Xiaomi 17 Series Debuts In India With Leica Cameras And A Massive Price Hike
Summary
- Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra have finally made their way to India
- The Xiaomi 17 brings incremental upgrades such as faster processor and bigger battery
- The Xiaomi 17 Ultra brings new triple camera setup with continous optical zoom
After a much-hyped global launch at Mobile World Congress last month, Xiaomi has officially launched its flagship phones, the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra, in India. Both phones are powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and use Leica-branded camera lenses. Here is everything you need to know about the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra India launch, including their prices and specifications.
Xiaomi 17 Debuts With Bigger Battery And Faster Processor
Apart from skipping the Xiaomi 16, the Xiaomi 17 offers performance and camera upgrades. For starters, you get a slightly smaller 6.3-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It uses Xiaomi Shield glass and has a brighter screen with 3500 nits of peak brightness
It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, making it the first compact phone in the country to do so. Furthermore, you get 12GB of RAM and two storage variants to choose from: 256GB and 512GB with UFS 4.1 storage.
The camera remains largely familiar with a 50MP primary, 50MP telephoto with 2.6 zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide angle lens. Although the apertures are slightly changed, you get a f/1.7 aperture on the primary and f/2.4 on the ultrawide angle lens. On the front, there is a 50MP selfie camera, an upgrade over the 32MP lens on its predecessor.
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Another change is in the battery department, as you get a bigger 6330mAh Silicon Carbon battery. To top it up, there’s 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra Arrives With New Triple Camera Setup And Bigger Screen
Unlike its younger siblings, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra brings a comprehensive set of upgrades across the board. For starters, you get a bigger 6.9-inch 2K AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate. While the resolution remains the same, you get a slightly brighter screen at 3500 nits.
And just like the Xiaomi 17, the Ultra is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. It is available in a single configuration with 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage.
It ditches the quad camera setup on the 15 Ultra for a more versatile triple camera lens. You get a 50MP primary with the same 1-inch sensor, although with a f/1.7 aperture compared to last year’s f/1.6.
Similarly, the 200MP periscope lens can now offer continuous optical zoom at every focus length between 75mm and 100mm. The 50MP ultrawide remains the same as last year, while the 50MP telephoto lens is now gone since Xiaomi offers continuous optical zoom.
The selfie camera has also been upgraded to a 50MP sensor, up from a 32MP on last year’s 15 Ultra. Other features include IP68/IP69 rating, a bigger 6,000mAh battery and 90W wired charging. Although, the wireless charging speed has been downgraded to 50W from last year’s 80W.
Xiaomi 17 And Xiaomi 17 Ultra Price In India And Availability
The Xiaomi 17 starts at a price of Rs.89,999 in India which is a massive increase of approximately Rs.30,000 compared to last year’s model. The base variant 12GB+256GB model starts at Rs.89,999 while the 12GB+512GB variant retails for Rs.99,999. This is massive price hike over the Xiaomi 15 which launched last year for Rs.64,999.
It makes the Xiaomi 17. the most expensive compact phone to launch in India this year.However, as part of the launch offer, you can get the 512GB variant for the price of 256GB, ie Rs.89,999 and free phone damage protection worth Rs.9,999.
On the other hand, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is available in a single configuration of 16GB+512GB in India for a price of Rs.1,39,999. It’s price hike of whopping 30K over the Xiaomi 15 Ultra which launched last year for Rs.1,09,999.
During March 13 and March 17, buyers will get the Xiaomi Professional Photography kit worth Rs.19,999 for free.This pricing puts it directly in competition with flagships like the iPhone 17 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
The Xiaomi 18 will be available from March 18 while the 17 Ultra will go on a early bird sale from March 13, 2026. Both phones will be available on Xiaomi’s website, Amazon and the company’s offline retail stores.
