Xiaomi 15T review: Quality without innovation

Greatest Costs Right this moment: Xiaomi 15T

Xiaomi’s newest sub-flagship sequence is right here, and it guarantees to match flagship options with extra affordable costs.

I examined the Xiaomi 14T final yr, and it made an amazing impression, so I had excessive hopes for the brand new fashions.

On paper, the 15T doesn’t disappoint. It incorporates a newer, quicker processor, a bigger battery and a much bigger show with a slimmer bezel. It additionally has a fetching new look and a few novel software program options.

It’s not all excellent news, although. The show isn’t as shiny, and it has a barely decrease refresh price as effectively. It doesn’t appear as if the digital camera {hardware} has had upgrades both.

So, is the Xiaomi 15T value contemplating, or do you’ll want to shell out for the 15T Professional to see actual advantages? I’ve been testing it to seek out out and you’ll examine my findings to our evaluate of the Xiaomi 15 T Professional.

Design & Construct

• Glass again, plastic body
• 194g, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
• IP68 rated

The Xiaomi 15T appears to be like virtually utterly an identical to its Professional sibling. It’s precisely the identical dimension and form, besides that the LED flash unit is in a distinct place. On the 15T, it’s a part of the digital camera island, whereas on the Professional, it’s off to at least one aspect.

Luke Baker

Regardless of trying the identical, the 2 telephones really feel completely different. The Xiaomi 15T Professional has an aluminium body, whereas the usual 15T has a plastic body. This implies you don’t get that cold-metal really feel whenever you decide it up, and it additionally means the telephone is considerably lighter. It weighs 194g, in comparison with 210g.

Personally, I don’t thoughts a plastic body. Certain, it doesn’t really feel as premium however, as I stated, it’s lighter. Plus, usually, the body stays cooler when gaming, which is a plus.

You continue to get the identical IP68 ranking for mud and water resistance, the identical Gorilla Glass 7i coating on the display screen, and the identical glass fibre rear panel. By way of sturdiness, I wouldn’t anticipate there to be an enormous distinction between the 2 fashions. Each get a really related black TPU case within the field for added safety, too.

Luke Baker

The Xiaomi 15T is available in three metallic color choices, regardless of their plastic parts: Black, Grey or Rose Gold. I’ve the Grey mannequin in for testing, and whereas it doesn’t make an excessive amount of of an announcement, it appears to be like very slick {and professional}.

It’s value noting that this is a pretty big telephone, and its boxy, iPhone-like design makes it really feel bigger nonetheless. I’ve large fingers, so it wasn’t a difficulty for me, however in case you don’t, this telephone may really feel just a little unwieldy.

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.83-inch 1280 x 2772 OLED 120Hz
• 3200 nits peak brightness, 3840Hz PWM dimming
• Stereo audio system

The show is a particular spotlight of this telephone. It’s huge, absolutely flat, and has a slim, symmetrical bezel on all sides. It’s an OLED panel with a easy 120Hz refresh price, and it boasts the identical 3200 nits peak brightness as its Professional counterpart. It will possibly’t match the Professional’s 144Hz refresh price, however in actuality, I don’t assume most individuals are going to note that.

Luke Baker

Should you’re delicate to display screen flicker, a much bigger distinction is that the Professional mannequin has DC dimming, whereas the 15T makes use of PWM. In concept, the Professional ought to be extra comfy to have a look at with low brightness ranges, however as I’m not delicate to flicker, I can’t actually remark.

In any case, the 15T nonetheless gives high-frequency 3840Hz dimming, so it’s a lower above most in terms of eye safety. It has additionally been awarded TUV Rheinland’s Low Blue Gentle, Flicker Free and Circadian Pleasant certifications.

The panel seemed nice, it doesn’t matter what I used to be viewing, and HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient content material solely made it look higher. The darkish areas are deep and detailed, whereas the highlights are dazzling and lifelike. There are a great deal of choices for customising the color replica too.

Luke Baker

The telephone has twin stereo audio system, with one firing from the earpiece and the opposite from the bottom of the telephone, subsequent to the USB-C port. They sound virtually an identical to the 15T Professional. The soundstage is respectable, and so they can get astonishingly loud, however the bass replica isn’t the perfect.

Specs & Efficiency

• MediaTek Dimensity 8400-Extremely
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB / 512GB storage

The Xiaomi 15T Professional is powered by the Dimensity 8400-Extremely, the identical 4nm chip we’ve seen in gadgets just like the Poco X7 Professional. It’s not fairly flagship-level efficiency, however for most individuals’s wants, it’s greater than highly effective sufficient.

Luke Baker

To sweeten the deal, you get a beneficiant 256GB of storage as normal, and 12GB of RAM for all of your multitasking wants.

Usually talking, the telephone feels lightning fast. I by no means seen any stuttering or slowing once I was swiping across the OS, switching between a number of apps and scrolling social media.

It’s solely when taking part in a demanding sport that you just’ll actually discover the distinction between this and a correct flagship chip. For instance, I performed a variety of Wuthering Waves on the Xiaomi 15T Professional, and I used to be in a position to max out all of the settings with out difficulty. Nevertheless, on this telephone, I wanted to make use of the “Balanced” preset and play at 30fps for an optimum expertise. It might nonetheless play at greater settings, however it will start to stutter throughout intense scenes.

Luke Baker

After all, this solely issues in case you’re into graphically difficult titles or aggressive video games like PUBG Cell. For extra informal gaming, this telephone is greater than succesful. Plus, it by no means obtained too sizzling, even when making an attempt to run these troublesome video games, which is all the time a bonus.

Benchmarks

Cameras

• 50 Mp f/1.7 essential digital camera
• 40 Mp f/1.9 2x telephoto
• 12 Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide
• 32 Mp, f/2.2 selfie digital camera, fastened focus

The Xiaomi 15T sports activities the Gentle Fusion 800 picture sensor for its essential digital camera; it’s the identical one which the Poco F7 Extremely makes use of, so we’ve already seen that it’s able to glorious outcomes. Nevertheless, it’s a smaller sensor than the Professional mannequin, so it’s unlikely to match it in low-light conditions.

Luke Baker

You additionally get the identical 12Mp ultrawide and 32Mp selfie digital camera because the Professional, however the telephoto is way much less spectacular, providing solely a 2x optical zoom.

The 46mm equal focal size of the telephoto is a helpful one, and I usually discover it preferable to the comparatively extensive essential digital camera. Nevertheless, the shortcomings are plain to see. The minimal focus distance is fairly poor, and whereas the default digital camera app makes it seem like you’re utilizing the telephoto digital camera, in case your topic is shut up, it’s seemingly simply cropping into the principle digital camera as an alternative.

The issue is compounded by the truth that the principle sensor isn’t notably nice for macro pictures, and the ultrawide doesn’t have autofocus. So, if you wish to shoot macro, your solely actual choice is a digital crop of the principle sensor. It may not matter to everybody, however I discovered it disappointing.

The telephone can be nowhere close to as spectacular because the Professional mannequin for long-range zooms. It would look higher at its native 2x, however the degradation is straightforward to see at 5x, and it solely will get worse as you push in the direction of the utmost 60x digital zoom.

That stated, the Xiaomi 15T can nonetheless take nice images. It nonetheless advantages from Xiaomi’s partnership with Leica, and meaning you get entry to the identical glorious Leica-tuned color profiles and bokeh simulations as Xiaomi’s flagship gadgets.

There are nonetheless some surprisingly superior video options, too. You’ll be able to document in LOG when utilizing the Professional video mode, and even apply LUTs inside the digital camera app. This was current on the 14T as effectively, but it surely solely labored on the principle digital camera; now you are able to do it with all of the rear lenses.

You’ll be able to document at as much as 4K 60fps on the rear trio, whereas the selfie digital camera helps as much as 4K 30fps. Sadly, although, there’s no 4K 120fps mode – that’s solely out there on the Professional.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5500 mAh battery
• 67W wired charging
• No charger included

The Xiaomi 15T packs a 5500 mAh cell, identical to the Professional variant. Nevertheless, it doesn’t assist wi-fi charging, and the wired charging velocity is decreased to 67W. Neither mannequin comes with a charger within the field, only a USB-C cable, so that you may must issue that into the value in case you don’t have an appropriate adapter already.

Our traditional battery benchmark, the PCMark Work 3.0 Battery Drain check, exhibits that the Xiaomi 15T doesn’t final fairly so long as the Professional, however a rating of over 14 hours is nothing to be sniffed at. And actually, in use, I barely felt the distinction.

Luke Baker

I used to be nonetheless in a position to obtain two days on a cost once I used it extra conservatively. In any other case, a day and a half gave the impression to be fairly widespread. In any state of affairs, the Xiaomi 15T will get you to the top of the day, after which some, which is all you actually need.

Plus, whereas the charging velocity could have been nerfed on this mannequin, it’s nonetheless very fast. Half an hour on the charger takes you to round 65% charged, which could be very straightforward to dwell with. After all, I’d have liked to see wi-fi charging added to the equation, however at this worth, that’s nonetheless very unusual.

Software program & Apps

• Hyper OS, based mostly on Android 15
• Xiaomi Astral Communication
• Xiaomi HyperAI

The Xiaomi 15T runs a closely customised model of Android 15 known as Hyper OS. It’s the identical software program that you just’ll discover on all current Xiaomi and Poco handsets, and in case you’ve used Hyper OS earlier than, you gained’t be in for too many surprises.

Luke Baker

Hyper OS is a divisive working system; it adjustments a variety of the Android fundamentals and takes a little bit of inspiration from iOS, too. I’ll admit that it takes some getting used to, however as soon as I did, I discovered it very straightforward to dwell with.

It has a number of the most in-depth customisation choices of any Android pores and skin. So, if there’s one thing you don’t like within the default configuration, you may seemingly change it. I particularly get pleasure from what number of apps it lets me cram onto the homescreen.

One criticism I absolutely perceive although, is of the quantity of junk that comes preinstalled. There are folders filled with beneficial apps, and extra first-party apps than any model ought to actually need. Fortunately, cleansing them up is straightforward, as Xiaomi permits you to choose a great deal of apps without delay, but it surely’s a problem nonetheless.

Luke Baker

As for what’s new, there’s one thing that Xiaomi calls Astral Communication. It permits you to make voice calls between two Xiaomi 15T gadgets with out the necessity for mobile reception. I’ve struggled to fulfill up with folks at festivals this yr when the community will get overloaded, and this can be a potential answer.

This telephone ought to be capable of make calls over distances of 1.3km when free from obstructions, however partitions and timber will restrict that distance. I gave it a fast attempt, and it really works as marketed, however the truth that it solely works on Xiaomi 15T gadgets will restrict its enchantment. I’m certain Xiaomi will roll this out to different handsets sooner or later, and when it does, it’ll seemingly make Xiaomi a really interesting choice for hikers and explorers. In actual fact, right here’s why we predict it’s a game-changer.

Value & Availability

The Xiaomi 15T has the identical MSRP as its predecessor. It begins at £549/€549 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, extending to £599/€599 for the 512GB mannequin.

In both case, it’s about £100 cheaper than the Professional mannequin. That stated, the Professional justifies its worth effectively, including an aluminium building, wi-fi charging, a extra highly effective processor and a powerful 5x telephoto to the equation. The suitable one for you’ll all rely in your private wants and you’ll examine it to our high suggestions in our round-up of the perfect mid-range telephones.

The Xiaomi 15T is offered to order instantly from Xiaomi’s official retailer or via a third-party reseller corresponding to Amazon. It’ll be broadly out there within the UK and Europe, however as traditional, you’re not more likely to discover it within the US.

Should you get in early, Xiaomi has a variety of particular launch gives working till 31 October, together with bundles that embody a free 43-inch Hearth TV and Xiaomi 90W quick charger.

Must you purchase the Xiaomi 15T?

The Xiaomi 15T is a well-specced telephone at a really inexpensive worth, and for these causes, I can see it being a preferred choice. I believe the brand new design appears to be like nice, and in case you can ignore the plastic body, you might simply mistake this for a flagship handset.

The issue is that it doesn’t convey lots to the desk in comparison with final yr’s 14T. Certain, there’s a more moderen processor, a much bigger battery and the display screen is bigger, however the display screen isn’t as shiny or speedy, and the cameras haven’t seen a lot development. Comparatively, the 15T Professional has seen rather more of an improve, boasting a recent 5x periscope telephoto and 4K 120fps recording capabilities.

The bottom Xiaomi 15T continues to be an amazing telephone, it’s simply not as thrilling, and house owners of the 14T will seemingly see little purpose to improve. That’s, except you’re within the new Astral Communication characteristic, which is at present unmatched available in the market. It’s a really helpful addition, however the truth that it solely at present works between 15T-series gadgets will severely restrict its enchantment – hopefully we’ll see extra Xiaomi gadgets undertake the usual sooner or later.

Specs

• Hyper OS, based mostly on Android 15
• 6.83-inch 1280 x 2772 OLED 120Hz
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Extremely
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB / 512GB storage
• Digital camera:
• 50Mp essential sensor
• 12Mp ultrawide
• 50Mp 2x telephoto
• 32Mp selfie digital camera
• As much as 4K @ 60fps rear video
• Stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM + eSIIM
• Wi-Fi 6e
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 5500mAh battery
• 67W wired charging
• 163.2 x 78.0 x 7.50mm
• IP68 licensed
• 194g
• Colors: Black, Grey, Rose Gold