Xiaomi 15 review

Xiaomi bombards us with so many reasonably priced smartphone choices underneath its Redmi and Poco sub-brands that it may be simple to neglect what the corporate’s day job is.

That’s: making extraordinarily well-equipped flagship telephones worthy of blending with the Google Pixels and Samsung Galaxies of this world.

Certainly, 2024’s Xiaomi 14 was arguably probably the most spectacular compact flagship cellphone of the yr. The Xiaomi 15 picks up the place that cellphone left off, making valuable few compromises regardless of a comparatively small type issue.

There may be purpose for concern, nevertheless, in that Xiaomi has bumped up the asking worth by between £50 and £100. Does the Xiaomi 15 do sufficient to justify such a rise, and is it as much as the duty of topping the Google Pixel 9 Professional and the Samsung Galaxy S25?

Design & Construct

• Very acquainted feel and look
• Compact and stylish
• 4 colors

It didn’t trouble our reviewer that the Xiaomi 14 regarded so much just like the Xiaomi 13. Third time round for this design within the Xiaomi 15, although, has us feeling a little bit stressed.

Particularly when mentioned design was hardly recent and distinctive to start with. True, Xiaomi isn’t the one producer to have cribbed from Apple’s homework. However that simply signifies that the Xiaomi 15, the Pixel 9 Professional, the Galaxy S25 and, in fact, the iPhone 16 Professional all look just about the identical.

You’ve the identical flat metallic body, the identical dead-flat entrance and rear glass surfaces, and the identical curved corners.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

The principle factor that distinguishes all of those telephones is their very own distinctive takes on the digicam module. Xiaomi primarily takes the iPhone’s curvy sq. platform and fills in all of the area between the three cameras, so it’s a single flat piece of glass.

Familiarity apart, there’s no denying that the Xiaomi 15 is a effectively constructed piece of equipment, and one which’s pretty to make use of day after day. It’s not as small and lightweight because the Galaxy S25, however at 152.3 x 71.2 x 8.08mm and 191g, it’s nonetheless on the smaller finish of the smartphone spectrum.

Xiaomi claims to have toughened up the Xiaomi 15, too, with a Xiaomi Defend Glass materials that’s mentioned to be 10x extra drop resistant than the Xiaomi 14’s Gorilla Glass Victus. The aluminium body of the cellphone, in the meantime, is reportedly 33% harder, and you continue to get IP68 certification into the cut price.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

It’s unimaginable to check these claims of superiority, in fact. All I can say is that the Xiaomi 15 got here away utterly unscathed from the on a regular basis bumps and bashes of my check interval – though this was likely aided by the welcome inclusion of a silicone case.

My mannequin is available in a sober Black, with a matt end that stands up effectively to fingerprints. I’m intrigued by the Liquid Silver choice’s “shimmering curves crafted from heat-bent glass”, though this particular end provides a little bit to the thickness and weight of the cellphone.

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.36-inch AMOLED
• 1-120Hz
• Stereo audio system

A pervasive sense of familiarity creeps into the Xiaomi 15’s show as effectively, though this time it’s completely comprehensible. The Xiaomi 14’s display screen was wonderful.

As soon as once more you’re getting a 6.36in AMOLED panel with a 2670 x 1200 (aka 1.5K) decision. It’s an LTPO panel, which signifies that it could possibly scale all the way in which between 1 and 120Hz to avoid wasting battery when these excessive refresh charges aren’t wanted – which is more often than not.

There’s been one tweak with this yr’s mannequin, and that’s a barely greater peak brightness of 3200 nits, in comparison with 3000 nits within the Xiaomi 14.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

That solely pertains to restricted HDR eventualities. Basically use, with auto brightness off and the daylight enhance lively, I recorded a high brightness of 799 nits. It’s not fairly Pixel 9 Professional territory, but it surely’s nonetheless very robust.

HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient are supported, and all of the media content material I threw on the Xiaomi 15 regarded nice. This is without doubt one of the most colour-accurate screens in its class, and I wasn’t compelled to change away from its default ‘Unique color PRO’ color scheme to attain such a pure look both.

Xiaomi has upgraded the under-display fingerprint sensor to an ultrasonic unit, making it as much as 50% quicker and safer than the previous optical sensor. I can vouch for its pace and accuracy.

Flanking the show – not less than in panorama orientation – is a set of audio system that get impressively loud with out distortion. They nonetheless lack a little bit low finish grunt and nuance, however they provide a loud, crisp output.

Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 8 Elite
• 12GB RAM
• 256/512GB storage

Efficiency is unimpeachable on the Xiaomi 15, correctly with each 2025 cellphone that makes use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. This actually is a beast of a chip, providing class-leading efficiency together with respectable power effectivity.

Geekbench 6 benchmark outcomes are broadly in step with the Samsung Galaxy S25 and the OnePlus 13, to not point out the Xiaomi 15 Extremely. All of which utilise the identical chip. They’re additionally approach forward of the Google Pixel 9 Professional with its outclassed Tensor G4 chip.

We’ll need to replace this assessment with GPU benchmark outcomes after the cellphone’s launch. Xiaomi blocked its cellphone from accessing any such server-referencing GPU assessments earlier than the assessment embargo.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Nonetheless, I’m not remotely involved for the cellphone on this respect. With the Snapdragon 8 Elite onboard, I’m fairly assured the Xiaomi 15 goes to attain equally effectively to its contemporaries. It’s able to working GRID Legends and Genshin Impression very fluidly on maxed out settings.

It must be famous that the mannequin Xiaomi despatched to me for testing comes with 16GB of RAM, regardless of the very fact I used to be informed that each UK fashions (256 and 512GB) will solely include 12GB. Once more, that ought to show ample – it’s a match for the Galaxy S25 not less than – but it surely’s at all times a little bit annoying each time such specs aren’t universally utilized.

It is a effectively specced cellphone elsewhere as effectively, with Bluetooth 6.0 and Wi-Fi 7 help overlaying your connectivity bases.

Xiaomi additionally provides its customary IR blaster, this time as a part of the digicam module, so you possibly can management your TV or Hello-Fi utilizing the offered Mi Distant app.

Xiaomi 15 benchmarks

Cameras

• Triple 50Mp rear cameras with Leica
• New improved 60mm telephoto
• 32Mp selfie cam

We have been severely impressed with the Xiaomi 14’s photographic chops, so it’s comprehensible that the corporate has solely made average enhancements to the Xiaomi 15 digicam system.

You’re nonetheless getting a succesful trio of Leica-branded cameras, led as soon as once more by a 1/1.31″ 50Mp f/1.62 Mild Fusion 900 sensor. That is accompanied by OIS and a 7P lens array.

This fundamental digicam produces photographs with loads of element and dynamic vary, along with spot-on publicity. Colors seem both good and pure in Leica Genuine mode, or with a punchier and extra Insta-worthy look in Leica Vibrant. Each taking pictures modes are at all times out there from the principle digicam UI.

Xiaomi provides among the most in depth portrait choices round, too. You may select between 4 focal lengths, whereas Grasp Portrait mode boosts the depth and vibrancy of those photographs.

The 50Mp f/2.2 ultrawide digicam seems the identical as earlier than, and is a stable panorama snapper, if a notable step again from the principle digicam by way of element and publicity. What’s actually new this time round is the 50Mp Leica 60mm floating telephoto digicam.

Technically the optical zoom has taken a step again from the Xiaomi 14’s 3.2x (60mm right here equates to 2.6x), however I’ve few complaints about that. Hybrid zoom photographs taken on the Xiaomi 15 look nice proper as much as 5x, and nonetheless look fairly respectable at 10x.

Extra importantly, this new telephoto digicam captures double the dynamic vary of the Xiaomi 14 equal. Positive sufficient, the zoomed-in photographs that I took captured the distinction between brilliant and shady areas superbly, with wealthy colors that pop with out that synthetic, processed look.

This new telephoto digicam additionally enables you to take properly detailed macro photographs from a distance of 10cm. In reality, this doesn’t really feel like probably the most spectacular macro implementation I’ve seen, with the digicam not in a position to get fairly shut sufficient for correct perspective-shifting outcomes, but it surely nonetheless expands your creative choices.

Behind the scenes, Xiaomi claims that its AISP 2.0 AI picture processing algorithm runs 82% quicker. That is one other ingredient that’s exhausting to quantify in actual time, however I can actually verify that the taking pictures expertise is sharp and fluid, with no pauses or delays for processing.

The 32Mp entrance digicam stays a powerful performer, too. It recognises and locks onto faces shortly and persistently, and can robotically ‘zoom out’ to the broader 0.8x view if it detects that your selfie topic is a little bit too tight.

I did discover a curious shadowy halo impact on one set of selfies taken in shadow with a sunny background, although.

Video continues to impress, with 8K doable at 24 or 30fps, or 4K/60fps with Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Battery Life & Charging

• Considerably bigger 5240mAh battery
• 90W HyperCharge
• 50W wi-fi HyperCharge

The Xiaomi 15 packs a 5240mAh battery, which is 14% bigger than its predecessor.

At this level, we might level to the truth that that is a lot bigger than the Samsung Galaxy S25’s 4000mAh battery. Nevertheless, the extra exceptional comparability can be with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – a significantly larger phone with a smaller 5000mAh cell.

Xiaomi claims that this larger battery, in conjunction with a more efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, leads to a 25% boost in battery life.

I’m not entirely convinced by that claim. In our PCMark Work 3.0 battery tests, the Xiaomi 15 scored 13 hours 50 minutes – just over an hour longer than the Xiaomi 14 12 hours and 43 minutes, which is about a 9% increase.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

That’s a considerable improvement nonetheless. It still falls well short of the Samsung Galaxy S25’s score, but it narrowly beats the Google Pixel 9 Pro.

I certainly never struggled with the Xiaomi 15’s stamina in day to day use. On a working day with 4 hours 20 minutes of screen on time – what I’d call the upper end of ‘moderate’ usage – I would tend to be left with 50% left in the tank. It’s a potential two-dayer.

Xiaomi hasn’t touched its charging provision, but it really didn’t need to. 90W wired continues to be hugely competitive, and way beyond what the Samsung Galaxy s25 (25W), Google Pixel 9 Pro (27W), and iPhone 16 Pro (25W) offer.

What’s more, unlike those rivals, you get Xiaomi’s speedy 90W HyperCharge charging brick in the box.

It’s good enough to get the Xiaomi from 0% to 39% in just 15-minutes, and then 68% in half an hour. That’s not as good as the Xiaomi 14, due to the larger capacity battery, but it comfortably beats its compact rivals.

On the wireless charging side, 50W support goes similarly above-and-beyond. You’ll need the relevant Xiaomi Wireless Charging Stan Pro charger for the job though, otherwise it’s plain old Qi speeds, and with no magnetised Qi2 support.

Software & Apps

• HyperOS 2.0
• Android 15
• AI provision feels somewhat threadbare

Xiaomi has upgraded its UI to HyperOS 2.0 layered over Android 15, but this is very much business as usual. If you’ve used a Xiaomi phone with HyperOS or its predecessor MIUI before, it will all feel familiar.

That’s not exactly a glowing recommendation, because Xiaomi’s take on Android has never been my favourite. It’s quite a fussy UI, with cluttered and confusing menus, loads of extra system apps, and a convoluted split notification menu.

Xiaomi has wisely reinstated the Settings menu shortcut to this menu, so that’s an improvement over HyperOS 1.0. More praise should be offered for the general speed and fluidity of the UI, which never stuttered during my time with the Xiaomi 15.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Indeed, with the high degree of personalisation potential, I was able to tweak the UI to a point where I found it quite pleasant to use. However, I switched back and forth between this and the Pixel 9 Pro a few times during the review period, and I was always happy to return to Google’s flagship with its sleek, stylish UI.

Bloatware is still a wearisome issue here. There are 10 third-party apps preinstalled, including such non-essentials as Booking.com, LinkedIn, and AliExpress.

At least you don’t get a folder full of terrible games, as you do on Xiaomi’s cheaper phones. There are only the two web browsers this time around, too, which is progress of a sort.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

This being a 2025 flagship phone, the Xiaomi 15 packs in a few AI tools, though it doesn’t seem to be as all-in as Google or Samsung. Head into AI services in the Settings menu and you’ll find just six AI-enhanced elements. One of those is Google’s Circle to Search, too, which I seemed unable to initiate despite being toggled on. Perhaps I’m missing something.

Still, Gemini is prominently placed, and Xiaomi offers its own AI-enhanced tools for note summaries and layout assistance, translation, video subtitles, and the like.

There are loads of AI tools in the Gallery app, too, though you’ll need to install individual plug-ins for each tool. Background object removal works, but not as elegantly as Google’s or Samsung’s, while changing the skies felt a bit more Instagram filter-like to me.

There’s certainly nothing as spookily impressive as Google’s scene manipulation tools here.

Price & Availability

The Xiaomi 15 hits the UK in two variants, starting with the model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for £899.

Then there’s a step up model with the same 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for £999.

Given that the Xiaomi 14 started from £849, this represents a £50 price bump. Even worse is that the 512GB model of the Xiaomi 14 arrived at just £899, which represents a £100 price increase.

Considering that larger increase for the top model, I’m a little confused as to why the top UK model only has 12GB of RAM. It’s not that this is a substandard amount, but rather that the model I was sent for testing comes with 16GB.

With double the storage and an increase in RAM, this price disparity would be more understandable.

Regardless of the price bump, I’d argue that the Xiaomi 15 represents excellent value for money. It’s £10 cheaper than the equivalent 256GB model of the Samsung Galaxy S25, despite featuring a better camera, display, and charging provision, as well as a larger battery.

It’s also £200 cheaper than the equivalent Pixel 9 Pro. Google’s compact flagship runs the Xiaomi 15 closer in many respects, but falls well short on performance, stamina, and charging.

You can buy both variants of the Xiaomi 15 direct from the Xiaomi UK website. As usual, Xiaomi isn’t selling the Xiaomi 15 in the US.

Should you buy the Xiaomi 15?

The Xiaomi 15 hasn’t changed all that much from the Xiaomi 14, and it’s received an unwelcome price bump into the bargain. Despite that, it remains one of the best compact flagship options on the market.

Its performance is up there with the best; its display is sharp and accurate; and its camera system is beautifully accomplished. Xiaomi has squeezed in a much larger battery this time around, while its charging provision remains one of the most impressive in its class.

Even the unfortunate matter of the price bump isn’t all that much of a complaint – it’s still cheaper than all of its compact flagship rivals when you compare like for like storage capacities.

Just about the only major complaint I have relates to Xiaomi’s overly busy software, which continues to fall short of the Pixel 9 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro on clarity, usability, and ongoing support. If you can live with that, there’s no more impressive a small phone than this.

Specs

• Android 15 with HyperOS 2
• 6.36in, 1.5K, OLED, 120Hz, flat display
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
• 12GB LPDDR5X RAM
• 256GB/512GB storage
• 50Mp, f/1.62 main camera
• 50Mp, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
• 50Mp, f/2.0 telephoto macro camera
• Up to 8K @ 30fps rear video
• 32Mp front-facing camera
• Stereo speakers
• Dual-SIM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 5240mAh battery
• 90W wired charging, 50W wireless charging
• 152.3 x 71.2 x 8.08mm
• 191g
• Launch colours: Black, White, Green, Liquid Silver