Xiaomi 15 Pro and Xiaomi 15 are official: here's what makes these amazing

Another day, another flagship is official: today, it's Xiaomi's turn. The company that makes people forget about Apple and Samsung has unveiled its latest top-notch series, so far consisting of:

• Xiaomi 15
• Xiaomi 15 Pro

Let's see what these are about; let's start with the jacked-up Xiaomi 15 Pro!

Xiaomi 15 Pro: the warrior has a poet side

Until the Xiaomi 15 Ultra pops up – which is expected to happen in the first three months of 2025 – the just-unveiled Xiaomi 15 Pro shall hold the championship title in the kingdom of Xiaomi.

Under the hood, the Xiaomi 15 Pro packs a treasure – Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the spiritual (and physical) successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, an outstanding powerhouse.

This high-end chipset includes Qualcomm's second-generation custom Oryon CPU cores.

The new Oryon CPU core offers a 45% performance boost and 44% improvement in power efficiency. Additionally, the Adreno GPU achieves 40% gains in both performance and efficiency, contributing to an overall system power savings of 27%. The Oryon cores reach a maximum clock speed of 4.32GHz.

Display

The Xiaomi 15 Pro features a 6.73-inch 2K OLED curved display with a 3200 x 1440 resolution, utilizing TCL CSOT’s M9 luminous materials.

What does this mean? Well, TCL CSOT’s M9 luminous materials are a cutting-edge display technology developed by TCL's China Star Optoelectronics Technology division, designed to enhance the performance of OLED screens.

These materials enable displays to achieve higher brightness levels while maintaining vibrant color reproduction, significantly improving the viewing experience, particularly in bright environments. Additionally, the M9 materials contribute to increased power efficiency.

The dual-layer microcavity emission structure of M9 materials optimizes the emitted light, allowing for better control over luminance and overall visual quality. Furthermore, displays utilizing these materials tend to show improvements in durability and resistance to screen burn-in, a common issue with OLED technology.

Xiaomi claims this display reduces power consumption by 24% compared to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 14 Pro. It supports LTPO adaptive refresh rates between 1-120Hz, plus three-level refresh zoning, allowing for highly efficient power usage. That's poetry!

The display also includes a 300Hz touch sampling rate, with an instantaneous response rate reaching 2,560Hz, ensuring smooth interactions. It delivers peak brightness up to 3,200 nits and is protected by Xiaomi’s durable Dragon Crystal Glass 2.0, which improves drop resistance, coming from older models.

Users can expect LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage on the Xiaomi 15 Pro: in short, this makes multitasking and data transfer a breeze. For thermal management, the phone integrates a unique wing-shaped circular cooling system, featuring a large heat dissipation area. Xiaomi’s HyperCore microarchitecture scheduler further optimizes overall performance, making the device both powerful and efficient, the company brags.

Camera

Of course, the Xiaomi 15 Pro is big on the camera front. And how could it not be? It comes with a Leica-branded triple-camera setup:

• 50 MP sensor (main camera), f/1.44 aperture lens, 23mm equivalent focal length, OIS, 2.4μm quad-pixel
• 50 MP sensor (telephoto camera), f/2.5 aperture, 120mm equivalent focal length, OIS, 30 cm macro distance
• 50MP sensor (ultra-wide camera), f/2.2 aperture, 14mm equivalent focal length, 5 cm macro distance

So, the Xiaomi 15 Pro boasts an advanced camera system powered by Leica. At the heart of this setup is the Sony LYT-900 sensor, coupled with a large f/1.44 aperture lens that’s equivalent to a focal length of 23mm. That's the standard, give or take, these days.

This camera supports quad-pixel 2.4μm output and is equipped with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) for sharper images. Additionally, it utilizes a seven-element lens (7P) with QPD (Quad Phase Detection) focusing for precise shots.

Complementing the main sensor is the 120mm periscope telephoto lens, also with a 50 MP sensor, with an f/2.5 aperture. This lens not only supports OIS but also allows for macro photography at a distance of 30 cm.

Finally, the trio on the back offers a 115-degree field of view ultra-wide lens, offering another 50 MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture, and an equivalent focal length of 14mm. This lens features a 5 cm super macro mode and automatic focusing.

For selfies, the Xiaomi 15 Pro features a 32 MP front camera equipped with several enhancements, including Dolby Vision, portrait mode, and dual-view video capabilities. Front-facing video recording options mirror the rear, supporting 4K at 30 or 60 fps and 1080p at 30 or 60 fps, along with 720p at 30 fps.

When it comes to video, the Xiaomi 15 Pro can shoot in 8K resolution at 24 or 30 frames per second (fps), as well as 4K at 24, 30, or 60 fps. Slow-motion capabilities are also impressive, with options for 720p resolution at 120fps, 240fps, 480fps, and even 960fps, as well as 1080p at 120fps, 240fps, and 960fps. Good job, Xiaomi!

In terms of features, the Xiaomi 15 Pro camera system is packed with options, including native dual image quality, a cinematic mode, Dolby Vision support, and a street photography mode. The camera is equipped with various shooting modes such as portrait, panorama, time-lapse, and night mode 2.0.

It also offers capabilities like "Super Moon" photography, long exposure, and AI beautification to enhance images further. Although, I don't suggest using that too often or too harshly.

Battery, colors, and availability

The Xiaomi 15 Pro is powered by a robust 6,100mAh battery. Xiaomi claims that thanks to the high-voltage cobalt lithium and silicon-carbon nanotube technology, the battery should maintain 80% capacity after 1,600 charge cycles.

Fast charging capabilities include 90W wired and 50W wireless options. Other features include satellite connectivity for offline communication up to 3.5km via the Surge T1S signal enhancement chip, a Goodix Technology ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, IP68 water and dust resistance, and Wi-Fi 7 support. The device also offers stereo speakers, USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) connectivity, an X-axis linear motor, and an infrared remote control.

Pricing for the Xiaomi 15 Pro starts at 5,299 Yuan (~$742) for the 12/256 GB variant, with the 16/512 GB model priced at 5,799 Yuan (~$812), and the 16 GB+1 TB option available for 6,499 Yuan (~$910).

The phone will be available in four colors:

• Bright Silver Edition
• Rock Gray
• White
• Spruce Green

The Bright Silver edition will cost an additional 200 Yuan (~$28), so keep that in mind.

The Xiaomi 15 Pro operates on Xiaomi’s latest HyperOS 2, which enhances user experience and optimizes system performance. This update includes refined system features, improved integration with Xiaomi's ecosystem, and more efficient power management to prolong battery life.

Xiaomi 15: the poet has a warrior side

Just because it doesn't have a "Pro" in its name, it doesn't mean that the Xiaomi 15 is not a great flagship.

The Xiaomi 15 features a sleek 6.36-inch flat OLED display, upgraded with ultra-slim symmetrical bezels measuring just 1.38mm. It offers a 2670 x 1200 resolution, a variable refresh rate of 1-120Hz LTPO, and impressive peak brightness of 3,200 nits, all enhanced by full-brightness DC dimming.

The screen is protected by Xiaomi’s Dragon Crystal Glass, which provides ten times better drop resistance compared to its predecessor (the Xiaomi 14), the company claims.

At its core, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. What we said above is valid here as well – this chipset delivers a remarkable 45% increase in both single-core and multi-core performance over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

With support from Xiaomi HyperCore and a custom microarchitecture scheduler, users can expect a 45.7% faster app launch response time, significantly improving overall usability. This claim by Xiaomi is to be tested by our own reviews, so stay tuned!

Running on HyperOS 2.0, based on Android, the Xiaomi 15 introduces optimizations specifically designed for this compact flagship, such as advanced thermal management and enhanced system performance.

The camera system, developed in collaboration with Leica, features three Leica-branded 50 MP lenses for its main, telephoto, and ultra-wide cameras.

The main camera comes with an f/1.62 aperture, OIS, while the 5x optical telephoto camera comes with an f/2.0 lens. Pretty large aperture for a telephoto, allowing for better light gathering capabilities. If you consider the Xiaomi 15 to be vastly inferior to its Pro sibling, think again!

For selfies, there’s a 32MP OmniVision OV32B40 camera positioned in a center punch-hole design. The device also includes AISP 2.0, which processes up to 4.3 billion pixels per second, perfect for dynamic photo sharing on social media platforms.

Powering the Xiaomi 15 is a robust 5,400mAh battery that supports 90W wired and 50W wireless fast charging, along with 30W magnetic wireless charging.

For security, it utilizes Goodix Technology’s ultrasonic fingerprint recognition, allowing for quick, glare-free unlocking even with wet hands. The device features a durable aviation-grade unibody aluminum frame with a four-curve wrap-around design for a comfortable grip, and it is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance.

It also includes long-standing features such as NFC and an infrared remote control.



The Xiaomi 15 is available in many colors:

• Lilac Purple
• Light Grass Green
• Black
• White
• Bright Silver Edition
• Elephant Gray (Diamond Limited Edition)
• Orange (Diamond Limited Edition)
• Glacier White (Diamond Limited Edition)

Pricing starts at 4,499 yuan (~$630) for the 12/256 GB variant, rising to 5,499 yuan (~$770) for the 16 GB+1 TB model, with the Bright Silver Edition costing an additional 200 yuan (~$28).

The Diamond Limited Edition options are reportedly costing 5,999 yuan (~$840).

The Xiaomi 15 series will be available for purchase through Xiaomi’s official website, Xiaomi Mall, and authorized retail partners. Pre-orders have begun, with general availability set for October 31 in China, while global availability details will be announced later.