photos.

It's pretty hard to miss anything with a 50 MP main camera and a range of focal lengths. The 23mm wide, 60mm telephoto, and 102° ultrawide also allow you to capture as much as possible in your frame.

Taking selfies with the 50 MP front camera will definitely give you a lot of choices to use as your profile picture on your social media.

As someone who covers a lot of events, I found the zoom feature of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra (up to 120x) very convenient, smooth, and easy to use. Some of my favorite photos, which I took during the Beijing trip, were at Prince Gong’s Mansion, and the Beijing Royal Cuisine Museum Experience was shot on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s zoom. And I’m looking forward to capturing more event photos with it.

I would often write reviews for phone cameras along the lines of: “Able to capture decent photos in good light, but struggles in low light.” I’m glad to say that this was not the case with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which performed very well in dark and low-light conditions. Photos I took at night before have that “astigmatic” look, where the lights become blurry blobs and sometimes even bleed through, but with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, the lights are clear and vivid, which works well against the dark background.

I would love to take the Xiaomi 17 Ultra to a concert and try its zoom feature, as a music fan and someone who writes about it.

I’m happy to report that I was able to set up my e-Sim with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, something that i had trouble trying to do with my personal phone, and as I mentioned, travelling is very popular now, so having the option to easily sign up for your e-Sim is definitely a plus.

I did notice that the battery would drain quickly, especially when I was taking a lot of photos and videos and uploading them to social media. But I don’t mind having to carry a power bank along if I get to have incredible photos; it's a small price to pay.

Experiencing Beijing was getting to appreciate a rich, vibrant, colorful culture, coupled with modern conveniences. I loved seeing the many girls (of all ages) dressing up as princesses at tourist sites. Deep down, I wanted to dress up, too! Who knows, I might get that opportunity again, and I’d be happy, especially with a Xiaomi 17 Ultra in hand to capture those memories.