Xiaomi 15 Pro leak hints at record-thin bezels and advanced features

Phones like the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24 series have already minimized bezels, but Xiaomi aims to make them virtually unnoticeable. To illustrate, the rumored 0.6mm bezels on the Xiaomi 15 Pro are less than half the size of the iPhone 15 Pro's 1.5mm bezels. This could result in a truly bezel-less experience, setting the Xiaomi 15 Pro apart from the rest of the smartphone market.

Additionally, the Xiaomi 15 Pro is rumored to feature an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, a departure from the current optical fingerprint scanner found in the Xiaomi 14 Pro.

Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners are a new type of fingerprint reader that uses sound waves instead of light to take a 3D image of your fingerprint. This makes them more secure and accurate than traditional fingerprint scanners, which can be fooled by images or molds.

The leak also hinted at the camera technology, suggesting the phone could feature a periscopic zoom lens. This advancement would significantly extend the camera's zoom capabilities. Why, you may ask? Well, regular zoom lenses require physically moving parts that extend further out from the phone body to achieve higher zoom, and since smartphones are thin, they wouldn't have space for such lenses.

Periscopic zoom lenses use a folded design with prisms or mirrors to achieve a similar zoom effect. This folding allows the lens to be positioned sideways within the phone's body, keeping the phone thin while still getting the benefits of a longer zoom lens. In simpler terms, a regular zoom lens needs more space to stretch out for better zoom, but a periscopic lens can bend like a straw to get similar zoom power even when crammed inside a thin phone.

Continuing with the leak, one standout detail is the addition of satellite communication. Phones are starting to adopt this feature, allowing them to communicate directly with satellites rather than just relying on land-based towers.

Satellite-based communication is designed to eliminate dead zones and signal loss. While the leak didn't provide specifics, satellite communication could likely be focused on emergency use, providing a reliable communication option in critical situations.

The Xiaomi 15 Pro is rumored to be announced in October this year. Previous speculations indicate that it could be among the first phones to feature the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset, set for release in the same month, as confirmed by Qualcomm.