Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition Launch Confirmed; Could Feature Rotary Dial Around Camera Module

Xiaomi 17 Ultra is scheduled to launch in China later this week. The handset will be unveiled as the fourth model in the company's flagship lineup, which currently includes the standard Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Pro, and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. Now, it has announced that a special edition will also launch alongside the Ultra model, dubbed Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition. However, the company has yet to reveal whether the Leica Edition will carry different specifications, features, or design from the regular Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Additionally, new details about the phone's zooming feature have surfaced online.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition 

In a post on Weibo, the company announced on Wednesday that it will launch the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition in China on December 25 at 7pm local time (4:30pm IST), the same day as the regular model. Unfortunately, the tech firm did not reveal any further details about the special edition of the handset, except for its retail box, which is shown in a black shade, donning the Xiaomi and Leica branding. Since the launch of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition is only a day away, we can expect to learn a lot about these smartphones soon.

Separately, tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) has revealed that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will feature a rotary dial around the circular camera module. The dial is said to allow users to zoom in and out while capturing photos or videos. However, the Chinese smartphone maker has yet to confirm the said information. Hence, this information should be taken with a grain of salt.

Recently, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun revealed that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will be equipped with a Leica 1-inch Light and Shadow Master primary camera, featuring the new Light and Shadow Hunter 1050L image sensor. It utilises the lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) ultra-high dynamic range technology.

The company executive claimed that this will allow the phone to offer enhanced dynamic range. Further, the handset is confirmed to carry a Leica-tuned 200-megapixel telephoto camera with continuous optical zoom capabilities.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is teased to be offered via the Xiaomi China online store in black, white, and green colourways. Reports suggest that it might be powered by an octa core Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset from Qualcomm, which is built on a 3nm process. It will reportedly be backed by a 6,800mAh battery with support for 100W wired fast charging.