Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi has expanded its global presence by launching its flagship Xiaomi 17 series internationally in Barcelona, aiming to strengthen its position in the premium smartphone market.
The launch event took place just before the Mobile World Congress and marked the global release of the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra, several months after their debut in China. Both smartphones are equipped with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. The Xiaomi 17 starts at €999 (around $1,180), while the Xiaomi 17 Ultra begins at €1,499.
With these new models, Xiaomi is directly competing with major brands like Apple and Samsung in the high-end smartphone segment, which includes devices priced above $600. For comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy S26 starts at about $900, and Apple’s iPhone 17 is priced from around $800.
According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi remained the world’s third-largest smartphone seller in the fourth quarter of 2025, holding an 11 percent global market share. Apple led the market with 25 percent, followed by Samsung at 18 percent.
The Xiaomi 17 series was first introduced in China last September with different versions, and the 17 Ultra was released later. During the global launch, Xiaomi also showcased other new products, including the Xiaomi Pad 8 tablets, the Watch 5 smartwatch, and the Vision Gran Turismo electric hypercar concept.
Company founder and CEO Lei Jun said Xiaomi plans to invest 200 billion yuan (around $29 billion) in research and development over the next five years. The investment will focus on key technologies such as semiconductor chips, artificial intelligence, and operating systems. The company added that it has already spent more than 100 billion yuan on research and development in the past five years and has made progress in developing its own chips and other important technologies.
