JAKARTA - The latest leak of the camera watermark gives an initial glimpse of Xiaomi's new direction for the upcoming flagship, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Data allegedly originating from an internal testing build indicates important changes, not only in the camera sector, but also the branding strategy for the global market.
One of the most striking findings is the naming. In the Chinese market, this device is expected to launch as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica, continuing Xiaomi's cooperation pattern with the legendary German optical manufacturer. However, outside China, the watermark actually mentions the name Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi.
The term Leitz refers to Ernst Leitz, the historical roots of Leica, and has previously appeared in a separate leak. Xiaomi has so far not given an official confirmation whether the Leitzphone name will actually be used at the global launch.
The difference in strategy is also reflected in the model number. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra variant is recorded with the codes 2512BPNDAG, 2512BPNDAI, and 2512BPNDAC, while the model with the Leitzphone embellishment has different codes such as 25128PNA1G and 25128PNA1C. This pattern strengthens the suspicion that Xiaomi is preparing a separate identity for the international market.
On the camera side, the latest leak shows a significant change compared to the initial rumors. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is now said to carry a rear camera configuration, not a quad-camera. The main camera uses a 50MP OmniVision OVX10500U or OV50X Light Hunter 1050U sensor with a size of 1 inch. This sensor is paired with a 50MP ultra-wide camera based on Samsung S5KJN5 and a 200MP telephoto camera using a Samsung S5KHPE sensor.
For comparison, the previous Xiaomi 15 Ultra used two telephoto cameras, namely a 50MP IMX858 for a focal length of 70mm and a 200MP Samsung HP9 at 100mm. The loss of the 70mm lens in this latest generation raises questions about how Xiaomi will compensate for zoom flexibility, especially for mobile photography enthusiasts who rely on medium focal lengths.
On the front, the selfie camera also experienced a significant increase. The leak mentions a 50MP sensor, up from 32MP on the previous Ultra model. For performance, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is expected to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which opens up more space for AI-based image processing.
Although all of this information is still preliminary and could change before the official launch, the watermark data indicates that Xiaomi is perfecting two crucial things at once: the foundation of the flagship camera and how to position the Leica brand in various regions.
If this leak is accurate, Xiaomi is not only replacing the sensor, but is also reorganizing its global narrative. In the world of smartphones, branding is sometimes as important as megapixels, and Xiaomi seems to be very aware of that.
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