Xiaomi just kicked off its 2025 flagship lineup, unveiling the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in its native China. The global stage? That’s set for Barcelona, Spain, on March 2 at MWC 2025, where we’ll see if the international version can live up to the hype of the Chinese model.

Talking about the hardware, Xiaomi’s playing it safe with the design, offering the Ultra model in familiar Black and White colorways. But things get interesting with the Chrome version, which flaunts a two-tone metal and black vegan-leather combo, and a Green/Silver variant that swaps the black vegan-leather backplate for a green one.

Let’s talk price. In China, the base 12GB/256GB model lands at ¥6,499 (roughly $892 or P51,749), climbing up to ¥7,799 ($1,070 or P62,100) for the top-tier 16GB/1TB version. Expect a global price bump, naturally. For serious photographers, the company also sells a third-generation photography kit that includes a case and a camera grip for ¥999 ($140 or P7,955).

Xiaomi 15 Ultra Photography Kit#Xiaomi15series #Xiaomi15Ultra pic.twitter.com/WX1rlFV9YP

— Nikkhil (@kneekill007) February 27, 2025

Xiaomi also sells a third-generation photography kit that includes a case and a camera grip

Speaking of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s cameras, the brand is sticking with the Leica-tuned quad-camera setup, but with some key tweaks. You’re still getting the one-inch 50-megapixel Sony LYT-900 main sensor, but the variable aperture is gone, replaced with a fixed f/1.63 lens. The telephoto gets a slightly wider focal length, while the ultrawide is narrower this time around at 14mm f/2.2.

As far as the camera system — and maybe even the phone — is concerned, the biggest spec bump here lies in that telephoto shooter. It pairs a 200-megapixel Samsung HP9 1/1.4-inch sensor with a 100mm f/2.6 zoom lens, suggesting a substantial improvement compared to the 1/2.51-inch sensor found in the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s 120mm zoom.

The company has quantified the resulting improvement as a 136% increase in light capture. Basically, this means brighter and sharper images, particularly in low-light environments.

Xiaomi Mi 15ultra is based on Mi 15pro, but with two more cameras and a satellite phone. The rest is the same as Mi 15pro, but the telephoto is really strong. If you like taking photos, it is a micro single camera that can also make calls. #Xiaomi15Ultra pic.twitter.com/QgYWjVhdvl

— techway1 (@Techway0) February 27, 2025

Our favorite color variant

Under the hood, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, as expected. It also boasts a beefy 6,000mAh battery with a “10% silicon carbide content,” a tech detail that sounds impressive, even if we’re not entirely sure what it means for everyday use. The global variant has been tipped to offer a smaller 5,410mAh cell, unfortunately.

Coming to the display, you’re looking at a 6.73-inch 1440p LTPO OLED with a 1-120Hz variable refresh rate and a peak brightness of 3,200 nits. Standard flagship fare, but still a visual treat.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra specs

• 6.73-inch LTPO OLED display, 2K resolution, 1-120Hz refresh rate,
• 3,200 nits brightness, Xiaomi Shield Glass 2.0 protection
• 3nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 5G chipset
• Adreno 830 GPU
• 12GB/16GB LPDDR5X RAM
• 256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 4.1 storage
• Quad 50-megapixel Sony LYT-900 main, 50-megapixel ultrawide, 200-megapixel 4.3x periscope telephoto, 50-megapixel 3x telephoto rear cameras
• 32-megapixel front camera
• Under-display fingerprint reader
• 6,000mAh battery with 90-watt fast charging, 80-watt wireless fast charging
• IP68 certification
• HyperOS 2.0 based on Android 15
• Colors: Black, White, Chrome, Green

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