Pros
- Powerful cpu.
- Camera can take spectacular footage.
- Six years of software program program help.
Cons
- Extremely expensive.
- Useful digital digicam grasp is an costly added.
- Camera’s automobile setting will be underwhelming.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra was among the many simplest telephones of 2024, many thanks in no tiny element to an excellent digital digicam system that took just a few of the simplest footage I’ve ever earlier than seen from a cam telephone. The follow-up, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, has an incredible deal to satisfy, and in a number of strategies, it does.
It’s an outright big: It’s obtained a ravishing display screen, and its digital digicam configuration takes spectacular footage. You can nonetheless get it with the digital images set that features a maintain and shutter swap to correctly remodel it proper right into a small digital digicam, but there are some cautions holding me again from calling the 15 Ultra an general success.
After taking management of 1,000 footage with the telephone, I’ve pertained to the decision that whereas this telephone can take wonderful footage, you require to perform more durable to acquire them. Simply capturing within the automobile setting isn’t the means to acquire the simplest outcomes beneath. I’ll return to this afterward. But within the meantime, really feel in a single’s bones that this can be a telephone for devoted skilled photographers simply– casual snappers will definitely be significantly better off wanting in the direction of the apple iphone 16 Pro and even the Pixel 9 Pro.
The 15 Ultra makes use of the precise exact same 1-inch form photograph sensing unit for its main digital digicam as its precursor, and I’m let all the way down to not see an gear improve, significantly bearing in mind the telephone’s excessive fee. Xiaomi moreover selected to ditch the 14 Ultra’s uncommon variable aperture– amongst my favored attributes– for “software-based” choices that I can with confidence declare should not a really perfect substitute.
I’ll confess, nonetheless, that some great benefits of the variable aperture are marginal, and many folks will more than likely by no means ever additionally see a distinction. Still, it annoys me to see genuine improvement discarded for software program program workarounds. It’s exactly what I grumbled concerning in 2015, with AI being the one location the place enterprise are introducing at present. Ironically, as a result of put up, I praised Xiaomi for the 14 Ultra’s dependence on gear for its improbable footage, but I cannot declare the very same concerning this brand-new design.
MWC 2025: Xiaomi’s Photography-Focused 15 Ultra Is a Powerhouse
See all footage
There’s little question although that the 15 Ultra is a huge Android cell normally. Its stable effectivity, appropriate battery life and vigorous display screen assist warrant its entrance runner situation. Also, its 6 years of general software program program help isn’t regrettable both. But this telephone is way from low-cost. It’s on the market within the UK and broader Europe at present for ₤ 1,299 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of space for storing, or ₤ 1,499 should you need 1TB. That’s much more expensive than each the apple iphone 16 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S25Ultra
Like varied different Xiaomi telephones, the 15 Ultra will definitely not be supplied to get within the United States, nonetheless, for suggestion, that base UK fee converts to $1,630 or AU$ 2,630.
Is it value your cash? Let’s take a look.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra digital digicam
I took management of 1,000 examination footage with the telephone up till now, and I anticipate I’ll take way more all through 2025. I’ve taken it to Scotland and England, to Barcelona, and likewise to an icy and winterySweden I tried to document no matter from highway digital images to panorama and touring photographs. In brief, I’ve truly contain acknowledge this digital digicam.
I actually really feel cozy informing you that you just can take some genuinely glorious footage with the telephone. I’ve obtained photographs that would definitely match what I’d get out of devoted skilled cams, and I’d haven’t an issue with importing just a few of them to my photography portfolio to relaxation together with footage from my Canon R5, Leica Q3 43 and varied different premium cams. At the center of the 15 Ultra coincides Sony LYT-900 1 inch-type photograph sensing unit situated within the 14Ultra It’s actually greater than the sensing items situated in nearly any kind of assorted different telephone digital digicam and normally, an even bigger photograph sensing unit permits significantly better info and vibrant selection.
The digital digicam’s dealing with of direct publicity beneath is space on.
Crisp info and vigorous shades– an occasion of when the everyday digital digicam setting toenailed the venture.
Using the excessive comparability black and white setting is only one of my favored strategies to fireside, significantly for highway scenes corresponding to this.
But the 15 Ultra makes you attempt to acquire your finest efforts. In pure automobile setting, I used to be normally underwhelmed. My most important drawback is the white equilibrium, which errs regularly on the fashionable facet in a number of eventualities. Sunny scenes that must be swamped with cozy tones moderately regarded cool and unexciting.
You cannot change the white equilibrium within the typical digital digicam setting, so I fired primarily within the Pro setting to vary the white equilibrium and varied different setups. I normally warmed up the white equilibrium up and set up the direct publicity settlement to considerably underexpose the photograph, because the default direct publicity normally regarded a little bit bit as effectively good to my eye.
Taken using the everyday digital digicam setting’s automobile setups, this sunset appears to be like as a substitute boring.
By using the Pro setting, I had the power to take hands-on management of the white equilibrium, heating this scene up and readjusting the direct publicity to acquire a a lot significantly better photograph.
When I took handbook management corresponding to this, the photographs significantly boosted. You can alter the setups to make it possible for every time you fill the digital digicam, it can definitely keep your earlier capturing setups. Working by doing this actually felt much more like my process when firing on my Leica Q3 43– a slower, much more systematic technique to crafting an image, as a substitute of simply breaking away and wishing for the simplest.
I fired footage with the 15 Ultra in JPEG and DNG uncooked, the final enabling me to change my photographs moreover in purposes like Adobe Lightroom to acquire precisely the looks that I desired. Following a firmware improve, uncooked knowledge look improbable and are extraordinarily editable. I counsel capturing in each JPEG and uncooked should you want to press each ounce of high quality you possibly can from these cams.
The straight-out-of-camera JPEG appears to be like actually darkish beneath, since I’ve readjusted the direct publicity to document the good skies.
But by moreover firing in DNG uncooked, I had the power to attract again quite a lot of darkness info, brightening this scene and remodeling it proper into a much more eye-catching photograph.
Taken using the ultra-wide lens, I fired this photograph in each JPEG and uncooked, the final enabling me to make use of this movement image edit inAdobe Lightroom
Once I started using the telephone corresponding to this, I had the power to acquire some excellent footage. But should you’re looking for significantly better quick breaks shortly, after that you just would definitely be significantly better supplied with the apple iphone 16 Pro, Galaxy S25 Ultra or Pixel 9 Pro, which might much more continually take significantly better footage using fully default setups. The typical digital digicam setting can do a wonderful work in some circumstances, but I situated myself altering to the Pro setting to work out much more imaginative management.
As held true with the 14 Ultra, amongst my favored strategies to fireside is using the built-in Leica excessive comparability black and white filters. It gives a punchy mono look, which capabilities extremely effectively for highway digital images, significantly while you mix the telephone with the digital digicam grasp.
The 4.3 x optical zoom lens can document pin-sharp footage, and I significantly just like the deepness of space it’s had the power to achieve beneath on this black and white highway scene.
Taken in Pro setting, this scene has a improbable equilibrium in between the highlights and deep darkness, resulting in a punchy, vigorous sundown scene.
The Portrait setting simply capabilities when it discovers people, as a substitute of issues or animals, but it capabilities effectively. I benefit from the deepness of space it’s attained beneath on this picture of Senior Editor Abrar Al-Heeti
At night, the telephone can take glorious footage, significantly while you by hand regulate the white equilibrium. But Xiaomi’s option to take away the variable aperture troubles me beneath. The 14 Ultra’s capability to close down its aperture enabled it to develop real star-burst impacts round elements of sunshine (streetlights, and so forth) in night scenes. The 15 Ultra lacks this variable aperture, so these very same lights at present merely appear as if amorphous balls, lengthy as they do on varied different telephones.
The giant aperture and large photograph sensing unit usually digital digicam permits it to take good, sharp footage as the sunshine begins to discolor.
I take pleasure in using the excessive comparability setting for night-time black and white scenes, as effectively.
I took this within the Pro setting with a purpose to take management of the white equilibrium. I benefit from the look of it, but it’s a pity that the highway mild doesn’t have a star-burst consequence.
It was amongst my favored attributes of the 14 Ultra, and I loved precisely the way it modified the looks of night footage. I’m actually let down Xiaomi has truly eradicated this particular attribute. But growing tiny star-bursts on metropolis night-time footage is specific area of interest, and I presume I’m in a minority of people that had truly genuinely see that it’s no extra there.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra digital images set
You can get the 15 Ultra with the very same digital images set that was used with in 2015’s design. It has a state of affairs, a maintain with a shutter swap and setups dial, and an attachable ring that allows you to make the most of routine 67mm digital images filters. The filter ring is improbable for superior skilled photographers that want to make the most of spherical polarizers, impartial thickness filters or movement image black or gold haze filters to really craft their footage.
The grasp makes the telephone so much simpler to carry, significantly while you’re out and concerning firing quick highway footage. It clicks in properly, contains some added battery life to the telephone, and the shutter swap and setups wheel allow you to fireside as should you had been using a small digital digicam.
The digital digicam grasp makes the telephone so much simpler to carry and make the most of like a cam.
It at present includes a brand-new thumb grasp accent to make it a little bit bit a lot simpler to carry. There’s moreover a soft-touch, screw-in shutter launch swap, which is bigger and far simpler to find and strike than the preliminary swap it screws proper into. If you want using your telephone for highway or touring digital images, the digital images set deserves acquiring, although remember the fact that it can definitely embrace an extra ₤ 250 in your prices, making a at present expensive telephone way more so.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra cpu, software program program and AI
The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip situated contained in the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has at present happy us on telephones just like the On ePlus 13, and its energy is seen beneath, as effectively. It arrange excellent rankings on our commonplace examinations, whereas day-to-day process is fast and lag-free.
It’s improbable for gamers, as effectively, with requiring titles like Genshin Impact taking part in effectively at max graphics setups and at 60 buildings per secondly. Qualcomm’s 8 Elite chip isn’t merely created for uncooked energy although, it’s developed for significantly better AI dealing with. It’s not a shock then that there’s a whole lot of AI issues baked proper into the telephone.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra cpu effectivity contrasted
Xiaomi 15 Ultra 2,971 9,115 6,378Xiaomi 14 Ultra 2,258 6,864 5,021 apple iphone 16 Pro 3,507 8,750 4,672Galaxy S25 Ultra 3,053 9,707 6,950
- Geekbench 6 (Single core).
- Geekbench 6 (Multicore).
- 3DMark Wild Life Extreme
Google Gemini and Gemini progressed get on board as typical, consisting of the conversational Gemini Live and Circle toSearch But Xiaomi has truly included just a few of its very personal attributes, as effectively. There’s a generative message machine to develop blocks of message based mostly upon your triggers, along with a helpful machine that produces message transcriptions from voice recordings– improbable for a busy expertise reporter.
The telephone runs Android 15 at its core.
There’s moreover a number of image-focused AI units for broadening an image using generative AI, eliminating factors in a scene or simply growing the photograph. The AI units all perform together with I’d hope, but it deserves remembering that each one of them want an internet hyperlink with a purpose to make the most of– consisting of the voice information machine, one way or the other.
The 15 Ultra releases with Android 15 aboard, and Xiaomi ensures it’ll acquire 4 generations of Android updates along with 6 years of safety help. It’s a lot lower than the 7 years each Samsung and Google attend to their entrance runners, and I would definitely’ve suched as to see Xiaomi swimsuit and even defeat its rivals beneath, significantly bearing in mind the excessive fee of the telephone.
Still, a life span of 6 years is appropriate ample (a 3rd of people keep their telephones for 3 years or longer) and matches what On ePlus provides for its present On ePlus 13 entrance runner.
Despite its huge 6.7 inch display screen, the telephone is kind of cozy to carry and make the most of in a single hand.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra battery, display screen and elegance
Battery life is nice, but not superior. On our requiring video clip streaming examination, it held up significantly better than the On ePlus 13 but actually didn’t do together with the Galaxy S25Ultra You can securely anticipate an entire day of utilization, but should you’re desiring to put it to use as your main digital digicam on your trip, it’s most undoubtedly value lugging a battery pack to give you consolation.
As with all telephones, you’ll more than likely want to invoice it completely over night time. It sustains 90W wired fast billing, which will definitely assist you pack the ability again in a lot sooner, so long as you’ve gotten an appropriate battery charger.
The 6.7-inch display screen is good ample to make the most of below lunchtime Scottish daylight and it’s vigorous ample to do justice to vivid cell video video games and You Tube video clips. The telephone is IP68-rated to assist keep it safe from splashed drinks, whereas its glass and metal model actually feels pleasing to carry.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Should you get it?
There’s little question that it’s a telephone that ticks principally each field you would definitely get out of amongst immediately’s entrance runners. It’s efficient, has a ravishing display screen, appropriate software program program help length and attributes like fast billing and water resistance. But its overpriced value is troublesome to miss and difficult to warrant for anyone that isn’t a die-hard skilled photographer.
The digital digicam is the one issue to contemplate this telephone over any certainly one of its rivals.
Like its precursor, the digital digicam is the only issue to contemplate this telephone over its rivals. Those of you needing much more casual pictures of your loved ones and associates on days out will doubtless be significantly better supplied with choice Android telephones– or the apple iphone– nearly all of which might take handsome breaks in automobile settings and at lowered prices. But the Xiaomi 15 Ultra can take glorious footage should you make investments the second to craft them, each within the Pro digital digicam and in post-processing.
I need Xiaomi had truly finished a little bit bit much more with its digital digicam over the 14 Ultra– or on the very least not eradicated amongst my favored attributes. It would definitely make this telephone so much simpler for me to counsel much more usually to skilled photographers. But nonetheless, these of you that need an excellent everyday-carry digital digicam for touring and highway digital images will definitely be well-served with the 15Ultra
