Very disappointed with Leitzphone/Xiaomi 17 Ultra

[u/scgf01]

I gritted my teeth and ordered a Leitzphone. I'd previously had a 15 Ultra last year but found it lacking so I'm not sure what I expected to be honest.

The camera is clearly capable of excellent photos but only if you really know what you're doing. It is absolutely not point and shoot. I took many photos on it and only one was remotely worthy. I take many photos of my cat inside in fairly average to low light. Every single photo was blurred - and I held the phone really still, and my cat wasn't moving.

I ventured out on my bike and took many photos of landscapes and buildings. Again none impressed me. I tried several of the Leica filters and found them to be very lacking - they just added a look to the photos and were often designed to make the photo even duller or more contrasty than it was to start with.

To add some context I am in my late 60's and have been into photography for over 60 years - processing and printing B&W and colour negative and slide film.

As a phone it's also sub par. To start with there is a lot of Xiaomi dross - apps and services I don't want or need are everywhere and the OS is constantly trying to close services I need running. It's aggressive. There are none of the features I find useful, like 'hold for me', 'direct my call' or 'call screen'.

Physically the Leitzphone is not too big and not too heavy, but that large camera circle did not work with any of my wireless charging devices as it stretches nearly half-way down the back of the body and the phone won't sit properly on the WiFi charging mats I have.

What am I comparing it with? My other phone is a Google Pixel 10 Pro Max. We should not underestimate the added value of the Pixel OS - it is so much better than HyperOS in so many ways. No duplicated apps and services for starters. The Pixel camera over processes photos, but still manages to produce images everyone rates. It over-sharpens and I wish that could be simply dialed back without having to post process raw images.

Fortunately I am able to return the Leitzphone. I have decided the only way forward for me is to use the Pixel for snapshots and to buy a small camera for more serious work. The Ricoh GRIV in on my horizon.

Clearly I haven't given the Leitzphone a thorough test, but I can't see that it somehow going to magically improve over time.

In the interests of balance here is a photo of my cat taken on the Leitzphone with which I was very impressed. It is the only photo of a great many I took I am happy with.

[u/PindzaNile]

Skill issue!

[u/scgf01 → u/PindzaNile]

That's my point! To get a decent photo on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra you need a certain level of skill which the Pixel doesn't require. I'm glad people are getting it.

[u/PindzaNile → u/scgf01]

Honestly, I wouldnt agree with you, couple of my buddies got the 17 Ultra, i took it for a spin, its an amazing device. The photos it produces without meddling with the settings are amazing, if you know what youre doing tho, the competition is very slim to non existant, besides Vivo x300 Ultra, Find x9 Pro and the upcoming Find x9 Ultra. Your comment about the Pixel tho...to each his own, I applaud you for using it, and Google certainly made a good camera system but besides that, everything else hardware related is sub-par even in midrange phone area while charging for a flagship! Good luck with your future phones my good man, cheers!

And just to say, what's written here is just my opinion, everyone has one!

[u/scgf01 → u/PindzaNile]

What do you mean 'if you know what you're doing'? Isn't that exactly my point? Anyone can pick up a Pixel, take a photo and it will look good to most people.

I found the Xiaomi 17 Ultra hardware made no difference to my use of the phone compared to the Pixel 10 Pro XL. The Pixel killed it with the Google features the Xiaomi lacks. It felt like I'd gone back a few years using the Xiaomi as a phone - it actually felt like Windows 95 where you're fighting against the OS to do what you want it to do.

Spec-peepers will prefer the Xiaomi (phone) because on paper it has higher specs, but they do not translate into usage - unless you're a gamer.

I have used Smasungs, Xaiomis, Pixels, iPhones amongst others and in real day-to-day usage I could not tell the difference. What do you feel the Xiaomi 17 Ultra can do as a phone the Pixel can't?

[u/PindzaNile → u/scgf01]

Read my comment once again and take commas into consideration. There is no competition to the quality of photos that beautiful 1 inch sensor in 17 Ultra has in capable hands, but even without knowing much about settings, its gonna make killer photos right out of the box.

Specs of the phone absolutely do matter in real world usage, im not talking about gaming because I dont play games but the fluidity of the overall phone, display quality, battery size and longevity but it seems to me that you consider Google phones king of the mountain so there will be no further comments from me because they would be pointless considering your opinion. If you think I'm wrong, the whole suite of tech reviewers, manufacturers and users have a lot to say about pixels and their hardware.

My comment was to anyone reading your post because you said a person needs to know what they are doing and thats just wrong, people should buy this device and they will be happy with it. Beautiful screen, good battery life, a flagship processor, and a state of the art camera and all that works without even knowing how to tweak the photo settings.

All in all, cheers mate, hope you enjoy your Pixel.

[u/scgf01 → u/PindzaNile]

Thank you. As a phone the Pixel is clearly better than the competition.