The Xiaomi 15 Ultra costs the same as last year’s 14 Ultra but features a (slightly) new design, a larger periscope camera, and an optional case that I’d actually use—it’s stylish and functional. Like other Ultra phones on the market, this is a camera-focused smartphone—one that offers plenty of lenses to explore different perspectives.
Xiaomi’s new flagship is feature-packed in every aspect. I used it for a few hours at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona and took it for a photowalk around the city. Here are my takeaways.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s biggest upgrade lies under its huge camera module. It replaces the 50MP periscope camera (5x optical zoom) in favor of a 200MP periscope sensor (4.3x optical zoom), similar to the Vivo X200 Pro and the Honor Magic 7 Pro. The higher resolution also comes with a larger sensor and a faster aperture, which should result in better low-light photography.
I captured a few indoor photos in red and black lighting, and it performed really well. The above image captured details on the Flamenco dancer’s face and gave the picture a nice, vivid look. The color accuracy is great, too, but the processing can be inconsistent at times.
The other three cameras are all 50MP but with a few differences from last year’s setup. For example, the 50MP main camera is still a 1-inch-type sensor but opts for a fixed f/1.6 aperture instead of variable aperture tech.
It is accompanied by a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a smaller 50MP ultrawide camera with a 115-degree field of view (versus 122 degrees on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra).
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra has the potential to capture some excellent portraits, but two photos clicked within a second can be processed differently. For example, the above two shots were captured within a second with point and shoot (no touch and shoot), and the the two photos were processed very differently.
The ultrawide is still good enough to come in handy when needed.
In terms of video capabilities, you can now capture LOG videos on all lenses. I shot the Flamenco performance for a few minutes, and while the phone got slightly warm to the touch, it wasn’t worrisome heating. The thermals seem to be better than last year.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra: What Else Should You Know?
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra features a dual-tone finish on the back, reminiscent of Leica cameras. If you don’t prefer that, you can opt for a classic black color option or a white variant that comes with an embedded pattern. I like the in-hand feel of the phone.
It’s comfortable to hold, but I found myself fumbling with it when capturing photos. It’s IP68-rated for dust and water resistance and sports stronger glass protection on top of the display.
On the front, you get a 6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision support. It was easily legible outdoors.
The peak brightness can now go up to 3,200 nits for supported content (vs. 3,000 nits previously). It runs HyperOS 2, based on Android 15, which, in my limited time, seemed smoother and more fluid than before.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra flagship is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage. I haven’t been able to run any benchmarks yet, and will be writing about it later, after I’ve used it for at least two weeks.
The new Xiaomi flagship packs a 5,410mAh battery, which is smaller than the 6,000mAh cell found on the Chinese variant. It supports wireless charging. I’m skeptical about the battery life but it’s claimed to last all day.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is priced at 1,499 euros and should launch in more markets soon.
