Review of the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Ultra Spectacular Microdevices and Their Consequences on the Design, Performance, and Performance
The Xiaomi 15 has a 6.36-inch flat AMOLED screen at 3670 X 1200 pixels, and the 15 Ultra jumps up to a 6.73-inch at 3200 X 1440 pixels, with a very slight bevel at the edges. Both have a variable 1 to 120-Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and power efficiency, can hit 3,200 nits peak brightness, and support Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The phones are better than ever, with sharp, rich displays and a slight increase in brightness over last year. The sound quality of the speakers is really good.
Pleasingly, Xiaomi has jazzed up the 15 Ultra finishes, leaning into its camera prowess and Leica partnership with a lovely two-tone silver chrome and fake black leather paint job. It also comes in black with a red highlight around the camera module. Sadly, I got the white model, which has a subtle marbled effect but is the dullest of the bunch. The 15 and 15 Ultra score an IP68 rating for water resistance and are protected by Xiaomi’s Shield Glass, though the Ultra gets the enhanced version 2.0.
What about the downside? The 14 Ultra was never much of a looker, and the 15 Ultra’s enormous, asymmetrical camera module has taken a bad design and made it worse. I’m willing to put up with the awkward aesthetic when the camera is this good, but I’d be pretty understanding if you went the other way.
But there’s still room for improvement. The design of the 15 feels dull and identical to last year’sXiaomi 14 despite it’s expensive, which is sad because we want magnetic accessories for our phones. Both phones are not officially sold in the US.
The first two years were when I told anyone who would listen that Chinese manufacturer Vivo made the best cameras in any phone. I use the phone and camera a lot, it has become my favorite.
Getting the Most Out of My Pixels: The Xiaomi Perspective on Pixel Lenses, Phones, Apps, Software, and X-rays
That layout is probably forced by the new 4.3x periscope lens, which uses a 200-megapixel 1/1.4-inch-type sensor and a fast f/2.6 aperture. The results really are impressive, despite the slight decrease in the zoom distance, as this is an upgrade over last year.
The periscope had the same effect on me as it did on the 14 Ultra because I tried to use the 4.2x telephoto as often as possible. I prefer the natural depth and shape of the phone’s main lens over the flattening effect of the primary lens, so I often give myself the excuse to use it instead. In good lighting, you’ll get beautiful, natural shots at up to 10x, with decent results at 30x. Beyond that — going all the way up to 120x — some aggressive sharpening kicks in. I wouldn’t consider it special at extreme range, but it’s perfect for mid-distance.
The other three are all 50-lenses. The Sony LYT-900 sensor used for the main camera is the same as last year, but there’s a new way to shoot it. In theory it makes the lens less versatile, but in practice I think there isn’t much lost. It is an odd downgrade.
It’s good that the battery life is good. The 5,410mAh capacity is generous, and it took a travel day with lots of photography and a couple of hours hotspotting my laptop before I started to worry about it dying. 90W wired charging will top it up quickly, with 80W wireless speeds if you invest in the official charger and significantly slower speeds on a standard Qi pad. Like almost every other Android OEM, Xiaomi still hasn’t felt the need to invest in Qi2.
The software is a good place to find drawbacks. HyperOS — Xiaomi’s Android skin — runs on top of Android 15 and shares annoyances in common with other takes on Android from Chinese OEMs. There are a variety of other applications you can not remove, including some that you can’t remove, like AliExpress.
Xiaomi removed some of the OS’s customizability in its latest version. If there’s a way to have five apps on a homescreen row rather than four, I haven’t found it, despite having exactly that enabled on my 14 Ultra. Changing the wallpaper feels cumbersome and irritates, along with some other tasks such as having to go through a Themes app in order to get to the next page.
Source: Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: ugly phone, beautiful camera
Counting the times you have to hit “agree” to use a smart device without reading it or analysing a contract
Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.