Most of our readers will never spend Rs 1,39,999 on a phone, and that is fine. But understanding what the most extreme phones do is how you understand what trickles down to the Rs 20,000 segment two years later. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is this year’s clearest example of a camera first flagship.
What makes it different
- A 1 inch main camera sensor, dramatically larger than what normal phones carry, which is the single biggest factor in low light photo quality
- A continuous zoom telephoto lens instead of fixed zoom steps
- A huge 6.9 inch AMOLED display and the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset
- Excellent battery life with fast charging, by flagship standards
The honest downsides reviewers keep noting, it is heavy and bulky for long one handed use, and Xiaomi’s software update promise still trails Samsung and Apple at this price.
Who actually buys this
Serious photography enthusiasts, content creators who earn from their camera, and people who simply want the best and can afford it. At Rs 1,39,999 it fights the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro directly, and the camera hardware is its entire argument.
What it means for the rest of us
Today’s Ultra features become tomorrow’s midrange marketing. Bigger sensors are already sliding down price segments, and the camera improvements you will see in Rs 25,000 phones next Diwali are being test driven at this level right now. That is the real reason to watch phones like this, even if you never buy one.
For flagships you can actually justify, our Galaxy S26 FE piece covers the affordable flagship route, and the Redmi and Xiaomi section tracks the whole lineup.