Xiaomi is back at it again with the introduction of two high-end smartphones. In this Xiaomi 15 review, we dive into the Chinese manufacturer's compact high-end device. After all, how does this device compare to the competition?
Xiaomi 15 review
On paper, the Xiaomi 15 is nicely up to date with the use of Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, it partners with Leica for photographic qualities, a nice screen and hefty battery should complete the party. For those looking for a high-end smartphone but with a manageable size, this 15 could well be a contender. So let's get the device out of the box and use it soon!
In the box
Xiaomi delivers the device in a rectangular box where we find some more paperwork as well as a case that you can snap around the device, a SIM card pin and a charging cable. Is that all then, yes because a charging adapter is missing. That's a shame though because if you want to fast charge at 90 watts you will have to order one with it. We received the white variant but the device also comes in green, black and "liquid" silver.
Design and interface
The design of the Xiaomi 15 is fine, the device has fine curves that make it pleasant to hold. The camera module is quite substantial and prevents the device from lying flat on the table, the case adds some extra height. The latter keeps the phone from lying on top of the camera module, a plus in terms of protection.
The device's buttons are in a logical place but coming from a Pixel 9 Pro, for example, it takes some switching; the power button is suddenly below the volume buttons. Overall, the Xiaomi 15 feels like a premium device, although I personally think the CE mark and the bin icon are a little too prominent on the device.
The layer Xiaomi has laid over the device is called HyperOS, which interface is characterised by the high level of personalisation you can unleash on the device. For instance, via the theme app, you can unleash dozens if not hundreds of different styles on the device. But you will also find fonts, ringtones and backgrounds in this application. If you keep it all to the standard HyperOS interface, it feels fast and quiet.
The quietness does get disrupted by the bloatware on the device, as the theme app will not fail to alert you to new themes. Other Mi apps also have a notification channel which is used from time to time. The app drawer can group your apps by application type and it has a handy search function at the bottom of the screen so you can quickly search for your apps. You can also customise the applade, such as adjusting the transparency of the background and editing or disabling categories.
Connectivity and multimedia
In terms of connectivity, there is nothing to complain about on the Xiaomi 15, for instance, the device offers support for all common networks from 2G to 5G. As well as WiFi 2.4 and 5GHz, with the maximum supported WiFi specification being 7. Furthermore, the device has Bluetooth 6.0 support with all common codecs for optimal audio support. In terms of range, we have nothing to criticise about the Xiaomi 15, the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip shows that it knows better how to deal with weak WiFi networks for example. Where an older chipset fails to connect in the backyard (or the Pixel 9 Pro), the Xiaomi 15 still manages to do so.
The Xiaomi 15's AMOLED display can be sufficiently bright that you can read it without a problem even on sunny days. It also supports a variable refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz. The 1Hz support comes in handy when displaying the always-on display. In terms of colours, it all looks sharp and colourful. The stereo speakers sound just fine and thanks to the four microphones, phone calls also sound clear and we hear no complaints at the other end of the line.
Camera
The Xiaomi 15 has a square-shaped camera island with three lenses, with the Leica-designed main camera being the most light-sensitive with an f-number of 1.62. There is also a telephoto lens with focal length of 60mm and an f-number of 2.0 and an ultra-wide-angle camera with 14mm focal length and f/2.2. So for night shots, it is best to consult the main camera.
Within Xiaomi's camera app, you can adjust an awful lot of different settings, such as enabling HDR shooting, dynamic shooting and switching between Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant styles. You will also find filters, watermarks, gridlines and other useful camera options. Furthermore, you can make EV adjustments from +4 to -4. Besides a super nice portrait mode where you can easily switch between 23mm, 35mm, 60mm and 75mm, you will also find other shooting options like night mode, panorama and long exposure. You can also use the camera for document scanning.
Looking at the photos the Xiaomi 15 manages to produce, we are very impressed. Take for instance a colourful photo of a bunch of flowers, the picture is sharp, good colour and features a nice blue sky. But even photos taken from closer range are super sharp, like the photo of our cat, for example. However, you do notice that at some moments a rather large lens flare is visible. At that moment, the sun shines exactly the wrong way into the lens. In night conditions, the camera also performs well, a starry sky can also be photographed beautifully.
Still, that should not spoil the fun and it is a treat to shoot photos in this Xiaomi 15 both indoors and outdoors. We have added dozens of photos to our photo album which you can view via this link. The photos have not been post-processed and are straight from the device.
Video camera
We like the camera's video camera just as much, if we take a shot while walking the footage is stabilised well. Again, we do see the occasional lens flare. There are several modes you can shoot in. We opted for 4K at 60 frames per second. However, you can also film at 8K in 30 or 24 frames per second. Switching between different zoom levels is quick but could perhaps be a little more refined.
If you want to get going with that, you'll also find a teleprompter in the video function so you can read out a pre-written text without having to remember it. A shootsteady mode makes your video even steadier but in up to 1920×1080 resolution. Below you can watch a sample of a video we shot with the device.
Performance and battery life
We talked about the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset a little earlier when it comes to range, the device also leaves nothing to be desired in terms of performance. The interface is responsive and hiccups have actually not been seen. The Xiaomi 15 has 12GB of working memory, which is more than enough for most applications. The device doesn't get hot either, presumably due to the cooling system Xiaomi uses.
Charging does the device with up to 90 watts, if you own the right charger. With about an hour, the device is fully charged when we use a 67-watt charger. The total battery capacity of the Xiaomi 15 is 5240 mAh. With our average usage, we got at least six hours of screen time out of that, spread over two days. A very neat score, although I managed to get slightly better battery scores with the OnePlus 13.
Update policy
Xiaomi's update policy is fine, with the company promising to ship four major OS updates and six years of security updates to the device. With that, you'll have a secure device until at least 2031. For a high-end smartphone, that's less than other manufacturers, though. Samsung promises seven years of updates, OnePlus promises the same as Xiaomi with the OnePlus 13. We might have wanted to see a few more Android updates.
Review
Across the spectrum, the Xiaomi 15 is a fantastic device, we enjoyed its great camera results, fast connectivity, performance and premium feel. So can anything ruin that? No not really, if you learn to deal with the lens flare of the camera module and you silence the Xiaomi notifications then you have in your hands a compact all-rounder that you can completely customise in terms of UI too. You can purchase the Xiaomi 15 from the likes of: Coolblue, Mobile, Belsimpel, MediaMarkt and Bol.com.
Xiaomi 15
