Best-value 2023 flagship — 80W charging at half the price
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
Xiaomi
8.5
Best phone camera, flawed software
OnePlus 11
What Reviewers Agree On
80W SuperVOOC wired charging — full in ~25 minutes, dramatically faster than S23+/Ultra's 45W or iPhone 15 Pro Max's 20W
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 8/16GB RAM + UFS 4.0 — flagship performance matching the S23 family
6.7" LTPO 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED, 1300-nit peak — class-leading display at this price
5,000mAh battery delivers all-day endurance with the new 8 Gen 2 efficiency
Alert Slider returns after being dropped on the OnePlus 10T — Apple-style mute toggle beloved by enthusiasts
$699 starting (8/128GB) — $200-500 less than S23 Ultra/iPhone 15 Pro Max for genuinely flagship hardware
Pros & Cons
OnePlus 11
Pros
80W SuperVOOC wired charging — full in ~25 minutes, dramatically faster than S23+/Ultra's 45W or iPhone 15 Pro Max's 20W
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 8/16GB RAM + UFS 4.0 — flagship performance matching the S23 family
6.7" LTPO 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED, 1300-nit peak — class-leading display at this price
5,000mAh battery delivers all-day endurance with the new 8 Gen 2 efficiency
Alert Slider returns after being dropped on the OnePlus 10T — Apple-style mute toggle beloved by enthusiasts
Detailed Comparison
Cameras
OnePlus 11
Hasselblad-tuned triple-camera system: 50MP main + 32MP 2x telephoto + 48MP ultrawide. Color science is good in daylight but processing inconsistent vs Samsung/Apple/Google. No periscope.
Cameras: 50MP main (f/1.8, OIS, Sony IMX890), 32MP 2x telephoto (f/2.0, 47mm), 48MP ultrawide (f/2.2, 115°), 16MP selfie — Hasselblad color tuning.
Hasselblad partnership delivers natural color science in good light — particularly strong portrait and street photography.
2x telephoto reach is limited vs S23 Ultra's 10x periscope or iPhone 15 Pro Max's 5x Tetraprism — sports/concerts beyond 2x suffer.
Camera processing inconsistent — HDR and low-light vary more than Pixel/iPhone; sometimes over-saturated.
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NO wireless charging — regression from OnePlus 10 Pro that had 50W wireless; major spec sheet gap vs all $999+ rivals
IP64 rating only (no dust immersion, splash-only) — much weaker than S23/iPhone 15's IP68
Only 4 OS upgrades + 5 years of security — short vs Pixel 8's 7 years
Hasselblad camera processing trails Samsung/Apple/Google on absolute quality — colors can be inconsistent
OxygenOS 13 has become more 'ColorOS-like' since the Oppo merger — divisive among long-time OnePlus fans
32MP 2x telephoto reaches only 2x optical (vs S23 Ultra's 10x periscope) — limited zoom range
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
What Reviewers Agree On
Class-leading camera hardware: a 1.0"-type LOFIC main sensor and a true continuous mechanical optical zoom (75–100mm) that GSMArena rates as quite probably the best of its kind
Among the very best phones for photography on the market today, possibly the single best for stills
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers flagship-class performance — ~20% faster CPU and ~23% faster GPU than the previous generation, leading the iPhone in multi-core
Bright 6.9-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED rated at 3,500 nits peak with strong measured outdoor brightness
Distinctive physical camera controls (zoom ring on the Leica edition, Leica film simulations) that no mainstream rival offers
6 years of security patches confirmed (EOL February 2032)
Deal Breakers
HyperOS is widely seen as lagging the hardware — camera-app limitations, automatic JPEG post-processing criticised as poor, and a Phone Arena verdict that it's 'the best camera phone you'll hate using every day'
The global model runs noticeably hotter and shorter on battery than the China version, draining ~10% per hour in mixed use and losing more battery and running hotter than the OnePlus 15 and Oppo Find X9 Pro in head-to-head endurance
Very expensive globally — about $1,750 for the 17 Ultra and ~$2,300 for the Leitzphone — narrowing its value versus the previous generation
Polarising design and a usability tax: it's a camera-first device that some reviewers and users find feels more like a toy than a polished daily phone
$699 starting (8/128GB) — $200-500 less than S23 Ultra/iPhone 15 Pro Max for genuinely flagship hardware
Cons
NO wireless charging — regression from OnePlus 10 Pro that had 50W wireless; major spec sheet gap vs all $999+ rivals
IP64 rating only (no dust immersion, splash-only) — much weaker than S23/iPhone 15's IP68
Only 4 OS upgrades + 5 years of security — short vs Pixel 8's 7 years
Hasselblad camera processing trails Samsung/Apple/Google on absolute quality — colors can be inconsistent
OxygenOS 13 has become more 'ColorOS-like' since the Oppo merger — divisive among long-time OnePlus fans
32MP 2x telephoto reaches only 2x optical (vs S23 Ultra's 10x periscope) — limited zoom range
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
Pros
Class-leading camera hardware: a 1.0"-type LOFIC main sensor and a true continuous mechanical optical zoom (75–100mm) that GSMArena rates as quite probably the best of its kind
Among the very best phones for photography on the market today, possibly the single best for stills
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers flagship-class performance — ~20% faster CPU and ~23% faster GPU than the previous generation, leading the iPhone in multi-core
Bright 6.9-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED rated at 3,500 nits peak with strong measured outdoor brightness
Distinctive physical camera controls (zoom ring on the Leica edition, Leica film simulations) that no mainstream rival offers
6 years of security patches confirmed (EOL February 2032)
Cons
HyperOS is widely seen as lagging the hardware — camera-app limitations, automatic JPEG post-processing criticised as poor, and a Phone Arena verdict that it's 'the best camera phone you'll hate using every day'
The global model runs noticeably hotter and shorter on battery than the China version, draining ~10% per hour in mixed use and losing more battery and running hotter than the OnePlus 15 and Oppo Find X9 Pro in head-to-head endurance
Very expensive globally — about $1,750 for the 17 Ultra and ~$2,300 for the Leitzphone — narrowing its value versus the previous generation
Polarising design and a usability tax: it's a camera-first device that some reviewers and users find feels more like a toy than a polished daily phone
4K60 video on main and ultrawide; 8K at 24fps — good video specs for the price, but stabilization trails iPhone.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
The reason this phone exists. A 1-inch LOFIC main sensor and an industry-first continuous mechanical optical zoom put it at or near the top of the smartphone camera rankings — but JPEG processing and a steep learning curve divide opinion.
The 17 Ultra keeps a 1.0"-type main sensor while most makers go smaller; its main camera is quite probably the best of its kind and the phone is among the best for taking pictures currently on the market, possibly the best.
It combines two technologies not seen together in mobile before — a 1-inch LOFIC sensor in the main camera and a mechanical periscope with continuous optical zoom — reducing ghosting and capturing highlights and shadows in a single exposure.
Camera kit details: 23mm 50MP 1-inch main at fixed f/1.67, a 200MP 75–100mm true mechanical optical zoom (not a digital crop), and a 14mm 50MP f/2.2 ultrawide.
This is one of the best camera systems ever used on a smartphone, as was the 15 Ultra.
The sensor is excellent, but Xiaomi's automatic JPEG post-processing is an absolute disaster, and distant faces can look like paint blobs.
The bigger 1-inch sensor lets you get significantly closer with nicer background blur, and raw long exposures on a tripod are a real strength the iPhone can't match.
One long-term user found the cameras utterly underwhelming and sometimes downright horrible in video — Xiaomi really needs to fix the processing.
In a direct comparison, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra remained the best camera phone tested — the 17 Ultra didn't stand out as particularly better in any single way, though there's lots to love.
Telephoto closest focusing distance is around 30cm — worse than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and roughly in line with competitors — and the Ultra showed the weakest resolution among the group when pushed to ~170mm.
Performance
OnePlus 11
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + up to 16GB RAM + UFS 4.0 — flagship-grade performance matching the S23 family. OxygenOS 13 on Android 13 (now more 'ColorOS-like' after Oppo merger).
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 8/16GB RAM + 128/256GB UFS 4.0 — flagship performance, matches Galaxy S23 family on benchmarks.
OxygenOS 13 on Android 13 — increasingly 'ColorOS-like' since Oppo merger, divisive among long-time OnePlus fans.
4 OS updates + 5 years of security — short vs Pixel 8's 7 years; ages through Android 17 / security 2028.
Cooler sustained performance than S23 Ultra — OnePlus's vapor chamber + 8 Gen 2 throttling tune is best-in-class for gaming.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 keeps it firmly in the flagship tier with strong gaming, though sustained behaviour and thermals draw mixed verdicts.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 brings ~20% faster CPU, ~23% faster GPU and peak speeds up to 4.61GHz over the previous generation.
The iPhone has a slight single-core edge but the Xiaomi takes the lead in Geekbench multi-core.
Genshin Impact at very high settings ran 30 minutes at an average of 55.3fps with a 1% frame drop, while lighter titles like Honor of Kings averaged 107.8fps; both front and back stayed around 40°C.
It delivered significantly better gaming performance than the Xiaomi 17 Pro and performed better in the stress test than the 17 Pro with the same 16GB of RAM.
Delta Force ran for 23 minutes straight with impressive thermal management and no notable heating.
Running AnTuTu pushed the phone to 47.5°C — hotter than rival devices measured at 40–42°C.
Battery & Charging
OnePlus 11
5,000mAh battery + class-leading 80W SuperVOOC charging — full in ~25 minutes, dramatically faster than any 2023 rival. The trade-off: NO wireless charging, a regression from the OnePlus 10 Pro's 50W wireless.
5,000mAh battery + 8 Gen 2 efficiency delivers reliable all-day endurance — ~6-7 hours of SOT typical.
80W SuperVOOC wired charging — full in ~25 minutes (0-50% in ~10 min), dramatically faster than the S23+/Ultra's 45W (~1h) or iPhone 15 Pro Max's 20W (~1h45m).
NO wireless charging — major regression from the OnePlus 10 Pro that had 50W wireless. Biggest deal-breaker for many reviewers.
Multi-phone drain test: OnePlus 11 placed 4th of 7 at 9h46m total runtime — beaten by iPhone 15 Pro Max, Vivo X100 Pro and just edged by S24 Ultra.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
The single biggest divide in the coverage: lab tests record an excellent active-use score, but the global model's smaller battery, ~10%/hour real-world drain and heat make endurance inconsistent. Charging stepped down to 90W wired / 50W wireless.
The global 17 Ultra earned an excellent active-use battery score of over 19 hours, charging 0–70% in half an hour and to full in just 43 minutes.
After 3 months a user still had around 45% battery left at the end of the day when not using the camera intensively.
For a 6,000mAh battery, ~4 hours of screen-on time over a full day was disappointing — the S26 Ultra's 5,000mAh cell matched or beat it under the same camera-and-navigation use.
In a head-to-head extreme test the 17 Ultra ran hotter and lost more battery than the OnePlus 15 and Oppo Find X9 Pro at nearly every stage, finishing about 8 hours 8 minutes at 43.7°C.
The global model holds ~800mAh less than the China version and drains roughly 10% per hour, so it can't last a full 15-hour day the way the China version does.
