Oppo Find X9 Ultra vs Xiaomi 17 Ultra: Comparing the Androids

Not sure which camera-focused flagship Android to go for? You’ve come to the right place.

We’ve compared the five-star Oppo Find X9 Ultra to the 4.5-star Xiaomi 17 Ultra so you can decide which camera-focused Android will likely suit you best.

Otherwise, our best camera phones and best Android phones should have you covered too.

Price and Availability

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is available to buy now, with a starting price of £1299 for the 16+256GB model.

Design

• Oppo Find X9 Ultra is thicker and heavier than the Xiaomi 17 Ultra
• Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes with a wider variety of finishes
• Oppo Find X9 Ultra includes the Quick Button and Snap Key, while the Xiaomi 17 Ultra doesn’t have any additional buttons

Put the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and Xiaomi 17 Ultra side-by-side and the differences are immediate. At 9.1mm, the Find X9 Ultra is thicker compared to the 8.3mm Xiaomi 17 Ultra. The latter is lighter too, at 223g compared to 236g. 

Flip the handsets onto their fronts and you’ll notice a difference between their respective camera bumps too. The X9 Ultra has a hexagonal shape inside the centrally-placed circular module, while the 17 Ultra just sports a large circular hob.

Unlike the Find X9 Ultra, the 17 Ultra doesn’t include any additional buttons other than the volume and power controls. Instead, the Find X9 Ultra is equipped with a Quick Button for accessing the camera and the customisable shortcut Snap Key.

The Find X9 Ultra is available in two finishes. There’s the Canyon Orange that’s less vibrant than the iPhone 17 Pro’s own, and has a traditional glass-and-metal smartphone feel, alongside Tundra Umber which has a metal-and-vegan-leather finish instead.

Finally, the 17 Ultra is available in a variety of finishes: Black, White or Green, with the latter sporting a flecked finish. Alternatively you can opt for the Leica edition which comes in either black or white and has a vegan leather rear panel too.

Choosing a winner here is difficult, as they both are striking handsets that feel comfortable in hand. However, as it’s lighter and thinner, we’ll give the win here to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra.

Winner: Xiaomi 17 Ultra

Screen

• Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a larger display at 6.9-inches
• Oppo Find X9 Ultra has a slightly higher peak brightness
• Oppo Find X9 Ultra has the option to boost the 120Hz refresh rate up to 144Hz when gaming, while the Xiaomi 17 Ultra maxed out at 120Hz

We should note that we were impressed with both the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s respective displays. The former is slightly smaller, at 6.8-inches, and sports the same QHD+ resolution and LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh rate as the cheaper Oppo Find X9 Pro. Speaking of which, the Find X9 Ultra has the option to boost up to 144Hz when gaming too.

While the Xiaomi 17 Ultra only reaches a 120Hz refresh rate, it still offers a high peak brightness of 3500 nits and, unlike its predecessor, now has a flat display. 

Winner: Oppo Find X9 Ultra

Camera

• Oppo Find X9 Ultra has a total of five rear lenses
• Find X9 Ultra’s True Color camera keeps the white balance aligned with tones
• Xiaomi 17 Ultra struggles with macro shooting

While sometimes on smartphones, there’s a lens or two that you largely ignore, or use in hyper-niche circumstances, all of the Find X9 Ultra’s rear sensors are largely brilliant. Of course, the main 200MP is the star here as, despite being a slightly smaller sensor compared to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s own, is able to take in a huge amount of light. Essentially, images look rich and detailed, without looking overly-saturated (we’re looking at you, Samsung.) 

This is supported by a 200MP 3x lens that we bet you’ll end up using more than you might expect, as the quality is seriously impressive. Then there’s a 50MP, 10x periscope which does an excellent job at holding onto textures from far away. Finally, the 50MP ultrawide manages to hold its own too, even when you head into difficult lighting conditions.

These sensors are flanked by the fifth true colour camera that keeps the white balance and tones aligned across the lot.

On the other hand, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is fitted with three rear sensors, with a single 200MP telephoto lens that can optically zoom between 3.2x and 4.3x. This is impressive technology, however we were disappointed with its telemacro capabilities as a result, as the telephoto can’t quite focus as close as we’d like. 

However, the star of the show is undoubtedly the 50MP main which produces fantastic results in all lighting conditions without ever seeming overexposed. 

Winner: Oppo Find X9 Ultra

Performance

• Both run on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
• The Oppo Find X9 Pro scored slightly higher in our benchmark tests
• Both handsets can handle gaming and other intensive tasks brilliantly

Unsurprisingly as flagship Androids, both the Oppo Find X9 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Ultra run on Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. With this in mind, you can guarantee everything from scrolling and even gaming to feel speedy and responsive too. 

Having said that, it’s worth noting that the Oppo Find X9 Pro did best the Xiaomi 17 Ultra in our benchmark tests, as seen in the table below.

Even so, generally we think you’re seriously unlikely to notice the difference between the chips in real-world use.

Winner: Oppo Find X9 Pro

Software

• Oppo’s OxygenOS is a pleasure to use
• Xiaomi’s HyperOS needs a bit more time to get used to
• Both are littered with AI features

We really like Oppo’s OxygenOS software, as it’s customisable, polished and easy-to-use. There is, of course, a sprinkling of AI features including AI Mind Space for storing screenshots and the like for easy retrieval, and access to Google’s Gemini too.

In comparison, Xiaomi’s HyperOS needs more time to learn and get used to. It’s not overtly complicated by any means, but it’s not quite as polished as the likes of OxygenOS or iOS – despite HyperOS very clearly resembling the latter. 

There’s also plenty of AI features too, including the ability to add AI-generated subtitles to anything you’re watching on your phone. 

Winner: Oppo Find X9 Pro

Battery

• Oppo Find X9 Ultra has a larger battery than the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s
• Oppo Find X9 Ultra is easily a two-day device
• Both support 50W wireless charging, but the Oppo Find X9 Ultra supports faster 100W wired speeds

At 7050mAh, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra may not have as big a battery as the Find X9 Pro, but it’s still easily a two-day device. We found on less demanding days we’d end days with up to a whopping 70% battery left in the tank – though of course this will vary depending on your own use.

When it does come time to recharge, the 100W wired and 50W wireless support should help you see a healthy boost quickly. Just remember you’ll need to buy compatible chargers separately. 

Otherwise, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a 6000mAh cell which we found would comfortably see us through one day without worry. However, we’d usually end the day with around 30% which means it’s not quite a two-day device.

While it also supports 50W wireless charging speeds, it’s slightly slower than the Find X9 Ultra’s wired speeds at 100W.

Winner: Oppo Find X9 Ultra

Verdict

With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 under its belt, a brilliant camera set-up and a seriously mighty battery, there’s so much to love about the Oppo Find X9 Ultra. If you want one of the best camera phones but don’t want to compromise on more general smartphone uses, then the Oppo Find X9 Ultra is a brilliant choice.

Having said that, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is still a solid alternative. However, it lets itself down with macro photography, while its HyperOS software just isn’t as polished as Oppo’s alternative.