Pros
- Powerful cpu.
- Camera can take spectacular photos.
- Six years of software program program help.
Cons
- Extremely expensive.
- Useful digital digital camera grasp is an costly added.
- Camera’s automobile setting could be underwhelming.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra was among the many best telephones of 2024, many thanks in no tiny element to an excellent digital digital camera system that took just a few of the best photos I’ve ever earlier than seen from a cam cellphone. The follow-up, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, has a terrific deal to satisfy, and in a number of strategies, it does.
It’s an outright big: It’s obtained a gorgeous display screen, and its digital digital camera configuration takes spectacular photos. You can nonetheless get it with the digital images set that features a maintain and shutter change to correctly remodel it proper right into a small digital digital camera, but there are some cautions holding me again from calling the 15 Ultra an total success.
After taking management of 1,000 photos with the cellphone, I’ve pertained to the decision that whereas this cellphone can take superb photos, you require to operate harder to acquire them. Simply capturing within the automobile setting isn’t the means to acquire the best outcomes beneath. I’ll return to this in a while. But within the meantime, really feel in a single’s bones that it is a cellphone for devoted skilled photographers simply– casual snappers will definitely be a lot better off trying in direction of the apple iphone 16 Pro and even the Pixel 9 Pro.
The 15 Ultra makes use of the particular exact same 1-inch sort photograph sensing unit for its main digital digital camera as its precursor, and I’m let right down to not see an gear improve, notably taking into account the cellphone’s excessive price. 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, nevertheless, that some great benefits of the variable aperture are marginal, and many individuals will most probably 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 relating to in 2015, with AI being the one location the place enterprise are introducing presently. Ironically, as a result of submit, I praised Xiaomi for the 14 Ultra’s dependence on gear for its unbelievable photos, but I cannot declare the very same relating to this brand-new design.
MWC 2025: Xiaomi’s Photography-Focused 15 Ultra Is a Powerhouse
See all photos
There’s little question although that the 15 Ultra is a big Android cell generally. Its strong effectivity, appropriate battery life and full of life display screen support warrant its entrance runner situation. Also, its 6 years of total software program program help isn’t regrettable both. But this cellphone is far from low-cost. It’s on the market within the UK and broader Europe presently 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, nevertheless, for advice, that base UK price converts to $1,630 or AU$ 2,630.
Is it price your cash? Let’s take a look.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra digital digital camera
I took management of 1,000 examination photos with the cellphone up till now, and I anticipate I’ll take rather 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 pictures. In quick, I’ve truly contain acknowledge this digital digital camera.
I actually really feel cozy informing you that you just can take some genuinely glorious photos with the cellphone. I’ve obtained pictures that would definitely match what I’d get out of devoted knowledgeable cams, and I’d haven’t an issue with importing just a few of them to my photography portfolio to relaxation together with photos from my Canon R5, Leica Q3 43 and varied different premium cams. At the guts of the 15 Ultra coincides Sony LYT-900 1 inch-type photograph sensing unit positioned within the 14Ultra It’s actually greater than the sensing items positioned in nearly any sort of varied different cellphone digital digital camera and often, an even bigger photograph sensing unit permits a lot better info and vibrant selection.
The digital digital camera’s dealing with of direct publicity beneath is space on.
Crisp info and full of life shades– an occasion of when the standard digital digital camera setting toenailed the challenge.
Using the excessive comparability black and white setting is only one of my favored strategies to fireside, notably for highway scenes comparable to this.
But the 15 Ultra makes you try to acquire your greatest efforts. In pure automobile setting, I used to be often underwhelmed. My most vital drawback is the white equilibrium, which errs incessantly on the stylish facet in a number of eventualities. Sunny scenes that must be swamped with cozy tones reasonably appeared cool and unexciting.
You cannot change the white equilibrium within the typical digital digital camera setting, so I fired primarily within the Pro setting to alter the white equilibrium and varied different setups. I often warmed up the white equilibrium up and set up the direct publicity settlement to considerably underexpose the photograph, because the default direct publicity often appeared slightly bit as properly good to my eye.
Taken using the standard digital digital camera setting’s automobile setups, this sunset seems to be as an alternative 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 a lot better photograph.
When I took handbook management comparable to this, the images significantly boosted. You can alter the setups to ensure that every time you fill the digital digital camera, 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 an alternative of simply breaking away and wishing for the best.
I fired photos with the 15 Ultra in JPEG and DNG uncooked, the final enabling me to change my pictures moreover in purposes like Adobe Lightroom to acquire precisely the looks that I desired. Following a firmware improve, uncooked information look unbelievable and are extraordinarily editable. I counsel capturing in each JPEG and uncooked should you want to press each ounce of high quality you may from these cams.
The straight-out-of-camera JPEG seems to be 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 a substantial amount 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 cellphone comparable to this, I had the power to acquire some excellent photos. But should you’re looking for a lot better quick breaks shortly, after that you just would definitely be a lot better supplied with the apple iphone 16 Pro, Galaxy S25 Ultra or Pixel 9 Pro, which might much more continuously take a lot better photos using utterly default setups. The typical digital digital camera setting can do a wonderful work in some circumstances, but I positioned 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 features extremely properly for highway digital images, notably once you mix the cellphone with the digital digital camera grasp.
The 4.3 x optical zoom lens can document pin-sharp photos, and I notably 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 unbelievable equilibrium in between the highlights and deep darkness, resulting in a punchy, full of life sundown scene.
The Portrait setting simply features when it discovers people, as an alternative of issues or animals, but it features properly. I benefit from the deepness of space it’s attained beneath on this picture of Senior Editor Abrar Al-Heeti
At night, the cellphone can take glorious photos, notably once 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 presently merely seem like amorphous balls, lengthy as they do on varied different telephones.
The massive aperture and large photograph sensing unit usually digital digital camera permits it to take good, sharp photos as the sunshine begins to discolor.
I get pleasure from using the excessive comparability setting for night-time black and white scenes, as properly.
I took this within the Pro setting with a view 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 outcome.
It was amongst my favored attributes of the 14 Ultra, and I loved precisely the way it modified the looks of night photos. I’m actually let down Xiaomi has truly eradicated this particular attribute. But growing tiny star-bursts on metropolis night-time photos is explicit 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 scenario, a maintain with a shutter change and setups dial, and an attachable ring that allows you to make the most of routine 67mm digital images filters. The filter ring is unbelievable 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 truly craft their photos.
The grasp makes the cellphone loads simpler to carry, notably once you’re out and relating to firing quick highway photos. It clicks in properly, consists of some added battery life to the cellphone, and the shutter change and setups wheel allow you to fireside as should you have been using a small digital digital camera.
The digital digital camera grasp makes the cellphone loads simpler to carry and make the most of like a cam.
It presently includes a brand-new thumb grasp accent to make it slightly bit a lot simpler to carry. There’s moreover a soft-touch, screw-in shutter launch change, which is bigger and far simpler to find and strike than the preliminary change it screws proper into. If you want using your cellphone for highway or touring digital images, the digital images set deserves acquiring, although needless to say it can definitely embody a further ₤ 250 in your prices, making a presently expensive cellphone rather more so.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra cpu, software program program and AI
The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip positioned contained in the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has presently happy us on telephones just like the On ePlus 13, and its energy is seen beneath, as properly. It arrange excellent scores on our customary examinations, whereas day-to-day process is fast and lag-free.
It’s unbelievable for gamers, as properly, with requiring titles like Genshin Impact enjoying 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 a lot better AI dealing with. It’s not a shock then that there’s a complete lot of AI issues baked proper into the cellphone.
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 properly. There’s a generative message machine to develop blocks of message based mostly upon your triggers, along with a useful machine that produces message transcriptions from voice recordings– unbelievable for a busy expertise reporter.
The cellphone runs Android 15 at its core.
There’s moreover a collection 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 operate together with I’d hope, but it deserves remembering that all of them want an internet hyperlink with a view to make the most of– consisting of the voice data machine, one way or the other.
The 15 Ultra releases with Android 15 aboard, and Xiaomi ensures it’ll get hold of 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 opponents beneath, notably taking into account the excessive price of the cellphone.
Still, a life span of 6 years is appropriate adequate (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 large 6.7 inch display screen, the cellphone is sort 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 a lot 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 aspiring to put it to use as your main digital digital camera in your trip, it’s most positively price lugging a battery pack to give you consolation.
As with all telephones, you’ll most probably want to invoice it completely over evening. It sustains 90W wired fast billing, which will definitely support you pack the ability again in a lot sooner, so long as you’ve an appropriate battery charger.
The 6.7-inch display screen is good adequate to make the most of below lunchtime Scottish daylight and it’s full of life adequate to do justice to vivid cell video video games and You Tube video clips. The cellphone 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 cellphone that ticks principally each field you would definitely get out of amongst in the present day’s entrance runners. It’s efficient, has a gorgeous display screen, appropriate software program program help period and attributes like fast billing and water resistance. But its overpriced value is tough to miss and hard to warrant for anyone that isn’t a die-hard skilled photographer.
The digital digital camera is the one issue to think about this cellphone over any one in every of its opponents.
Like its precursor, the digital digital camera is the one issue to think about this cellphone over its opponents. Those of you wanting much more casual images of your loved ones and associates on days out will seemingly be a lot better supplied with possibility 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 photos should you make investments the second to craft them, each within the Pro digital digital camera and in post-processing.
I would like Xiaomi had truly accomplished slightly bit much more with its digital digital camera over the 14 Ultra– or on the very least not eradicated amongst my favored attributes. It would definitely make this cellphone loads simpler for me to counsel much more usually to skilled photographers. But nonetheless, these of you that need an excellent everyday-carry digital digital camera for touring and highway digital images will definitely be well-served with the 15Ultra
