DxOMark Tests Xiaomi 17 Ultra: Camera Giant Narrowly Misses Top 5
Outside of China, the international Xiaomi 17 Ultra is not yet available, but DxOMark has already tested the Chinese version. It performs well, but is currently outside the top five.
With a score of 166 points, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra shares sixth place with the Oppo Find X9 Pro. It trails the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra (1st), Vivo X300 Pro (2nd), and the duo of Oppo Find X8 Ultra and Apple iPhone 17 Pro (shared 3rd).
DxOMark praises the Xiaomi 17 Ultra main camera for its strong performance in most lighting conditions. Photos are highly detailed even with moving subjects, making it ideal for sports, pets, or small children. Low-light performance is outstanding, with great detail retention.
DxOMark ranks the portrait mode with background blur as one of the best ever tested, featuring accurate subject isolation, including hair. This means software halos around hair are a thing of the past; the separation between foreground and background now looks optically correct.
200MP periscope lens: New standard for smartphone zoom
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra camera system features a 50MP main camera with an f/1.7 aperture and 1.6µm pixels. Xiaomi uses a 1-inch OmniVision Light Hunter 1050L sensor and Leica lenses. There is also a 50MP ultra-wide lens and a 200MP periscope telephoto lens. The latter features a variable f/2.4-3.0 aperture with a 75mm to 100mm focal length, corresponding to a 4.3x optical zoom level.
The telephoto camera scores above average, earning a spot in the top three. However, the device scores lower in video. With 157 points, it lags behind competitors like the iPhone 17 Pro (172 points). DxOMark noted autofocus hiccups and visible transitions between lenses while zooming. In the evening, video quality degrades as light levels drop.
Another drawback is the inconsistent autofocus. It occasionally misses the main subject, an issue that may be addressed in a future software update. DxOMark testers praised the autofocus for its speed.
Final verdict: Ultimate photo camera, but not video leader
Compared to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra performs significantly better. This update delivers nearly flawless performance in photo mode. Users prioritizing video should consider the iPhone 17 Pro. Read the full review at DXOMARK .
In the Benelux region, competition is more limited than DxOMark suggests. For example, the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra and Vivo X300 Pro are not officially available or require importing. While Samsung has traditionally struggled to reach the top of DxOMark—the S25 Ultra currently sits in 27th place—it remains to be seen if the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra can close this gap.
