I was blown away by the photos this Android phone | Tech News

The advantage of smartphones in 2026 is that the majority of them can take glorious photos. The developments in cell digicam technology over the final decade are astonishing, to the level we now have 1-inch sensors in some Android telephones regardless of the space constraints.

That measurement sensor is the similar you’ll discover in cameras similar to the beloved Sony RX100 vary, and bigger than point-and-shoot cameras launched lately from companies similar to Panasonic.

The newest 1-inch digicam phone on the scene is the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, a giant phone with an equally giant digicam bump in addition. It’s the sequel to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra I reviewed in 2025 (Xiaomi skipped the 16 quantity to align itself with the present iPhone vary), and I’ve been testing it for a couple of weeks to see simply how good its cameras actually are.

I was very impressed with the 15 Ultra (and the 14 Ultra earlier than that), and on paper, the new 17 Ultra seems to be fairly comparable. In truth, the 17 Ultra has really misplaced a lens with its triple digicam setup, the place its two predecessors have 4. That’s as a result of the 17 Ultra now has a 200MP periscope zoom lens with an optical zoom within it. Xiaomi believes that it offers you capturing flexibility akin to stuffing a conventional zoom lens in your pocket.

I’ve been out and about in the solar, wind, rain and darkish to convey you my impressions of this phone’s top-tier digicam. It comes at a top-tier price too: £1,299, even when that does get you (spoiler) one of the best cameras on a phone, with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.

The best method for me to showcase the phone is by displaying you the kinds of photos it might probably take. Below are my favorite pictures that I have captured, that are all JPEGs straight out of the digicam with no edits. They are shot both with Xiaomi’s Leica Authentic or Leica Vibrant presets, which you’ll choose in the digicam app when capturing.

Click by the gallery under for the pictures.

You also can view the pictures in full decision by way of the hyperlinks under. The numbers correspond to the numbers (1 to 14) in the embedded slideshow:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14

The cameras right here show a beautiful vary for such small {hardware} elements. I slightly like Xiaomi’s Leica Authentic filter, seen right here on most pictures. Even whether it is a tad affected, I was blown away by some of the out of doors photographs and the moodiness of the climate that the pictures precisely convey.

Xiaomi’s partnership with legendary digicam model Leica appears to be principally in the color tuning of the pictures, however I am a fan. The phone offers you granular control over photographs in order for you it, with an easy-to-navigate Pro capturing mode that permits you to alter all settings like a guide digicam, even capturing in RAW.

The essential digicam is a 1-inch 50MP sensor with optical image stablisation (OIS) and an apertutre of f/1.67 and has the equal of a 23mm focal size. Smartphone makers have lately taken to including the equal focal size of their apps slightly than solely, say 1x or 2x, and when you’re used to it, it offers a good indication of the capabilities in comparison with lenses on conventional cameras.

The sole 200MP telephoto lens can zoom between 75-100mm and has an aperture vary of f/2.39-2.96, with OIS too for serving to fight your shaky fingers. This lens can also be the one used for macro mode.

The ultra-wide digicam is, as on most smartphones, the weakest right here, however at 50MP and a strong f/2.2, it will get the job carried out. Xiaomi has carried out properly to make sure the colors are constant throughout lenses, one thing cheaper telephones wrestle with when their second and third lenses are clearly decrease high quality than the essential.

Aside from the cameras, for £1,299 you get a phone with a beautiful viewfinder, the 6.9-inch OLED screen with 120Hz refresh fee. That makes this a pocket-busting phone, however a measurement I could be keen to endure to get the digicam chops.

You additionally get the newest top-of-the-range Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor and a big 6,000mAh battery that lasted me close to 2 days even when capturing repeatedly. Annoyingly in the UK there’s no 90W charger in the box that you simply need to fast charge this factor, which hurts contemplating the money you may must spend.

There’s 50W wi-fi charging, a great, fast ultrasonic fingerprint sensot, stereo audio system, 4 mics for great audio decide up for calls and video recording, plus Hi-Res audio playback wirelessly to suitable headphones, full IP68 mud and water resitasnce, Wi-Fi 7 compatibility and the newest Android 16.

Xiaomi’s HyperOS Android pores and skin shouldn’t be my favorite, cluttered as it’s, however together with this phone’s measurement, it is high-quality to get used to when the cameras are this good.

I’ve but to check the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and its cameras, however I don’t like how Samsung has leant into AI photograph creation in its options and advertising and marketing. With the Xiaomi 17 Ultra you get a phone that breaks the bank, however one with a Leica partnership that appears far more involved in images prowess than AI slop and photograph doctoring.

If you need to get artistic along with your subsequent smartphone digicam and you’ve got no finances restrictions, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra ought to be high of your procuring record.