The Xiaomi 17 series has one more sibling that didn’t launch in September. We are still waiting on the “Xiaomi 17 Ultra,” which is presumed to launch in early 2026. Right now, its details are either found in leaks or official certifications. Here’s some new information we found about this device.
We recently covered a leak exposing its camera setup. Days passed, and now a certification has appeared on the scene. It unraveled something very interesting about the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s connectivity — a possible clue into the phone’s satellite communication.
The Ultra picked up a certification from the Chinese regulatory authority a few hours ago. And since their data is open to the public, the secret inadvertently slipped. The listing says Xiaomi 17 Ultra will connect directly with the satellites, Tiantong-1 and Beidou. This will unlock network-free calls and messages on the Ultra phone.
That same certification also says it has UWB support, which is certainly a first for a Xiaomi Ultra phone. We see some potential building for Xiaomi's new Ultra model in countries like America, where UWB bands are heavily relied upon for 5G connectivity.
But things are rarely that simple with this brand. Here’s something else that’s disconcerting. We heard a rumor that there are two versions of Xiaomi 17 Ultra, and this certification puts a stamp on it. The model code 25128PNA1C is not the same as the one we found on the Chinese Radio certification in September.
It’s pretty obvious that the Satellite one is a China-only model. The other may be a global version that won’t have any link with the Tiantong-1 or Beidou satellite. This is a repeating pattern, by the way. The same thing happened with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.
We can’t comment on the regional exclusivity, but at least this Chinese certification has confirmed satellite support on Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Other details are still in the air, out of the rumor mill’s grasp. Let’s see what else it will unearth in the days building up to the launch.