Xiaomi, in contrast to Google and Samsung, thinks digicam {hardware} comes first

When it launched the 17 and 17 Ultra in Europe on Saturday, Xiaomi bucked an trade pattern: it didn’t actually speak about AI all that a lot. And it actually didn’t speak about AI when it confirmed off the 2 telephones’ cameras, together with a particular version 17 Ultra co-created with Leica. According to Angus Ng, the corporate’s director of communications and public relations, that’s no mistake.

“We’re still currently focusing on what is the limitation of hardware,” Ng instructed me at MWC 2026, once I requested why its images method appeared so totally different to Google and Samsung’s current Pixel 10A and Galaxy S26 launches. “If it really comes to a point where we cannot do any more innovations, then we’ll also start looking at the software side.”

“Obviously we do have software and AI processing within our current imaging sensors and imaging system, but it’s just not as obvious as Samsung,” he added. “When we did use AI processing two years ago, a year ago, when we really focused on that, the feedback wasn’t that overwhelmingly positive.”

As for why Samsung has taken a unique method, Ng has a private principle, and never essentially a flattering one: “Because their hardware did not upgrade, they focused their strategy on software.”