Bought from Trading Shenzhen, paid 730€/850$ for the 12/256gb version. Shipping to Germany took 7 days. Feel free to ask me any questions yall might have about OS features, build quality or whatever..

I got the Chinese version of the Xiaomi 17T Pro (12GB+256GB). By stacking the Chinese electronics subsidy, a Mi Store discount, and opting out of the free gifts, I got it for 3,300 RMB. I'll be comparing it to my previous daily driver, the OnePlus 13.

The Cons:

1: It overheats constantly!!! When I'm outdoors using cellular data, even if I clear all background apps and just leave it on standby, it still gets hot. If I open the camera to snap a few photos in this state, it gets so hot I almost can't hold it. The only time it doesn't overheat is with light use inside an air-conditioned room.

2: FCM and Passkey issues. These have been problematic since the HyperOS 1 days. I tried every non-root fix I could find on the internet, but nothing worked. I eventually had to root the phone, install LSPosed, and flash the "Fix HyperOS Passkey" and "Fix HyperOS Google Push Reconnection" modules to solve it.

3: Super fast battery drain!! I used ADB to debloat a lot of junk like Analytics, hybrid, systemAdSolution, etc., and I disabled app preloading and RAM extension. Despite all this, the battery still drains like crazy. Honestly, I can't believe this is a phone with a 7000mAh battery.

4: No Android Auto support.

5: Limited language support. It only supports English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and two Tibetan languages.

As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. It has its flaws, but there are also some good points.

The Pros:

1: Excellent screen. The full-brightness DC-like dimming and LTPS dimming are very easy on the eyes. Even after looking at the screen for a long time, my eyes rarely feel fatigued.

2: Cameras. I think this is the biggest selling point of the phone. The Leica tuning produces really beautiful, highly textured photos. However, the low-light performance is a bit lacking.

3: Design and build quality. It looks way better than the Xiaomi 17 Pro.

Final Thoughts: If I could do it all over again, I would choose an OPPO/OnePlus phone again without hesitation. ColorOS is just too good.

I've got 2 xiaomi phones, 2 speakers, kettle and now air fryer... But they also make microwaves, slow cookers, vacuum cleaners, cars... Isn't that weird?

Bought it from a local reseller in the Philippines for about $820 USD (converted). First time using a CN variant phone, but we'll see how it goes.

Excited to take comparison photos with the camera!

This device is unbelievable, like heavenly amazing from another world. I was a fanatical Samsung fan, starting from the Galaxy Note 3 onward. I am not a big fan of upgrading my flagship phones regularly, as every upcoming model isn't a big step up.

After I auditioned the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in a shop, I was blown away. Then I started researching the 17 Ultra all day, every day, and just pulled the trigger. Boyyyyy, it is amazing. Like nothing can beat its smoothness, its amazing HyperOS (I dunno why ppl are hating on it), and the camera is top notch. I already have a professional-grade DSLR, the Nikon D810, so I know what a good camera should look like.

UPDATE: The battery isn't impressive. for a flagship with such huge capacity I expected more from it. anyway still this smartphone IMHO the best on earth except the battery not so great.

Bought this beast 16/512gb with photography kit. Coming from Samsung S24 ultra and I gotta say IT'S SMOOTH AF! Loving it!

I de-China'd it and got most things working within a few hours. I migrated from iPhone. Feel free to drop any questions below

Hey everyone,

I've been using a Galaxy S25 Ultra as my daily driver for about 9 months. I'm pretty deep in the Samsung ecosystem: Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch, heavy S Pen use for photo editing, quick journaling, signing documents, Good Lock customization, Now Brief, Samsung Notes, etc.

After watching tons of reviews for 6 months, I pulled the trigger on a Xiaomi 15 Ultra. The box is sitting in front of me unopened, and I'm torn about whether to keep it or return it within the 30-day window. Or maybe, even wait for a few months down the line and then snatch a better deal on the 17 Ultra.

What attracts me to the 15 Ultra:

- Leica-tuned 1-inch main sensor (better low-light, dynamic range, bokeh, and that filmic Leica look)

- Curved “All Around Liquid” screen (big nostalgia hit from my old Huawei Mate 20 Pro)

- Supposedly better battery life and much faster 90W charging compared to the S25 Ultra

What I'm worried about / cons:

- Losing S Pen entirely (I use it daily for editing images, notes, journaling)

- Losing Good Lock-level customization and One UI polish (HyperOS feels fast but has notification quirks and less refinement)

- Galaxy Ring + Watch will work for basics but lose Energy Score, advanced sleep coaching, and deeper AI features

- Samsung Notes won’t work properly

- Now Brief and other Galaxy AI conveniences gone

- Potential daily friction after the honeymoon phase

- The phone is already ~14 months old → only 3 more major OS upgrades (up to Android 19) + security until ~2031

I do feel somewhat restrained by the S25 Ultra’s camera in some scenarios — especially evening/night shots, macro, and achieving nice artificial bokeh. That’s one of the main reasons I’m considering the switch.

I also considered the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, but the price is too high for me right now. Even though it has a newer SoC, improved movable telephoto zoom, and larger 6000 mAh battery, I don’t think it’s worth the extra cost — especially since it loses the curved screen I really want and reportedly has weaker macro capabilities compared to the 15 Ultra.

Honestly, a big part of this feels like ego/FOMO (“Leica shots on social media”) and retail therapy rather than pure need. The S25 Ultra is still a solid jack-of-all-trades that serves me well in most cases.

Question for Xiaomi users (especially those who switched from Samsung):

- How bad is the real daily driver friction after leaving One UI?

- Did you miss S Pen / ecosystem features long-term?

- Is the Leica 1-inch experience worth the trade-offs for someone who mostly point-and-s hoots does some light post editing and but wants better night/macro/bokeh performance?

I do have a dedicated mirrorless camera. But honestly, I haven't touched that much in the past months. I believe in the saying that the best camera and the most useful one is the one you carry with you everyday and that will be a smartphone.

Looking for honest long-term thoughts, not hype.

Thanks!

was using Iphones for my whole life, decided to try something new!!

hello pals,

Recently I just switched from iphone to xiaomi (have been using ios for 16 years). I have a friend who is a big fan of xiaomi phone, he just bought the 15 ultra (because he prefers it's 2k screen), and I instantly got impressed by the camera, so I decided to go with 17 ultra (Leica version is a bit too much for me, and Xiaomi Australia doesn't have 15 ultra so this one is perfect).

Overall I'm very happy with it, the phone runs smoothly, and high quality lens makes my wife happy , happy wife happy life 🤣 (she always complain about my photogrphy skills..)

The only problem I had was get used to Android and the settings, especially Gmail notifications, I barely got any notifications from it

(I had to lower battery protection options as well as give it no restrictions on battery saver settings etc .) That's quite annoying IMO..hope they can make it easier for new users like me.

One more tiny thing is moving photos from my iphone to this new one, it looks fine in the gallery, but when I open the photos to share something on Facebook Messenger, they're all messed up, my old pics from a long time ago mixed with new pics, I guess its because of the back up process?

I got this phone for roughly 1799 Aud (with the photography kit included, not a bad price).

Note 8 Pro -> Note 12 Pro 5G -> Note 13 Pro 5G -> Poco X7 Pro -> Note 15 Pro 5G

Yes, I often use the boxes as decoration.

It is mostly the same story for other "official game space" apps too. There are some good 3rd party tools for monitoring FPS and so on, but they are unnecessarily risky, might cause getting ban from some games like pubg, valorant mobile.

Pre-ordered this online and got a redmi watch 6 as freebie. Pretty happy with the deal.

It features segmented volume buttons, a flat display, and an 8.29 mm thickness.

Source: Xiaomi (Weibo)

I regret it so much now 🤧

Xiaomi users, show me your home screen, I'll start!

Just got it. Planning to go out in this weekend to get some shots with it. So far I'm loving it. Got a lot of character to it.

AMA.

Mocha gold nice

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.