Xiaomi 17 Ultra will be launched in India on March 11.
Here is a specifications-based comparison between the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and the Galaxy S26 Ultra
Photo Credit: Xiaomi/ Samsung
Xiaomi 17 Ultra was launched in the global markets by the Chinese smartphone maker on Saturday, along with the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi Pad 8. This comes days after the South Korean tech giant launched the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra globally. Both phones are the flagship models in their respective lineups, with top-of-the-line specifications and features. While the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm's octa core 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is equipped with a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip.
How do these two flagships fare in a head-to-head comparison of their prices, specifications, and features? Here's a detailed overview of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and what specifications and features set them apart from the competition.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra: The pricing of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at EUR 1,499 (roughly Rs. 1,61,264) for the base variant with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The handset will be available for purchase in Black, White, Starlit Green, and Purple colourways. The company has yet to reveal its India pricing, with the India launch set for March 11.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra price in India is set at Rs. 1,39,999 and Rs. 1,59,999 for the 12GB + 256GB and 12GB + 512GB RAM and storage configurations, respectively. On the other hand, the top-end option, offering 16GB of RAM and 1TB of onboard storage, is priced at Rs. 1,89,999. The Galaxy S26 Ultra can be pre-ordered via Amazon, Flipkart, and the Samsung India online store in Black, Blue, Purple, and White colourways.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra: The Xiaomi 17 Ultra boasts a flat front and rear panel. The phone features a round deco on the back, with the Leica branding. A power button and volume controls are placed on the right side of the handset, while a USB Type-C port and a speaker grille appear on the bottom. It also sports a metal frame. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra sports a 6.9-inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED display, with up to 120Hz of refresh rate, up to 1,060 nits peak brightness, and Dragon Crystal Glass 3 protection.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Samsung's flagship Galaxy S series phone also features flat front and rear panels and a metal frame. On the back, it features a redesigned camera module with three of the lenses placed inside a pill-shaped camera module. It also sports a hole-punch display cutout for the selfie camera and relatively thin bezels. The power button and volume controls have been placed on the right side.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra sports a 6.9-inch (1,440x3,120 pixels) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display offering up to a 120Hz refresh rate, 10-bit colour output, the new pixel-based Privacy Display to curb shoulder surfing, and Corning Gorilla Armor 2 protection.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra: The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is a dual SIM smartphone that runs on Xiaomi's HyperOS 3, which is based on Android 16. The phone is powered by Qualcomm's flagship octa core Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which is built on a 3nm process. The SoC has been paired with an Adreno 840 GPU. It also features up to XXGB of LPDDR5x Ultra RAM and XXGB of UFS 4.1 onboard storage. The phone packs a 6,800mAh battery with support for 90W wired and 50W wireless fast charging.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: The new Galaxy S26 Ultra runs on Samsung's One UI 8.5, which is based on Android 16. It is equipped with Qualcomm's custom octa core Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, along with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of onboard storage. It packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 60W wired and 25W wireless fast charging.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra: Xiaomi's flagship handset carries a Leica-tuned triple rear camera unit, led by a 50-megapixel LOFIC Omnivision 1050L main shooter, featuring a 1-inch sensor and optical image stabilisation (OIS). The Xiaomi 17 Ultra also sports a 50-megapixel Samsung JN5 ultrawide camera and a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with support for 3.2x to 4.3x continuous optical zoom. It is capable of recording videos at up to 8K resolution. Moreover, the phone is equipped with a 50-megapixel OV50M camera on the front for selfies and video calls.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: For optics, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra carries a quad rear camera unit, with a 200-megapixel (f/1.4) primary sensor with OIS, a 50-megapixel (f/2.9) periscope telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom capabilities, a 50-megapixel (f/1.9) ultrawide camera, and a 10-megapixel (f/2.4) telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom capabilities. The handset can record up to 8K resolution videos and features Horizon Lock in video mode. It also sports a 12-megapixel (f/2.2) selfie camera on the front.
1. What colours does the Xiaomi 17 Ultra come in?
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is offered in four colourways - Black, White, Starlit Green, and Purple.
2. Where can I pre-order the Xiaomi 17 Ultra?
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra can be pre-ordered via the Xiaomi India online store and Amazon.
3. What is the battery size of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra?
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra packs a 6,800mAh battery.
4. Is the Xiaomi 17 Ultra waterproof?
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra ships with IP66 + IP68 + IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance.
| Display | |||
| 6.90-inch | 6.90-inch | ||
| Front Camera | |||
| 12-megapixel | 50-megapixel | ||
| Rear Camera | |||
| 200-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 10-megapixel | 50-megapixel + 200-megapixel + 50-megapixel | ||
| RAM | |||
| 12GB, 16GB | 12GB | ||
| Storage | |||
| 256GB, 512GB, 1024GB | 512GB | ||
| Battery Capacity | |||
| 5000mAh | 6,800mAh | ||
| OS | |||
| Android 16 | Android 16 | ||
| Resolution | |||
| 1,440x3,120 pixels | - | ||
| Processor | |||
| - | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | ||
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