Xiaomi 17 Ultra VS Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
▸ WHICH ONE HOLDS UP BETTER
Xiaomi 17 Ultra holds up better here: it's rated QUESTION IT, while Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is BYE THE HYPE.
Verdict🟡 QUESTION IT🔴 BYE THE HYPE
The RealityDxOMark's independent lab testing gave the 17 Ultra a combined camera score of 166 (170 photo / 157 video) -- a strong result that beats the Honor Magic 8 Pro, but one that lands the phone 6th overall, behind the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra, the Vivo X300 Pro, and a tie between the Oppo Find X8 Ultra and Apple iPhone 17 Pro, according to DxOMark's own ranking as covered by Gizmochina and Phandroid. Android Central's hands-on review was more enthusiastic, calling the imaging system an upgrade that 'makes the Galaxy S26 Ultra obsolete,' and multiple outlets including PetaPixel, CineD and LeicaRumors independently confirmed the headline claim: this is the first Leica APO-certified lens on any smartphone.9to5Google's hands-on and LTT Labs' independent lab testing confirmed the Privacy Display effect is real and functional at narrowing the viewing cone. But TechRadar reported a wave of real user complaints that the effect makes the screen genuinely nauseating to look at even for the primary user, not just people at an angle — a side effect none of the marketing mentioned. Wired's full review and The Register's iFixit-based teardown also flagged Samsung's repairability regressing again this generation.
SHORT ANSWER
Xiaomi 17 Ultra: Mostly true but oversold. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra genuinely is the first smartphone with a Leica APO-certified telephoto lens, and its camera is excellent, but independent DxOMark testing ranks it 6th overall, behind rivals like the Vivo X300 Pro, not the outright best camera phone the marketing implies.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: The Galaxy S26 Ultra's Privacy Display genuinely narrows viewing angles as advertised, but real users report it causes nausea during normal use — a tradeoff Samsung didn't disclose.