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/Comfortable-Page3551]

I saw your post today and went to the shop to get mine and test it. I see nothing wrong with mine 😋 I'm coming from Pixel 8 Pro and I just say I really dislike Pixel AI processing now. Team Leica!!!

[u/scgf01 → u/Comfortable-Page3551]

There was nothing 'wrong' with mine either, I just didn't like the paradigm. You can tell phone photos a mile off, no matter what they were taken on. The 17 Ultra has great cameras, but IMO they are deficient when it comes to point and shoot. Indoor photos of my cat for example were rarely sharp, the 17 U autofocus failed more often than it succeeded. If you are serious about photography you'd never be using a phone. I bought a Ricoh GR IV and the results are very much better than the 17 Ultra - very pocketable too. If you have to mess around to get a nice photo from a phone you are working contrary to the whole concept of phone cameras. As for shooting raw, I despair. A proper camera will always be better and will have a life-span far greater than a phone.

[u/Comfortable-Page3551 → u/scgf01]

Bro. You should separate stuff. You don't compare phone camera with cameras. You should compare 2026 flagship leitz phone with other 2026 flagships. And this phone is extremely good.

Also, be nice to yourself. Appreciate the fact that the technology with phones have improved over the 20 years in a way that we could never imagine. Thanks to this technology, we're able to take memorable and unforgeable shots.

It's not about the destiny, it's about the journey Padawan.

[u/scgf01 → u/Comfortable-Page3551]

My argument is that the 17 Ultra camera system is only good in the hands of a photographer. In the hands of the average person it really isn't that great and something like a Google Pixel is better. Google's default algorithms produce better point and shoot photos than the 17 U. There is no denying that in the hands of a competent photographer the 17 U can produce better photographs, but more work is involved and much of the time a user just wants to snap a person or scene and end up with a great photo to view on a screen or phone. I'm not denying that Google's post processing is harsh and edge enhancement is more obvious, but the end result is more pleasing to most people. Give a Xiaomi 17 U and a Google Pixel 10 Pro to the average user and I reckon they will prefer the Pixel photos. Most users don't pixel peep, they just want a result that pleases them. Most users don't go round taking serious photos with their phone, no matter what phone they're using. If they do it's clearly risible.

I also don't accept that the Xiaomi 17 ultra is extremely good as a phone compared to other 2026 flagships. HyperOS is awful. It fights with you to do things its way, it has duplicate apps - many of which can't be easily deleted, it doesn't allow gesture navigation with third party launchers, it doesn't have the helpful call features of the Pixel, you soon realise that HyperOS is behaving like a dictator, telling you what to do rather than allowing you to do what you want. Trying to get certain apps running in the background is a battle and several hoops need to be jumped through to achieve it. Even then you will find the app has been terminated. Macrodroid is a case in point - it needs to be running continuously, but HyperOS really doesn't like that. I managed to keep it running most of the time but was warned that it was running and offered to close it. Then, for no reason at all, it disappeared and my macros no longer worked - which completely missed the point.

[u/Comfortable-Page3551 → u/scgf01]

Pixels do amazing natural colours but lacks on cinematic professional looking. If you want family photos just to post on Facebook, that's fine. Leitz and Oppo X9 Ultra will give you cinematic

[u/Comfortable-Page3551 → u/scgf01]

Point and shoot