I Tested the Xiaomi 15 Ultra for 2 Weeks: Here’s Everything You Need to Know
this Xiaomi 14 Ultra It’s one of them The best phone number In 2024, thanks to the great camera system that took some of the best photos I’ve seen from one camera. At its core is its 1-inch image sensor, which is physically larger than the sensors in almost every other phone. result? Images that look great in various conditions.
But now it’s 2025, Xiaomi 15 Ultra is here to try to attract more photographers away Apple’s clutch.
There are many updates on the phone, including powerful features Snapdragon 8 Elite Processor There are also many new AI skills – because obviously all phones need to have AI built in if you like it or not. Although the camera doesn’t see many updates, there are still some tweaks that can interest the photographer.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra Global version is in Mobile World Congress In Barcelona. If you want 1TB, it will be available later this month in the UK and in Europe, with a price of £1,299 and a storage of £512GB or £1,499. Like other Xiaomi phones, 15 Ultras will not be available in the US, but for reference, the UK’s base price is converted to $1,630 or $2,630.
This is the most important thing to know about the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra comes with a fourth-generation operating system update and six years of security support.
The camera doesn’t change much, but it’s still good
I’m plagued by the huge image sensors inside the 14 Ultra main cameras, so I think I should be glad that the 15 Ultra retained it. But I was a little disappointed because it was actually the same model – Sony Lyt-900. Of course, this is a great sensor, not that old, but I would love to see Xiaomi accept it Winning formula Starting last year, make it better.
Maybe the lens is better? On paper, I actually think there is a downgrade. The 14 Ultras have a rare variable aperture that opens from the wide open style of f/1.6 and may be closed to f/4. When the light in the dark shoots the point of the shooting point, it allows for attractive star effects. 15 Ultra has gotten rid of this and instead has a fixed f/1.6 aperture – Xiaomi says it can achieve the same effect by “optimizing through software and updating algorithms”. sigh.
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While you can adjust the depth of the field intensity in portrait mode (the amount of background blur behind the back), I found a few things wrong. First, an image with blur cannot be saved, so no matter why you set it up, it looks the same. This may just be an early software issue, and I’m sure they will be solved. But the lack of a truly adjustable aperture also means you no longer burst into beautiful stars on street lights at night.
Here are 15 Ultra camera apps.
These star bursts may be an exciting niche, but they do change the look of nighttime photos, and the effect is one of my favorite things to do Shooted with 14 Ultra. It is frustrating to see such innovations lean towards software-based “solutions”. This is exactly me Too many complaints about last yearAI is the only area that companies are innovating now. Ironically, in that post I appreciate Xiaomi for 14 Ultras, but I won’t be able to use this new model.
It’s also weird to see the speeding camera’s aperture has dropped from f/1.8 to f/2.2. The only actual upgrade I can see is that the telephoto zooms with a higher resolution and can be used for magnifying lenses that look better.
However, this is still a powerful camera setup and I like some of the lenses in the tests I like. Like the 14 Ultra, the camera is certified by Leica and has some Leica-approved color styles to choose from, and my favorite is still the high-contrast black and white mode. Great for powerful monochrome street photography.
You can see the selection of my test image here, and it’s OK Check out my longer example gallery If you’re eager to see more cameras.
Vibrant colors, exposure and details of outdoor shots taken on the console.
I love powerful street photography in Edinburgh using Leica High Contrast Black and White mode.
With RAW and editing in Lightroom, the camera’s ability to capture beautiful light and shadows makes my delightful hairy miraculously amazing balls look great.
The time taken from the main camera this night looked great, although I wish it would have wanted more, while a subtle star burst out on the street lights.
Using the telephoto zoom lens, I was able to fill the frame with the embarrassment of this street performer, which forced two strangers to shake hands for a long time.
Here, telephoto zoom captures a nice natural attraction around the couple.
The photography kit is a great addition
Yes, you can buy 15 Ultras with the same photography kit as last year’s model. It includes a box, power grip with shutter buttons, and an attached ring that allows you to use the regular 67mm photography filter. Great grip. It clicks neatly, adding some extra battery life to the phone, shutter buttons and settings wheels allow you to shoot like you would with a compact camera. It’s much more comfortable than having no photos.
It has also been updated with a new thumb grip attachment to make it easier to hold. There is also a soft screw-type shutter-release button that is larger than the original button that is screwed in and easier to find and hit. If you are keen to use your phone for street or travel photography, the photography kit is worth it.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra wears its optional photographer’s kit.
The processor is a powerful person
The phone found by Snapdragon 8 Elite Chip in Xiaomi 15 Ultra has left a deep impression on us OnePlus 13 Its power is also obvious here. It scored significant scores in our benchmarks, while daily operations were fast and lag-free.
This is also great for gamers, with demanding titles like Genshin Impact doing well with maximum settings and 60 frames per second. Qualcomm’s 8 Elite chips are designed not only for raw power, but also for better AI processing. This made me neatly…
There are many new AI skills
Google Gemini and Gemini Advanced are built-in standards, including conversational Gemini Live and circle or search. But Xiaomi has also put forward some of its own functions. There is a generated text tool that creates text blocks based on your prompts, and a useful tool to create text transcripts from voice recordings – perfect for busy technical journalists.
There are also various image-centric AI tools that can use to generate AI to extend images, delete things in the scene or simply sharpen images. AI tools all work as much as I hoped, but it is worth mentioning that for some reason they all require an Internet connection to use an Internet connection – including a voice transcript tool.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra runs on Android 15.
Acceptable software support period
These 15 Ultras have launched Android 15 on board, and Xiaomi promises to receive four-generation Android updates and six years of security support. This is less than the flagships offered by Samsung and Google (seven years of software and security support), and I certainly would love to see Xiaomi matches and even beat competitors here, especially considering the high price of the phone.
Despite this, the six-year shelf life is pretty good (one One third of people keep their phone calls Three years or more) and match what OnePlus’ recent OnePlus 13 flagships offer.
The rest of the phones are solid too
Battery life is great, but not great. It performs better than the OnePlus 13 in our demanding video streaming test Galaxy S25 Ultra. You can definitely expect a day of use, but like all phones, you may want to charge it in full overnight. The 6.7-inch display is bright, vibrant and sharp with pins. The video looks great, as are the colorful mobile games.
The phone is also rated at IP68 to help keep it safe from spilled beverages. All in all, this is a phone that can be ticked from almost every box in today’s flagship store. I just wish I saw more camera innovations in this year’s model. Still, it undoubtedly requires excellent images that rival any flagship store today. If you are looking for a high-performance Android phone to serve as the main camera on your trip, it is certainly worth considering.
