Xiaomi – 2026 Product Launch Review

By Cian Walsh

The maxim is that your reach should exceed your grasp and for most companies that seems a solid strategy.

With Xiaomi, the Chinese tech powerhouse, it seems like their reach and grasp are currently neck and neck. On a cloudy Barcelona weekend, they announced a packed roster of new products from e-scooters to tracking tags and everything in between.

Xiaomi – 2026 Product Launch Review

It shows ambition where a human, car and home ecosystem are covered by one company. With a promise to invest €24 billion in R&D over the next 5 years, and 500,000 EV’s shipped by 2025, the pace from Xiaomi doesn’t look to be slowing down.

Leica

The partnership with Leica since 2022 has proven a deep and enduring one persisting over multiple releases of their imaging focused phones. 3.7 million photos are taken every minute in the world and 9/10 are on smartphones so it’s in Leica’s interest to be part of that conversation.

With the CEO of Leica in attendance, we were treated to not only the mass market Xiaomi 17 with some very competitive photo features, we also saw the way that the Ultra model was pushing the boundaries of engineering with it’s new take on vapor cooling as well as a completely rethought way to gather dynamic range information.

Xiaomi 17

Xiaomi 17 is a smallish phone (6.3”) with a formidable battery. The newest Phone Xiaomi 17 is packed with at least 4 cameras allowing Xiaomi to focus on imaging as its unique differentiator. There are 50-megapixel sensors behind each of the four lenses including the selfie camera. Even the battery is pushing the limit with a 6330 mAH capacity lasting over 11hrs in their tests. Launching in Europe for €999 for the 256gb version.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra

The 6.9” Ultra takes those 4 cameras and supercharges them with extra capabilities in a svelte 8.29mm frame. The 1” sensor has a new technique called LOFIC which places a light “bucket” under the normal pixel to capture extra light data for dynamic range. The Ultra also sports a mechanical focusing feature allowing true telephone adjustment like a full size telephoto lens.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at €1,499 with 512gb of storage. There is also an additional Ultra Photography Kit and Photography Kit Pro allowing a dedicated grip and shutter with some additional controls on the Ultra.

Leica Leitzphone

Leica surprised everyone in the audience with a wider release for their twist on the Ultra model with a mechanical zoom. The partnership is a two way street and Leica should feel as much from the efforts instead of Xiaomi taking the lap of victory. Leica obviously feel that the mechanical aspect of this phone will appeal to the focussed photo enthusiasts. In the hands-on area the heft and craft of the engineering was apparent . The well balanced weight and smooth motion spoke to endless iteration to give that “camera” feel in the hand.

The mechanical ring allows operation of the zoom, focus exposure or a setting of your choice. It will carry the premium price of €1999 for 12gb RAM and 1TB of storage.

Pads

A range of new tablets showcase the entry and pro level price points. The €599.99 Pad 8 Pro model boasts a faster chip, matte display and improved cameras over the base level €449 Pad 8.

Watch 5

Starting from €299 the 2026 iteration of a popular category, the Watch 5 has a 1.5” screen with Sapphire glass on both the back and front and a new Google Gemini integration.

Tag and Battery Bank

A very intriguing entry into the system, the Xiaomi Tag is a remarkable €15 per tag and operates across Apple and Android ecosystems . The slim 5000 mAH magnetic power bank fits perfectly on the back of MagSafe iPhones which seems the entire point. They are retailing for €59.99

Scooters

While most of the audience may have been in attendance for the screen based tech, the 7 million scooters sold by Xiaomi are a testament to the size of the mobility market. The Xiaomi Electric 6 Scooter has a new rugged frame, increased wheel width and new light sensor. Starting from €799.

Hyper Cars

A one more thing from the Xiaomi team was a strong statement of confidence in their engineering prowess. The world of hyper cars is usually a flexing exercise to make bold statements about their capability and design flourishes.

The Xiaomi Vision GT supercar concept unveiled on stage will also be available in Gran Turismo for Playstation players to sample. But the real world car has a teardrop cockpit design, a projected 1900 horsepower and a full integration into the Xiaomi device ecosystem.

The company’s momentum builds as its product ecosystem strikes an appealing price point for these inflationary times and features to stay competitive with other tech giants.

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