Fresh details from DxOMark’s latest camera analysis show where the Xiaomi 17 Ultra shines—and where it still trails the Apple iPhone 17 Pro in real-world shooting. While Xiaomi’s flagship packs a powerful 50MP main camera with a bright f/1.7 lens and a large 1-inch sensor, DxOMark points out a few issues that can slightly undermine the experience, especially for video and group photography.
One of the key complaints involves inconsistent auto exposure and white balance from one frame to the next. When the camera’s brightness and color temperature shift between consecutive frames, the final result can feel less stable than it should, particularly during recordings or fast capture sequences. DxOMark also notes that autofocus doesn’t always transition smoothly, which can cause focus shifts to look abrupt. Combined, these factors can make footage or rapid image sequences appear a bit jittery, even if the individual frames look sharp.
Group photos are another area where the Xiaomi 17 Ultra reportedly struggles. DxOMark specifically criticizes shots where not everyone in the scene ends up in focus. The reason is technical: the phone’s main 50MP camera uses a large 1-inch sensor paired with an f/1.7 aperture, which naturally creates a shallow depth of field. That shallow depth of field is great for producing a pleasing background blur and a more “camera-like” look, but it also means that people standing at slightly different distances can fall outside the plane of focus—leading to faces that look softer or noticeably blurred in the same shot.
A potential fix would be a variable aperture system, which could stop down the lens when needed to increase depth of field for group shots and keep more people sharp. However, Xiaomi reportedly chose not to include a variable aperture on the 17 Ultra, leaving the camera to rely on its current hardware approach.
For buyers comparing top-tier smartphone cameras, this DxOMark feedback highlights an important trade-off: the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s large sensor can deliver impressive imaging benefits, but it may require extra care when shooting group photos and may not match the iPhone 17 Pro’s consistency in exposure, white balance stability, and autofocus smoothness.
