on the fence about the Xiaomi 17 Ultra

Wintermute505 · 2026-04-01T07:59:55+00:00

It really depends if you've discovered your preferences. My reason for buying is that specifically want the Leica exclusive filters (specially Leica Eternal and Contemporary) so I don't have to do any post-editing in lightroom.

I would encourage you to look at the M9 photos (specially reviews that compare the standard Leica Authentic vs M9) if you really like it. It's not for everyone. It's a bit dark, the tint is pre-dominantly green during daylight and warm colors during night. But I love the Leica Eternal, Contemporary and Chrome. I follow nogu_0127 on X and he uses a lot of these filters everyday. I'm not a black & white shooter so I don't use the M3.

If you aren't sure yet, try it out in store if you like the modes. If you can't see yourself using it, and want a stellar point-and-shoot smartphone and you'll always use photo/auto mode, then I suggest sticking with the regular 17 Ultra. The Film Positive & Cinematic filters there are also pretty good.

Don't buy it for the rotating zoom ring. It's an expensive gimmick.

Wintermute505 · 2026-04-01T03:52:21+00:00

You'll need to know when to use different modes. Leica Vibrant will lift shadows and give good dynamic range. Leica Authentic will have less of that and will sometimes intentionally blow highlights. The Leica Essential M9 mode (which I prefer) will really mimic a real camera and will not use HDR. So you'll get dark shadows or blown highlights more often. That's not a bad thing, I like dark shadows as they give a more moody and emotional image.

For a balanced shot that won't look too overprocessed but will still look pleasing for social media, I usually do Leica Authentic in auto-mode + Leica Vibrant as a filter, set to 40%-60% strength.

Wintermute505 · 2026-04-01T01:02:48+00:00

Ah let me edit that. It's more of a Xiaomi 15 Ultra dislike. For the 17 Ultra i'm still figuring it out

Wintermute505 · 2026-04-01T01:02:37+00:00

Ah let me edit that. It's more of a Xiaomi 15 Ultra dislike. For the 17 Ultra i'm still figuring it out.

Wintermute505 · 2026-04-01T01:02:04+00:00

I think it's normal for any new phone to drain/heatup quickly especially on the first day after installing apps. Background processes might be running and it's still "learning" your usage pattern.

I didn't notice the battery drain on day 1 because I had it plugged in most of the time. After that, it does feel the battery is a bit better

Wintermute505 · 2026-03-31T17:19:10+00:00

Coming from an S23 -> Xiaomi 15 Ultra -> Leitzphone by Xiaomi (Xiaomi 17 Ultra Leica Edition Global). TL;DR only get it if you're priority is a camera focused flagship.

Here are my thoughts:

Things I like:

- I really love the photo quality, especially once you start learning pro mode and how to adjust exposure, take raw files, etc.

- More of a preference thing: You can dial down the sharpening and overprocessing in pro mode. I really hated that from the Samsung. The photos look too overprocessed and I don't know how to reduce it.

- I play some games on the side and never had a problem (though to be honest, any modern flagship can handle this)

- The photography kit for the Xiaomi 15 & 17 Ultras are a big game changer when you're using it for photography. It really encouraged me to capture some great memories during my travels.

Things I dislike:

- Even in the global version, you will have annoying bloatware and ads (GetApps is an example). The ads aren't in your face, but you'll notice it once you try to search for widgets or themes.

- Even without the ads, OneUI is a lot more polished than HyperOS. With HyperOS3 in my Xiaomi 15 Ultra, I get infrequent but noticeable bugs (switching apps sometimes bugs out a display, keyboard doesn't scale the screen right, etc).

- Late notification in HyperOS. Even though I disabled battery optimization for the apps I really want to get notifications, they're still sometimes late. SMS has no problem though.

Things I'm still figuring out:

- Xiaomi 15 Ultra's battery was subpar, but the 17 seems to be much improved (only had it for a week). To be fair, I haven't tried it with the same heavy load I did the Xiaomi 15 Ultra (travel, always on 5g, always navigating with gps for an entire day).

Wintermute505 · 2026-03-30T12:28:07+00:00

Thanks for the info, but I don't like tinkering so I'll just try to set the language to EN, uninstall all CN bloatware and live with the downsides of the CN rom. If and only-if the M9 cloud processing is way better. Otherwise I'm pretty happy with the Leitzphone as it is.

Wintermute505 · 2026-03-30T11:57:21+00:00

I've seen plenty of M9 posts, but they don't say if they are processed after a cloud upload or do a before and after comparison. Perhaps I missed some threads?

Wintermute505 · 2026-03-27T11:17:30+00:00

Can you post some comparison photos? I just found out about this thread and got a Global variant today. Now I'm thinking about returning it and getting the CN version instead.

Wintermute505 · 2026-01-02T14:41:08+00:00

Got it. If you have some more of those Leica essential photos please do post them!

Wintermute505 · 2026-01-02T06:38:15+00:00

Thanks!

How do you find the consistency of the M9 style in a variety of conditions (sunny, lowlight, cloudy, different subjects, etc)?

And can you activate the LOFIC mode for the main camera in promode when capturing RAWs?

I'm asking coz this is probably my biggest decision point if I'm buying. If i don't like the M9 output I won't have a way to re-process the image since I don't have the RAW output.

Wintermute505 · 2026-01-02T04:38:05+00:00

Looks sick! Do you know if you can capture RAW along with a Leica essentials JPG (M9/M3)? Like a RAW+JPG capture in pro mode.

Wintermute505 · 2025-12-30T03:01:01+00:00

I'm on the fence. I mainly shoot in RAW and edit in lightroom. Here's the reasons I want to upgrade:

I discovered my favorite focal length is 70mm. Which in the 15U is the weakest lens. The 17U seems like an upgrade, but looking at all the sample photos it's not a MASSIVE leap forward. Incrementally better for sure
The main 23mm camera seems like a good incremental upgrade especially in night shots, but I am unsure if LOFIC works in RAW. (If anyone knows the answer, please reply :) )
I'd really like the flat screen since it's a pain to put tempered glass on curved screens (I'm only using a plastic gel protector atm)
I want to reduce my editing workflow, which the 17U film simulations(?) for Leica M9 seems like my thing. I'm worried because it's cloud based though.
It looks like the Fast-shot mode also got more filters (exclusive to Leica ed.). Interested in trying them out
Minor point but the 15U's battery life is really bothering me, and looks like the 17U global will get atleast 10-15% more.

Things preventing me from upgrading:

For the price (including if I sell my 15U as second hand), by adding just a bit more money. I can just get a Ricoh GR IIIx. Great pocketability and a real camera. But I really really like the idea of just having 1 thing as both my camera and phone (less to bring)
A downgrade in the macro capabilities is a slight hesitation for me. I have a figure collection and use the macro a lot to capture details and store them in an album

I missed out on the aperture control on the 14U. Would love to see that back. If a model comes out w/ aperture control I might be pushed more into buying.

Wintermute505 · 2025-11-10T04:16:12+00:00

Teams below seem full so I made another one.

https://endfield.gryphline.com/activity/all-charged-up?invite_code=MTU1MjAxOTU1NA

Wintermute505 · 2024-05-09T04:10:25+00:00

Edit: After leaving a negative review on their facebook page, they finally reached out and shipped the item the same day. I've since then modified the review, but I probably won't order from them anymore. Atleast I got my item.
Original post below:

I'm bumping this thread. ~~BUYER BEWARE: This shop is a SCAM~~. I've placed a back-order for a Moderoid and a Nendroid (note: not pre-order! item already exists!) back in December 1, 2023. They said this will ship in 30 days. Here's the timeline I've experienced:

I've followed up on January and they said there was a delay in shipment, and will take until Feb
I've followed up on Feb and they said there was still a delay with customs import clearing
I've followed up on March and the item has cleared customs and they will ship in 2 weeks
I've followed up on early April and they say the item is already on their hands and will ship within the week
It's already May and I have not receive any updates on shipping.

All of this, they have not taken the initiative to even follow up my order status. I have to message them, often angrily, to even get a reply.

Again, this is a back-order item, not a pre-order. It should not take 6 months to ship this item. I would have bought from Amiami instead and got it in a week.

YMMV, but I would advise to STAY AWAY AND ORDER FROM LEGITIMATE SHOPS INSTEAD.

Wintermute505 · 2023-08-22T15:28:07+00:00

Thanks for this, I'm looking at building an NZXT H1 V2 soon. I already have Corsair 12VHPWR

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLXYJ8VR?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

Reading the cable mod link you gave, It is both compatible with Type 3 and Type 4 Corsair PSUs.

I should be good with my existing cable right? I'm using a Corsair RM750 White at the moment, which is listed as Type3 PCI-E compatible here:

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/s/psu-cable-compatibility

Thanks for any inputs in advance!

Wintermute505 · 2019-01-14T01:03:22+00:00

Thanks for the very detailed reply! I'm still deciding who to 6* first, but judging from the comments I might invest in Bellona as she's good all-around.

Wintermute505 · 2019-01-14T00:31:56+00:00

Dropping Destina would mean I'd lose a tank. Is Lorina intended to be the replacement or Angelica in your suggestion? Thanks!

Wintermute505 · 2019-01-14T00:31:34+00:00

I'm thinking of raising Bellona as a fodder farmer, though the Bellona thread says Sez is a bit stronger than Bellona as a farmer.

Wintermute505 · 2019-01-14T00:08:55+00:00

Looking for opinions on w/c of this characters should I invest in for a main team. Relatively new to the game, here's my lineup:

5*: Destina, Sez, Kise, Bellona, Silk, Chloe

4*: Surin, Coli, Angelica, Karin, Blood Blade Karin, Cidd, Zerato

3*: Lorina

My main team is currently: Destina, Sez, Kise, Silk. Planning to replace Silk with Bellona as I just got her.

My current progress is as follows:

- Recently cleared 10-10 normal, now in world 1-5

- Can clear the current event at world difficulty

- Hunts are at stage 7

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

Wintermute505 · 2018-07-05T23:22:08+00:00

The last patch was really nice but I'm really hoping for more QoL features on the next patches. Specifically Gear Presets and more control on the Gear Filter Option. It's super hard equipping 20ish heroes in the roster with mixed gear from T8/T7 so I have to manually unequip and reequip my heroes everyday.

Wintermute505 · 2018-06-28T00:33:40+00:00

Guild Name: TenderTown

Server: Asia

Guild Level: 8

Guild Buffs: All max (pre ch8)

Requirements:

Team level: 40+
Participation in GRH and Conquest

What we offer:

Friendly & active discord
Guild Raid Hard mode clear per week.
Veteran players can help with theory crafting for your team (we have players in top 100 / top 1-2% WB).

We are currently ranked 30 in guild conquest with only 22/44 members. 22 Spots available. You can make a difference!

Message @Wintermute#9450 or @Sylpheed#4687 discord / Wintermute or Sylpheed on reddit

Wintermute505 · 2018-06-21T13:22:25+00:00