It may only be the third week of 2026, but the most anticipated phone of the year has arrived at our doorstep – the Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Huawei. The phone comes in a special dual-tone finish, inspired by Leica cameras, complete with the signature red dot logo. The retail package is quite nice, including a 100W charger, a braided USB-A to USB-C cable, a case, a metal Leica lens cap, a red wrist strap, and a polishing cloth.
Xiaomi’s top-tier flagship also features a curved metal frame and a control ring – a mechanically rotating ring around the camera island, which toggles focal lengths (and zooms) between cameras.
For Xiaomi 17 Ultra review by leica
A very special edition created in collaboration between Leica and Xiaomi.
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 and S26 Ultra have appeared in new Geekbench listings ahead of their February 25 launch. Both phones are listed with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, but the test units offer different clock speeds compared to the standard version of the CPU.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra appears to use a slightly underclocked version of the chip, with two cores clocked at 4.19GHz and six cores clocked at 3.63GHz, while the regular S26 was seen with an overclocked version, with two cores boosted to 4.74GHz, with the remaining six cores running at 3.63GHz.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra also leaked in a neat-looking aramid fiber case, confirming its redesigned camera island and more rounded corners.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S26 spotted on Geekbench
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is listed with an underclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.
Another Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra case shows off its design
Redesigned camera island, more rounded corners – confirmed again.
We also saw the Xiaomi 17 Air, which was supposed to be the Chinese brand’s answer to the iPhone Air. It was reportedly canceled and was supposed to be just 5.5mm thin while offering dual cameras with a 200MP main, Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, and a 6.59-inch screen.
Xiaomi’s scrapped 17 Air was only 5.5mm thin
A new video on Chinese social media shows off the slim chassis of the device that never saw the light of day.
While we wait for the Galaxy S26 series to launch, Samsung’s Galaxy S27 Ultra will reportedly get an updated 200MP main camera with an ISOCELL S5KHP6 sensor. It is expected to be the same size as the ISOCELL HP2 in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but with new technology that allows for better output.
Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra camera information revealed
It is being said that the phone will have upgraded wide and ultrawide cameras at the back.
According to rumors, Vivo’s first V70 series phones – V70 and V70 Elite are scheduled to launch in India in mid-February. The V70 FE will reportedly join them at a later date. RedMagic 11 Air has been confirmed to launch on January 20 (Tuesday).
Vivo V70, V70 Elite will be launched in February, V70 FE will be launched later
Vivo V70 could be a rebranded S50.
RedMagic 11 Air to be unveiled on January 20
It is said to be equipped with Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC and in-built active cooling fan.
We also got some details for the displays of the iPhone 18 series. We’re once again expecting a total of four phones, with all models having the same display size, but the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will once again feature an under-display cutout for the Face ID system.
The Nothing Phone (4A) series is confirmed to switch to UFS 3.1 storage and will likely come with higher starting prices.
Xiaomi is expected to expand its 17 series with the 17 Max which will feature an 8,000 mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging and a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.
iPhone 18 lineup display specs revealed
The iPhone 18 Pro models are once again rumored to feature under-display Face ID technology.
Nothing Phone (4A) series improves storage, will likely have higher prices
There is also an option to downgrade other specifications compared to the (3A) model.
Xiaomi 17 Max is coming with the biggest battery in the lineup
It will be positioned above Xiaomi 17.
