Phones have gotten bigger and bigger in the last half decade, a trend that makes sense considering we’re doing and consuming more on our phones than ever before. Almost all the highest-tier flagship phones come at the 6.7- to 6.9-inch size.
But there is a small but vocal minority who do not like the trend, constantly yearning (on Reddit, on X/Twitter, in my YouTube video comment section) for the days of a sub-6-inch phone.
Well, I’m sorry to burst the bubble, but the days of phones with 5.7-inch screens are over. The majority of people consume too much visual content, or type too much, on their phones to want a screen that cramped. We know this because the iPhone Mini sold so poorly that Apple discontinued the series after two years. If Apple can’t make the small phone work, nobody can.
And so, if you’re yearning for a “small” phone in 2025, the best you can hope for is something in the 6.1- to 6.3-inch range. And Xiaomi’s latest global release, the Xiaomi 15, is the best small phone. It’s got a better camera and screen than Apple’s iPhone 16 or 16e or Samsung’s base-model S25, and it packs much more power than Google’s soon-to-launch Pixel 9a. But, as has been the case with Xiaomi’s global releases lately, the price in Europe is too high (€999, which converts to $1,092) while it’s very attractive in Asia (in Hong Kong it’s around HK$5,000, which converts to $643).
I’ve been told the drastic price markup in Europe is due to a variety of factors such as import tax, European carrier middleman fees, etc. Whatever the case, Xiaomi flagships are in this odd space of being high value propositions in Asia while being premium priced in Europe.
But honestly, while I think $1,092 is a bit high for the Xiaomi 15, it is definitely far better than a $643 phone should be. It’s got a flagship processor from Qualcomm, a flagship 120Hz OLED screen with thinner bezels than what the iPhone 16/Pixel 9a/Galaxy S25 offers, and a pretty good camera system with a strong telephoto lens.
Design
The Xiaomi 15, as mentioned already, is a relatively compact phone, weighing 190g and measuring 8.1mm. It fits into my average adult male hand very easily, though if I am using it one-handed, my thumb still has to stretch to reach the other side of the screen.
The 1200 X 2670 6.36-inch OLED display is razor sharp, and gets over 3,000 nits in maximum brightness. The borders that wrap the display are among the smallest I’ve seen in any phone. Unlike its more premium Ultra model (I’ll review that next), the display is 100% flat, but the edges blend into the aluminum chassis smoothly without rough edges.
The phone’s design can be considered minimal, with a rectangular camera island on the upper left side, while the rest of the phone is mostly plain. I dig this look, especially the new light green colorway.
There’s an in-display ultra-sonic fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, and excellent haptic engine. All the components are top notch, except for maybe the camera system, which is a tier below the company’s own “Ultra” phone, and also behind competitor Vivo’s X200 Pro phones.
Cameras
The camera system consists of a trio of 50-megapixel cameras, covering the now expected wide (about 23mm), ultra-wide (15mm) and telephoto (in this phone, 60mm, or about 2.5X zoom). The sensor sizes for all three lenses are respectable, but nothing mind blowing. The main and ultra-wide cameras get the job done, but as usual, I adore the telephoto lens the most. I think increasingly, the gap in main camera among all the top phone brands are disappearing, as every phone’s main camera can do a great job. The true test comes in the telephoto lens, which requires more complex optics and processing to achieve a zoom effect.
The telephoto here is a floating lens, meaning the minimum focus distance can shift to become a sort of macro sensor. It’s not a new lens, Xiaomi’s been using this lens for at least two years now, but I loved it two years ago and it still holds up very well today. It’s this zoom lens, by the way, that sets this phone apart from other “small” phones like the Galaxy S25 or iPhone 16, which have either mediocre or no zoom capabilities.
Other bits and final thoughts
Elsewhere, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is a beast of a performer: the phone hits high marks in benchmarks, and doesn’t stutter when running games or exporting videos.
Battery life is a strong point for a small phone too. The 5,240 mAh cell is enough to power the phone all day even for heavy users. And it can be charged at 90W speed or 50W speed wirelessly. Do note the charger is not included in all regions: in Asia you get a charger, but in Europe, you do not.
The Xiaomi 15 runs Android 15 with its own HyperOS skin on top. I like HyperOS but don’t love it. For the most part it’s a clean UI interface, and there are some useful Xiaomi features like the ability to connect to a Xiaomi tablet, or access to Xiaomi’s excellent object eraser AI features. But HyperOS is lacking in gestures compared to Oppo’s ColorOS, and the latter also has a more dynamic multi-tasking system.
There are also minor gripes, like a confusing settings page. The latter has been an issue with Xiaomi software for years, it just takes me an extra 10 to 20 seconds to find specific settings sometimes because Xiaomi organizes it differently from all other Android phone. For example, I made some sensitive screenshots “private” in the Xiaomi photo gallery, and then I was unable to find how to access the private photo files for a good five minutes. I had to dig around that long to find it. Trust me, I do not have this issue with other phones.
Ultimately, the Xiaomi 15 is a very good compact flagship, and I think if you can find it closer to Asia price, it’s a device very worthy of consideration. But in Europe closer to $1,000, it’s too much. I’d rather pay a bit more for the Xiaomi 15 Ultra or get the Vivo X200 Pro.
