Xiaomi is about to launch the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which is turning into one of the most interesting flagship premieres of the season. After some extensive leaks, we’re now getting one more detail about the device’s camera.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra may get a continuous optical zoom camera
Xiaomi may join Sony and offer a zoom camera with a continuous optical zoom lens. The 17 Ultra is rumored (translated source) to feature a telephoto camera that will provide optical zoom between 70 mm and 100 mm equivalent focal length. That would cover a zoom range between about 3x and 7x.
Continuous optical zoom could provide much higher photo quality at every step across the whole zoom range. That’s in contrast to the combination of fixed focal length lenses and digital zoom used by almost every modern smartphone.
Leica-powered camera
The potential interface of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra continuous zoom camera. | Image credit – CNMO
Xiaomi is rumored to stick to the circular rear camera module from the Xiaomi 15 Ultra but drop one of the zoom cameras. Instead, the company is rumored to rely on a triple camera with the following sensors:
Leica and Xiaomi recently announced a deeper collaboration, which will make the Xiaomi 17 Ultra the first phone to feature a Leica APO zoom camera.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra won’t be the first phone with a continuous optical zoom camera. Sony’s flagship phones, including the latest Xperia 1 VII, have featured such lenses for years. Unfortunately, that hasn’t led to much better image quality.
Coming soon
I was never a big fan of zoom cameras, but the Xiaomi 17 Ultra makes it all sound very interesting. It's unlikely that anyone would jump to get it just because of the continuous zoom, but I would love to try it out and see if Xiaomi did a better job than Sony.
I’ll need to wait, though. Xiaomi 17 Ultra is expected to launch in China in the coming week, but its global premiere is unlikely to happen before February 2026.
Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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