The Xiaomi 15 is a formidable piece of expertise in most each class. It is powered by the class-leading Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, evident in the whole lot from day-to-day scrolling to hardcore gaming classes.
I am not completely satisfied by the cellphone’s design, which appears to contain slapping an enormous black sq. digicam module on the again of a bubbly rounded chassis, however the Xiaomi 15 a minimum of feels premium. The burden stability is on level, the supplies are sturdy, and it feels good within the hand, a high quality which cellphone makers appear to be ignoring an increasing number of.
Nevertheless, like each Xiaomi cellphone that got here earlier than it, the Xiaomi 15 is just not obtainable within the US. As is customary for this model, the Xiaomi 15 is bold with its specs and pricing alike, which makes its lack of world availability all of the extra maddening. This might simply be a contender for one of many best phones you should buy, alongside the iPhone 16 , Samsung Galaxy S25 , and Google Pixel 9 , given its unbelievable worth proposition.
For now, the Xiaomi 15 stays a tempting alternative for these prepared to go step exterior the mainstream.
Xiaomi 15 evaluation: Value and availability
£899 for the mannequin with 256GB of storage £999 for the mannequin with 512GB of storage Not obtainable within the US or Australia
The Xiaomi 15 begins at £899 for 256GB of storage and £999 for 512GB. Outfitted with a minimal of 12GB of RAM, there’s loads of headroom for multitasking, and with storage choices as much as 1TB, there is no lack of area for apps, video games, and pictures taken with the three 50MP cameras.
By way of colours, the alternatives are fairly concise. The Xiaomi 15 is available in white, black or inexperienced. The unit I examined was the inexperienced end, which is only a shade too darkish to be known as pastel. There’s additionally a particular Liquid Silver version, which sports activities a reflective design and is barely obtainable with 512GB of storage for £999.
Although the Xiaomi 15 does are available at a barely increased beginning worth than its rivals, it’s price preserving in thoughts that it really matches the iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S25, and Google Pixel 9 when adjusted for storage – the Xiaomi 15 lacks the £799 128GB storage tier that its three counterparts provide.
Regrettably, the Xiaomi 15 is just not broadly obtainable. It’s obtainable from Xiaomi instantly within the UK, however not within the US or Australia – which implies it’ll miss out on an opportunity at becoming a member of our lists of the best phones or best Android phones .
Worth rating: 4 / 5
Xiaomi 15 evaluation: Specs
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Dimensions:
152.3mm x 71.2mm x 8.1mm
Weight:
189g – 191g relying on mannequin
Show:
6.36-inch OLED
Decision:
1200 x 2670 pixels
Refresh price:
120Hz
Chipset:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
Rear cameras:
50MP principal (f/1.6), 50MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) 50MP telephoto with 3x zoom (f/2.0)
Entrance digicam:
32MP
Storage:
256GB, 512GB, 1TB
RAM:
12GB, 16GB
OS (at launch):
Android 15 with HyperOS 2
Battery:
5240mAh
Charging:
90W wired charging 50W wi-fi charging 10W reverse wi-fi charging
Xiaomi 15 evaluation: Design
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards Future)
A wierd mixture of daring and bubbly Very snug to carry Feels properly made for the worth
The Xiaomi 15 is properly constructed, however I’m undecided what to make of its total aesthetic. Its clean, curved rails are fabricated from matte aluminum, the rear panel is coloured frosted glass, and the sq. digicam housing varieties an obstinate black patch on stated panel. The display screen can be flat, which clashes with the curved edges of the body.
The cellphone is constructed like an expensive tank. It’s satisfyingly heavy, clearly fabricated from strong supplies, and the development feels each sturdy and properly thought-about. It’s a lot smoother within the hand than the Galaxy S25, however not as pebbly because the iPhone 16, and I feel it feels nicer than each.
The cellphone comes with a silicon case, which is a considerate addition. Nevertheless, the pre-attached plastic display screen protector is a swerve – it scuffs simply and the cellphone feels extra premium with out it.
At a diagonal display screen measurement of 6.36 inches, the Xiaomi 15 is definitely pocketable, with all areas of the display screen reachable one-handed. Buttons and connectivity are the usual situation – a quantity rocker, energy button, and USB-C port are all you get.
General, whereas I’m not satisfied by the Xiaomi 15’s fashion, I can’t deny it’s a really properly made smartphone. It’s as giant as a cellphone will be whereas nonetheless feeling compact, and as with many different features of this cellphone Xiaomi walks the road properly.
Design rating: 4 / 5
Xiaomi 15 evaluation: Show
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
1200 x 2670 decision 120Hz refresh price Peak brightness of 3200 nits
The Xiaomi 15 sports activities a 6.36-inch show that simply appears unbelievable. I’ve been impressed with Xiaomi cellphone shows up to now, however that is actually a superb panel that exhibits you may have one of the best of each worlds – it’s compact, immersive, sharp, and colourful.
With a decision of 1200 x 2670, 120Hz refresh price, and pixel density of 460ppi, every kind of media look nice on the Xiaomi 15. Textual content is razor sharp, pictures and movies are detailed, and video games are vibrant. Regardless of the cellphone’s mid-sized body, the show feels remarkably spacious, thanks partially to that tremendous excessive pixel density.
I used to be significantly impressed by the distinction and saturation on provide right here – there’s little to no bloom occurring, and colours really feel persistently correct throughout the complete brightness vary. There are three colour profiles to select from – two adaptive modes that prioritise realism or vividity, and a completely saturated mode. Moreover, Xiaomi says the Xiaomi 15 reaches a peak brightness of 3200 nits, which is overkill in all however the brightest environs.
Show rating: 5 / 5
Xiaomi 15 evaluation: Software program
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
Android 15 with HyperOS 2 Snappy and responsive with unbelievable customization Some bloatware, however principally unobtrusive
I stay a fan of HyperOS, Xiaomi’s proprietary Android wrapper. HyperOS 2 is a quick and fluid implementation of Android 15 that I by no means managed to decelerate. It’s one in every of my most popular Android flavors at this level, and the UI is each fast to navigate by means of and filled with character.
Moreover, Xiaomi continues to supply best-in-class customization. I’m an enormous fan of the stay and adaptive wallpapers obtainable on the Xiaomi 15 – I discover myself marveling on the manner Mars spins in direction of me with the area theme, and a collection of enjoyable UI animations offers the general expertise plenty of character. In a time of boring cellphone design, that is how you retain issues feeling contemporary.
Bloatware is a matter – the cellphone is preloaded with a wide selection of social and reserving apps in addition to a collection of Xiaomi branded shops and apps. It’s not too tough to comb away these items, nonetheless the Xiaomi 15 expertise is undermined by the presence of adverts and urged downloads. If the cellphone was a minimum of cheaper than a typical flagship, this is likely to be excusable, however at this worth I am critically unimpressed.
As for AI, Google Gemini is the default assistant, and it really works superb. HyperOS 2 additionally comes with a handful of proprietary Xiaomi AI options, like picture enlargement and be aware summaries.
General, the software program expertise on the Xiaomi 15 is all about pace. This is without doubt one of the quickest telephones I’ve used, and, bloatware apart, HyperOS 2 earns its title by by no means failing to maintain up.
Software program rating: 4 / 5
Xiaomi 15 evaluation: Cameras
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
50MP vast digicam 50MP ultra-wide digicam 50MP 2.6x telephoto digicam
Xiaomi tends to pitch its flagship telephones as digicam telephones at the beginning, and the Xiaomi 15 is not any completely different. I’m happy to report that the Xiaomi 15 sports activities a triple-camera system that prioritizes stability and takes glorious pictures. You get a 50MP principal digicam, 50MP ultra-wide, and 50MP 2.6x telephoto digicam, which come collectively as greater than the sum of their components because of Xiaomi’s deal with offering a constant pictures expertise.
I used to be pleasantly stunned by simply how pure switching between the principle, ultra-wide, and a couple of.6x telephoto lenses felt, as there was little distinction between the photographs produced apart from the extent of zoom, and colours, publicity, and brightness felt remarkably constant too. I not often felt like I used to be utilizing a special digicam when toggling between zoom ranges, and whether or not this is because of {hardware} or software program trickery, the ensuing expertise may be very pleasurable.
The principle digicam sports activities a 0.76-inch sensor, whereas the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras each use a 0.36-inch sensor – all three soak up loads of mild, and I used to be impressed by how a lot element the picture processing pipeline might recuperate in much less optimum circumstances. In low mild, I used to be impressed by simply how a lot mild the cameras took in, although some element is of course misplaced in wider scenes. Even the ultra-wide digicam takes nice pictures – which is a statement I don’t make lightly .
As with earlier handsets just like the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14T , Xiaomi has collaborated with Leica to provide the digicam system on the Xiaomi 15. There are two taking pictures modes that broadly favor realism or vibrancy – Leica Genuine and Leica Vibrant. Although I most popular the Vibrant mode up to now, the Xiaomi 15’s HDR processing places in a lot work that the Genuine mode is usually loads colourful, whereas retaining some subtlety.. General, this digicam system is a knockout. All I can assume to ask for is a bit more optical zoom vary.
Digicam rating: 5 / 5
Xiaomi 15: Digicam Samples
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(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
Xiaomi 15 evaluation: Efficiency
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
Snapdragon 8 Elite GPU: Adreno 830 12GB or 16GB of RAM, relying on mannequin
The Xiaomi 15 boasts a formidable spec sheet, and also you’ll really feel each little bit of that energy in day-to-day use. I wasn’t capable of get the Xiaomi 15 to stutter throughout my time with it – I recorded no slowdown in anyway.
That wasn’t for an absence of making an attempt – I opened dozens of apps on the similar time, performed intensive video games, and saved the cellphone operating for hours at a time, and… nothing. The Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and 12GB of RAM sitting below the display screen simply ate the whole lot I threw at it and left no crumbs.
I used to be routinely impressed by how fluid utilizing the Xiaomi 15 felt. Flying across the UI feels completely easy, and opening and shutting apps feels momentary. The Snapdragon 8 Elite actually does stay as much as the hype, and Xiaomi is clearly taking advantage of its energy and effectivity. I didn’t discover the battery tanking throughout extra demanding classes both.
Even in intensive video games like Call of Duty Cellular I used to be hitting most framerates on most graphics settings. It is likely to be compact, however don’t underestimate the Xiaomi 15 in relation to how a lot it may well deal with.
Efficiency rating: 5 / 5
Xiaomi 15 evaluation: Battery
(Picture credit score: Jamie Richards / Future)
5,400mAh silicon-carbon battery 90W wired charging Spectacular 50W wi-fi charging
The Xiaomi 15 sports activities assured all-day battery life and unimaginable standby instances because of its 5,240mAh battery. With a formidable 90W wired charging pace and 50W wi-fi charging functionality, topping up is not any situation both. There’s additionally 10W reverse wi-fi charging, do you have to ever have to prime up one other cellphone on the go.
The Xiaomi 15 is a part of a rising listing of telephones that use silicon-carbon batteries, which provide a lot better vitality density than the outgoing lithium-ion expertise can obtain, and this has apparent advantages in day-to-day use.
For instance, I used to be assured leaving the home with out a transportable charger on me so long as the Xiaomi 15 had greater than 40% cost remaining. I knew I’d be coated for a night or shorter daytime outing. Nevertheless, I did discover the cellphone charged extra slowly than I would anticipate it to: with a 3rd celebration 80W charger, a full prime up took greater than 90 minutes, although this could possibly be the fault of the charger, so we’ll maintain testing to make sure.
A dependable day’s use is sweet for a cellphone of this measurement – it wasn’t so way back {that a} smaller cellphone essentially meant a substandard battery, however the Xiaomi 15 performs properly above what its midsized body would recommend.
Battery rating: 4 / 5
Do you have to purchase the Xiaomi 15
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Xiaomi 15 rating card
Attributes
Notes
Score
Worth
Xiaomi is not undercutting anybody with a beginning worth of £899, however the worth is there within the parts and construct
4 / 5
Design
A wierd distinction between daring and bubbly, however constructed with consideration and nice supplies
4 / 5
Show
One of many sharpest and clearest shows I’ve used, and simply the cellphone’s finest characteristic
5 / 5
Software program
A quick and fluid Android wrapper marred by bloatware and promoting. When will they study?
3 / 5
Digicam
A really strong digicam system that provides nice consistency between three high-res lenses.
5 / 5
Efficiency
A screaming quick chipset and 12GB of RAM mix to supply an unfailingly speedy expertise.
5 / 5
Battery
No complaints right here: this can be a long-lasting, fast charging battery that simply handles a full day of use
4 / 5
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Xiaomi 15 evaluation: Additionally take into account How I examined the Xiaomi 15 I used the Xiaomi 15 intermittently over the course of a number of weeks to check its capabilities as a day by day driver, whereas setting time apart for extra deliberate exams equivalent to prolonged gaming classes or digicam testing.
I used the Xiaomi 15 for all of the issues we use our telephones for each day: making cellphone calls, sending texts, scrolling by means of social media, taking pictures and movies, enjoying video games, studying articles, and watching movies.
As soon as I had a strong concept of how the Xiaomi 15 handles in day by day use, I utilized my journalistic coaching and wider information of the smartphone market to evaluate its efficiency and worth.
