Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica edition camera could be the future for smartphones
A camera that can physically zoom with a rotating camera housing? Count me in
📱 Xiaomi has announced the new 17 Ultra Leica edition smartphone
🔠It’s a new version of the 17 Ultra with a camera system that physically zooms
📸 You can twist the camera housing to zoom in or out like a real DSLR
🔮 As smartphones continue to evolve, this could be a glimpse into the future of smartphone photography
🇨🇳 The device is launching in China first and could come to more markets in the future
Smartphone cameras have gotten a lot better at zoom over the past few years, but one new device out of Xiaomi could reveal what the future holds for getting closer to a subject. The new Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica edition was just announced, and it’s equipped with a camera system that physically rotates to optically zoom in and out. It’s like having a DSLR strapped to the back of your smartphone, something other phones like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra can’t match.
The 17 Ultra Leica edition comes with a primary 1-inch 50MP camera with a wide f/1.7 aperture, which is big and robust enough to take in a ton of light with shallow depth of field. Meanwhile, the periscope lens is a 200MP sensor that can optically zoom from 3.2x to 4.3x. This will give you sharper images than typical digital zoom would, which is a huge advantage over non-optical zoom smartphone cameras. Periscope telephoto cameras have helped a lot when it comes to achieving lossless zoom in phones like the S25 Ultra and Pixel 10 Pro, but they can’t match a sensor that can physically move like on the 17 Ultra Leica.
Xiaomi says the rotating camera housing will help eliminate the need to tap your screen when you want to zoom in, and it gives you a more natural position to capture your photos. You can also reprogram it to adjust exposure compensation or focus while photographing. There are also plenty of special features onboard like a unique 3:2 aspect ratio setting and an encryption chip for keeping photos private.
Professional smartphones have gotten bigger and thicker over the years, mostly to fit beefier camera hardware and batteries. The camera system Xiaomi’s phone includes would need some extra space to operate properly, which could mean that once Apple, Samsung, or Google figure out their own approach, the feature could make its way to future iPhones and Android phones. We’ve seen physically-moving cameras in phones before, and Xiaomi’s example is a natural progression of the technology that seems like an inevitable fate for a lot of devices.
Until we get there, we have the 17 Ultra Leica. The phone also comes with a boatload of flagship features like a huge 6.9-inch 1.5K display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a massive 6,800mAh battery, 90W charging, IP69 water and dust resistance, and upgraded dual stereo speakers.
Xiaomi says the 17 Ultra Leica edition will go on sale for ¥7,999 (roughly $1,140). It won’t go on sale in the United States, however, since it’s a China-exclusive. That being said, we saw the Xiaomi 15 Ultra launch internationally after a few months, so nothing’s ruled out yet for a bigger release plan.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.