Xiaomi has officially introduced its highly anticipated Xiaomi 15 series in China, following teasers at this year's Qualcomm summit. Available in two versions—the standard Xiaomi 15 and the premium Xiaomi 15 Pro—these new smartphones pack powerful features, including the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. They also continue Xiaomi's celebrated partnership with Leica for enhanced photography. Here's an overview of what each model offers.
Xiaomi 15: compact yet powerful flagship
The Xiaomi 15 is designed as a compact flagship model, featuring a 6.36-inch LTPO AMOLED display with some innovative design touches. Thanks to its LIPO three-dimensional packaging technology, Xiaomi has managed to shrink the bezels to just 1.38mm, making it thinner than the OPPO Find X8, unveiled shortly before Xiaomi's announcement. This display boasts a refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz and an impressive peak brightness of 3,200 nits, ensuring top-notch visuals and smooth interactions.
Under the hood, the Xiaomi 15 is powered by a massive 5,400mAh battery, equipped to handle 90W HyperCharge for wired and 50W wireless charging. According to Xiaomi, this increased battery capacity is achieved by increasing the energy density and silicon content, giving the phone an additional 790mAh over its predecessor, the Xiaomi 14, while weighing 2g less.
Xiaomi's collaboration with Leica continues to shine through in the Xiaomi 15's triple rear camera setup. While specific megapixel details weren't provided, the main camera features a 1/1.31-inch Light Fusion 900 sensor, similar to Xiaomi's 14T Pro. The telephoto lens includes a “floating lens design” for enhanced close-up shots with a 10cm focus range, while the ultra-wide camera offers a 14mm focal length. Xiaomi has integrated its upgraded AISP 2.0 platform for imaging, which can process up to 4.3 billion pixels per second, elevating the phone's photography capabilities.
While Xiaomi's press release doesn't mention the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the chipset is confirmed on its Chinese pre-order page. This powerful processor sits alongside Leica's Summilux lenses, offering users high-end performance and imaging quality. Additionally, Xiaomi is releasing two special versions of the Xiaomi 15: the Custom Edition and the Limited Edition. Available colours for the standard Xiaomi 15 include White, Black, Green, and Purple.
In China, the Xiaomi 15 starts at CNY 4,499 (approximately S$620) for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage model and reaches CNY 5,499 (around S$760) for the 16GB RAM and 1TB storage version. The Xiaomi 15 Custom Edition is priced at CNY 4,999 (around S$690) for the 16GB RAM and 512GB variant, while the Limited Edition goes for CNY 5,999 (around S$830) with 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage.
Xiaomi has yet to announce a global release, so fans outside China must stay tuned for international launch updates.
Xiaomi 15 Pro: for the serious smartphone user
The Xiaomi 15 Pro stands out with its larger battery, improved cooling system, and added performance features. This model has a 6.73-inch display and a 6,100mAh battery, making it a powerful option for users needing extended battery life. In a noticeable upgrade, Xiaomi has added a HyperCore system kernel to the Pro's Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, alongside an enhanced cooling system, which increases cooling capacity by 14% over previous models.
Photography is a key focus in the Pro variant, with a triple rear camera system featuring a main camera with an f/1.44 aperture and a Sony IMX858 sensor. Users get the flexibility of a 14mm to 120mm focal range and the ability to achieve “10x lossless zoom” and 20x UltraZoom (equivalent to a 240mm focal length). The main camera's improvements include greater light intake, faster shutter response, and a refined background blur, highlighting portrait subjects with an elegant “main character” effect. The Xiaomi 15 Pro also supports Leica's Summilux lenses, promising exceptional photo quality.
With Xiaomi's upgraded AISP 2.0, the Pro model supports advanced imaging algorithms that allow users to capture high-quality UltraRAW files in a single step. The Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro also come with Xiaomi's new HyperOS 2, which includes the HyperAI, HyperConnect, and HyperCore systems designed to enhance connectivity, AI capabilities, and processing power.
The Xiaomi 15 Pro is available in Gray, White, Green, and a special Liquid Silver Edition for the Chinese market. Prices start at CNY 5,299 (approximately S$730) for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage option, with the top variant featuring 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, priced at CNY 6,499 (around S$895).
International release details have yet to be disclosed, but further updates are expected in the coming months.
