Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs Xiaomi 17 Ultra (& Leica edition)
Verdict
Apple iPhone 17 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Ultra (& Leica edition) tie on the OH Rank at a score of 75. Apple iPhone 17 Pro wins on Selfie and Video; Xiaomi 17 Ultra (& Leica edition) wins on Battery and Main Camera. Xiaomi 17 Ultra (& Leica edition) is 5.7mm wider than Apple iPhone 17 Pro. Xiaomi 17 Ultra (& Leica edition) is the more recent release, from Dec 27, 2025.
Score Breakdown
Performance /15
Battery /15
Screen /15
IP Protection /15
Main Camera /15
Selfie /5
Video /5
SD Memory /5
Software /5
Desktop Replacement /5
TOTAL
75
75
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
71.9mm (2.83in) · Sep 19, 2025 · Rank #39
13+10+11+12+14+5+5+0+5+0 = 75
FLY* BEST Video* TOP Compact
EDITORIAL: A major redesign means bigger and heavier (in every way) 17 Pro with a new camera "plateau". The processor is improved and the first iPhone cooling chamber was added. It comes with a minimum of 256GB of storage, less bright but less reflective screen, new periscope telephoto and a new selfie camera. It has the same starting price as 16 Pro but arrived with no mention of any AI additions. Same old battery tech and 30hr endurance means you may still have to carry a charging brick.
PROs
compact size, attractive new colors (but no black), fast A19 Pro performance with fast NVMe memory, barely 30hr endurance from a 3900mAh battery with a sub-80min 30W wired charging (25W wireless), 460ppi LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED with Dolby Vision and new anti reflective coating, excellent triple (24mm, 100mm & 13mm) 48MP PDAF camera setup (main + periscope with OIS) with ProRes, excellent "Center Stage" 18MP selfie with OIS PDAF and ProRes too, best video recording in industry, stable OS with up to 6 years of updates, USB-C 3.2 with Video-out tech
CONs
sub-1050nits bright screen, 24MP default pic size eats up twice the space and forces use of iCloud (reenforcing dependency on Apple), no expandable memory, no desktop replacement feature, silence on AI improvements, overall lack of innovation Apple used to be known for
Xiaomi 17 Ultra (& Leica edition)
77.6mm (3.06in) · Dec 27, 2025 · Rank #35
13+11+11+12+15+4+4+0+5+0 = 75
* TOP Photography
EDITORIAL: Ten months since last Xiaomi’s Ultra comes a phone with the first-ever physical zoom ring. 17 Ultra Leica edition features a physical zoom ring, ribbed frame for better grip, encryption chip and dual satellite communication chops that plain 17 Ultra lacks. Both models loose one of the two telephoto lenses 15 Ultra had and their screens drop below 500ppi. The phones gained in width and battery size but their photography skills are better then ever. SUPERPOWER: this is the TOP 5 photo phone in the world
PROs
very fast SD 8 Elite Gen 5 with UFS 4.1 performance, >30hr endurance from a 6000mAh (6800mAh in China) Si-C diode battery with sub-60min 90W (50W wireless) charging, excellent >1100nits bright 416ppi LTPO OLED screen with >2000 PWM dimming and Dolby Vision, IP69 (down to 6m for up to 30min), superb photography from a 50MP 1″ 23mm OIS main + 200MP 75-100mm OIS periscope telephoto + 50MP 14mm ultra wide (all PDAF) Leica back camera, good 50MP selfie (no AF), very good video recording, up to 4 years of very stable HyperOS
CONs
1.6mm taller and 2.3mm wider, no expandable memory slot, minor software glitches and no desktop replacement functionality
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.
Visit Home page to compare world's best phones. You can see scoring and ranking explained on the About page.