The HONOR X5c Plus has officially been launched in the Philippines through a partnership with Shopee.

Customers can get the budget smartphone exclusively on the online shopping app, with offers available for the 3.3 monthly sale.

The devices features long battery life, a sleek design, expansive storage, and more practical capabilities.

It starts at PhP 4,999 on the app this 3.3 sale, from its regular price of PhP 6,999. Available colors are Ocean Cyan and Meteor Silver.

The HONOR X5c Plus comes with a 6.74-inch display with up to 450 nits of brightness. It also has Dynamic Dimming, an eye protection feature usually reserved for more expensive phones.

Powering the handset is a MediaTek Helio G81 processor. It houses a 5,260mAh battery and comes with 8GB (4GB+4GB expansion) RAM and 128GB internal storage.

For its camera package, the X5c Plus boasts of a 50MP main camera, additional 13MP camera, and 5MP selfie camera.

The shooters are supported by AI-powered features like AI Photo Sharpness and AI Object Recognition.

Out of the box, the device runs on MagicOS 9.0 and comes with handy features like Side Fingerprint Unlock, Face Unlock, and Magic Capsule.

Just when we thought brands are getting ready for the next year, Xiaomi wraps up their 2025 by announcing the Xiaomi 17 Ultra at the very last minute — specifically right during the Christmas Day.

New Camera Champ?

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra isn’t called “Ultra” for no major reason. Xiaomi’s all-new flagship boasts a mighty camera system in partnership with Leica.

First and foremost, there’s the Leica Optical Summilux High Speed Lens that’s backed by a 50MP f/1.67 main shooter powered by a 1-inch LightHunter 1050L image sensor.

ICYMI, the the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Pro Max feature a smaller 1/1.28-inch LightHunter 950L sensor.

Furthermore, Xiaomi brings back that dual variable aperture they have removed from the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. However this time, they have incorporated it into the latest telephoto camera instead of the main sensor.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra highlights its 200MP telephoto shooter with a 1/1.4-inch Samsung ISOCELL HPE sensor and an adjustable aperture of f/2.39 ~ 2.96.

It also has a “continuous optical zoom” feature between 3.2x to 4.3x range (75mm to 100mm equivalent).

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

And for the first time, there’s Leica’s APO Optical Certification.

Ultra-wide angle camera is capped at 50MP f/2.2 with a 115-degree FoV (Field of View).

Macro shooting is possible on both the UWA and telephoto modes with minimum shooting distance of 5cm and 30cm respectively.

Front-facing camera is also a 50MP f/2.2 shooter but with a 90-degree FoV.

When it comes to video recording, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is capable of shooting up to 8K / 30fps or up to 120fps in 4K resolution.

Toning it down to 1080p Full HD or 720p will give better slo-mo options ranging between 120, 240, 480, 960, and 1920fps.

Full-Fledged Flagship

As expected, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra runs the latest and greatest from Qualcomm: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 3nm SoC.

That’s paired with either a 12/16GB of LPDDR5X memory plus a 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.1 high-speed storage.

Display is never forgotten. It has a 6.9-inch AMOLED 120Hz 2D display with Superpixel technology.

It’s promised to be sharper than a 2K Pentile display. It’s also more battery efficient with its smaller 1.5K display resolution. Brightness levels can even go as low 1 nit.

Other pro-grade display features include the DCI-P3 Wide Color Gamut, DC Dimming, as well as support for HDR Vivid, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision content.

Weirdly, despite that massive display, the Ultra variant only has a 6800mAh Si/C battery. For context, the base 17 and 17 Pro Max are equipped with 7000mAh and 7500mAh respectively.

That can be topped up either via 90W wired HyperCharge or 50W wireless HyperCharge standards. USB-C PD, QC, and PPS wired charging protocols are supported as well for non-Xiaomi chargers.

For data transfers, it has USB-C 3.2 Gen2 support for faster speeds of up to 10Gbps.

Durability-wise, the front is protected by Xiaomi’s Longjing Glass 3.0. That’s then backed by the flagship-grade triple IP resistance rating: IP66, IP68, and IP69.

Xiaomi was also able to trim down the 17 Ultra’s waist to just 8.29mm (versus 15 Ultra’s 9.3mm). This makes their slimmest Ultra flagship so far.

Lastly, it runs Xiaomi’s latest HyperOS 3 with all the new Android features and AI tools in mind. Cross-compatibility with Apple’s iOS, iPadOS, and macOS weren’t left behind.

Leica Limited

With the continuous partnership of the major Chinese AIoT brand and Germany’s premium camera maker, they have also launched a limited Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica.

The original Leica team was involved when making this Limited Edition unit. Thus, the inspiration of Leica M-series cameras.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

That dual-tone back panel incorporates a textured leather for added grip. The mid-frame then has the “LEICA CAMERA GERMANY” engraving that provides added anti-slip grip.

And, for the first time in forever, the signature Leica red dot badge is placed at the side of the camera instead of Xiaomi’s “Ultra” branding.

But, the highlight of the show has got to be the Leica Camera Ring*. This is their way of putting the focus ring directly onto the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s circular camera bump, mimicking how mirrorless camera lenses work when focusing prior shooting.

It’s also user-customizable as settings can be set between switching into different focal lengths, change f-stop (aperture), EV (Exposure Value), even triggering the camera app by fast-twisting the mechanism when locked.

Xiaomi and Leica made it possible by embedding 20 high-strength ball bearings and an internal optical displacement sensor. Those not only gives the tactility, it also gives smooth, fast, and precise focusing.

* FYI, don’t expect this feature to be in the regular Ultra units. This is only limited to the Leica variant.

It doesn’t stop there! It also features an exclusive Leica Essential Mode. This recreates the looks of the iconic Leica M3 and M9 cameras.

As for the process itself, it’s never simple. Xiaomi trained a “RAW-to-RGB” Style Transfer model which gives the closest authentic look possible (such as the Leica MONOPAN 50 film) — more than what regular filters provide.

Lastly, Xiaomi 17 Ultra by Leica introduces the mobile industry’s first CAI Photo Authenticity Protection technology.

It just means that in a photo taken with a digital signature, the original attributes are also stored in the phone’s dedicated security chip. This further ensures that the photograph was really taken through the lenses of the special phone and not by Generative AI.

Pricing and Availability

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes in Black, White, Cold Smoke Purple, and Starry Sky Green colorways.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The latest smartphones comes in three configurations:

• 12 + 512GB = CNY 6999 (US$ 980 / EUR 835 / GBP 730 / SG$ 1260 / MYR 4130 / PhP 56,440 / INR 87,110)
• 16 + 512GB = CNY 7499 (US$ 1100 / EUR 900 / GBP 780 / SG$ 1345 / PhP 59,590 / INR 90,980)
• 16 + 1TB = CNY 8499 (US$ 1185 / EUR 1020 / GBP 870 / SG$ 1520 / PhP 67,670 / INR 101,930)

Leica Limited Edition is then available in Black or Off-White duotone shades with only two configurations:

• 16 + 512GB = CNY 7999 (US$ 1115 / EUR 960 / GBP 820 / SG$ 1430 / PhP 63,685 / INR 95,930)
• 16 + 1TB = CNY 8999 (US$ 1260 / EUR 1070 / GBP 920 / SG$ 600 / PhP 70,905 / INR 107,700)

* These are only estimated pricing conversions

The phone will be on-sale in Mainland China starting December 27, 2025 at 10AM. Global availability, just like Ultra releases of the past, were never mentioned.

Hopefully, they will consider international markets this time.

UPDATE: Global Release

Just today, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra makes its global debut in Barcelona, Spain. ICYMI, Xiaomi 13 Ultra was the last phone launched “globally.”

Pricing for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at EUR 1499 with 512GB and 1TB options. However, purple is only China-exclusive as it did not make the cut for international markets.

Meanwhile, the Leica Edition (named Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi) retails for EUR 1999 and only comes in black and 1TB storage.

The Photography Kit and Photography Kit Pro are also being sold for EUR 99.99 and EUR 199.99 respectively.

Additionally, those who will purchase the any of the Xiaomi 17 phones in eligible markets will enjoy these exclusive benefits with no additional cost:

• 3-month trial of Google AI Pro + 2TB Google cloud storage
• 3-month trial of YouTube Premium 
• 4-month trial of Spotify Premium

The Xiaomi Pad 7 was one of our favorite gadgets of 2025. With the tablet’s purist approach to the tablet experience, it’s no surprise that the Pad 7 was a great device for us. Now, the sequel is here. Xiaomi has unveiled the Xiaomi Pad 8 series.

Portability is still a main consideration for the Pad 8 series. It has an all-metal unibody design with an 85.4 percent screen-to-body ratio. Both tablets are also relatively light, weighing in at 485 grams.

Like its predecessor, the Xiaomi Pad 8 has an 11.2-inch crystal-clear display, putting out 3.2K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. The tablet supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. Also, the adaptive HDR features are capable of 800 nits of peak brightness.

Inside, the base Pad 8 sports a sizable upgrade, featuring a new Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 4nm chipset. This fresh processor is paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. It also comes with a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera.

What sets it apart from its Pro sibling? Well, the Pro sibling runs the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm SoC, has a bigger max storage of up to 512GB, and better cameras with 50MP rear and 32MP front.

This time around, the Xiaomi Pad 8 comes with more AI functionalities. Xiaomi HyperOS 3 comes with a substantial ecosystem through Xiaomi HyperConnect and Xiaomi HyperAI.

For connectivity, both tablets support Wi-Fi 7, USB 3.2 Gen 1, and Bluetooth 6.0. Of course, there’s always USB-C, which pairs well with turbo charging at 45W (base) and 67W (Pro). The battery itself has a comfortable 9200mAh capacity.

Price, availability

The Xiaomi Pad 8 series will be available in three storage configurations in the Pine Green, Blue, and Gray colorways.

The base Pad 8 starts at EUR 449.90 while the Pro variant retails for EUR 549.90.

There will also be a Matte Glass Version of the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro. This has a price tag of EUR 769.90 and only comes in 12+512GB configuration.