Best camera phones: Leica optics and flagship sensors
If you search for portrait photography, periscope zoom or a 1-inch sensor, these are the Xiaomi phones to look at. The range splits in two. The top tier has the biggest sensors and the longest zoom. The tier below it has Leica color and a telephoto for much less money.
Pro camera tier
Xiaomi 17 Ultra. This is the phone to get if you want a 1-inch sensor. The 50MP Light Fusion 1050L main camera uses LOFIC HDR and a Leica Summilux f/1.67 lens. The 200MP periscope covers 75-100mm with continuous optical zoom, which is a good portrait range. There is also a 50MP ultrawide. The battery is 6,800mAh in China but 6,000mAh in global markets, so check which version you’re buying.
Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi. Inside it’s a 17 Ultra: same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, same 6.9-inch display, same 6,000mAh battery. What you pay extra for is the Leica side. There’s a rotating camera ring for zoom and exposure, a Leica Essential mode and Leica’s own camera interface. It comes in black only, as a single 16GB/1TB version at €1,999 (£1,700), and Leica sells it, not Xiaomi. I’d only pick it over the 17 Ultra if you want the ring and the Leica software.
Xiaomi 18 Pro Max. It takes over from the Ultra, and reports say there is no 18 Ultra. It has a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, a 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED display and an 8,500mAh battery. Both the main camera and the telephoto are 200MP, and there’s a small screen on the back. It launched in China in September 2026, and Xiaomi has confirmed a global launch later this year. I haven’t seen its main sensor size confirmed, so I wouldn’t call it a 1-inch camera.
Xiaomi 18 Pro. This is the smaller version: 6.4-inch display, 7,000mAh battery, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and dual 200MP cameras. A global release hasn’t been confirmed.
Xiaomi 18 Fold. It has a 7.58-inch inner screen and Xiaomi’s Xring O3 chip. The cameras are reported as 200MP + 50MP + 50MP, though that comes from comparison sites. It’s reported to be China-only, so it shouldn’t feature in advice for global buyers.
Cheaper camera phones
Xiaomi 17T Pro. This is the phone I’d point most people to. It has a 50MP main camera with a 1/1.31-inch sensor behind a Leica Vario-Summilux 15-115mm lens. The 50MP telephoto is a 5x periscope (115mm) with OIS, and the ultrawide is 12MP. It also has a 7,000mAh battery, a Dimensity 9500, a 6.83-inch 144Hz screen and 8K/30fps video. The price starts around €899 in Europe, though one German outlet quoted about €1,200, so check Xiaomi’s store before you publish a price.
Xiaomi 17T. It has the same telephoto and ultrawide but a smaller 1/1.55-inch main sensor. The screen is 6.59 inches and the chip is a Dimensity 8500-Ultra. It makes sense if you care about the 5x zoom more than low-light performance.
Redmi Note 17 Pro and Pro Max. These aren’t Leica phones and neither has a telephoto, so they’re an odd fit for this list. Global models have a 50MP main camera with OIS and an 8MP ultrawide, while the China versions use 200MP. Their real selling point is battery: up to 10,000mAh on the Pro Max in many markets and 8,340mAh on the global Pro. Prices start at $399 and $499. Buy them for battery life, not for the camera.
Quick comparison
| Phone | Main sensor | Telephoto |
|---|---|---|
| Xiaomi 17 Ultra | 1-inch | 200MP, 75-100mm |
| Leica Leitzphone | 1-inch | 200MP, 75-100mm |
| Xiaomi 18 Pro Max | 200MP | 200MP |
| Xiaomi 18 Pro | 200MP | 200MP |
| Xiaomi 17T Pro | 1/1.31-inch | 50MP, 5x |
| Redmi Note 17 Pro Max | 50MP (global) | None |
Pairing it with other Xiaomi gear
The 17 Ultra and the Leitzphone both work with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra Photography Kit Pro. It’s a camera grip with its own 2,000mAh battery and costs €199.99. If you’re buying a 17T phone, Xiaomi launched the Watch S5 46mm, Smart Band 10 Pro and Buds 6 alongside them. The 18 Pro series ships with HyperOS 4, and the Leitzphone runs HyperOS 3, so both connect to Xiaomi tablets, TVs and smart-home devices. The 18 Fold and the expected Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max both use Xiaomi’s own Xring O3 chip.
