Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: All-round flagship with focus on imaging excellence

Besides its impressive camera capabilities, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is a well-rounded flagship, featuring a dazzling display, strong performance, and solid battery life

China’s Xiaomi recently launched in India the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, its premium flagship smartphone focused on mobile imagining. On paper, the smartphone boasts impressive camera hardware, enhanced further by its collaboration with German optics brand Leica. But how well does this camera system perform in real-world use? And beyond imaging, does the Xiaomi 15 Ultra deliver a well-rounded flagship experience? Let’s find out.

 

Design

 

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra in the Silver Chrome colour (review unit) draws aesthetic inspiration from the Leica Rangefinder camera, featuring a blend of aerospace-grade glass fibre and PU leather on the back panel. This design enhances the smartphone’s appearance and improves grip, as fingers naturally rest on the leather section. Additionally, the aluminium frame has contoured edges, making it more comfortable to hold. Small details, such as the retro-style “Ultra” badging on the top left, further refine the look.

 

Weighing 229g in the Silver Chrome variant, the smartphone feels substantial, primarily due to its large rear camera module, which occupies nearly half of the top section. However, the weight remains well-balanced. The camera module also provides a natural resting spot for the index finger, improving handling. Additionally, its broad footprint ensures the phone stays relatively stable when placed on a flat surface.

 

The large camera glass attracts dust and smudges, but Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection helps prevent scratches.

 

Display and audio

 

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra features a quad-curved AMOLED display that caters to both flat and curved screen preferences. Unlike some quad-curved smartphones where only the top layer curves, this display introduces a slight bend in visuals at the edges.

 

The panel offers a 3200 x 1440 resolution, delivering crisp visuals. While some might find the colours slightly saturated, Xiaomi provides different colour modes and even the option to select a preferred colour gamut. I personally used the Vivid mode, which enhances vibrancy. Xiaomi claims a peak brightness of 3200 nits, and while I couldn’t verify the exact figure, the display remained bright under most conditions. Additionally, despite lacking an anti-reflective coating, it maintained clarity from all viewing angles without noticeable glare.

 

With a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, the display ensures smooth scrolling and responsive interactions. It also dynamically adjusts between 1Hz and 120Hz based on content, improving power efficiency.

 

For content consumption, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra offers Widevine L1 support for high-definition streaming on compatible platforms. Netflix provides Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10 playback, while YouTube enables HDR for supported content. The device also features AI-powered display enhancements such as Super Resolution for upscaling videos, AI HDR Enhancement for improved vibrancy in non-HDR content, and MEMC for smoother video playback. However, in testing, these enhancements resulted in only minimal improvements in video quality.

 

The display is complimented by a stereo speaker set up that can get surprisingly loud while maintaining audio clarity. Additionally, the built in speakers support Dolby Atmos surround sound which can also be tweaked as per preference from the Setting app. There is also an Immersive Sound mode that enhances spatial audio, providing a better sense of depth during music playback.

 

Camera

 

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra features a camera system co-developed with Leica. At the back, it sports a quad-camera setup, including three 50MP sensors—a primary, ultra-wide, and “floating” telephoto (3x optical zoom)—all offering the same resolution. However, the highlight is the periscope telephoto lens, which boosts the resolution to 200MP while providing 4.3x optical zoom.

 

Leveraging its Leica partnership, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra offers Leica optics modes across all four cameras, allowing users to choose between “Leica Vibrant” and “Leica Authentic” colour profiles. I personally preferred the Leica Authentic style, as it delivers more natural tones in daylight. The camera app also includes several Leica-designed filter modes such as BW, BW HC, Sepia, and Blue.

 

Coming to the picture quality, images captured using the 50MP primary one-inch Sony LYT-900 sensor retain natural colours and tones in bright outdoor conditions. While the colours may not be as vibrant as those on some competing smartphones, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra excels in detail retention.However, this changes under  artificial lighting where the images seem more vibrant while lacking finer details. The 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN5 ultra-wide camera delivers similar results but falls short in dynamic range compared to the primary sensor.

The 50MP Sony IMX858 floating telephoto lens and the 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP9 periscope telephoto lens allow for high-quality zoomed images at 3x and 4.3x, respectively. However, they particularly shine while clicking portrait shots.Portrait shots at 3x zoom (70mm equivalent) appear natural with dynamic depth and excellent detail, but the 4.3x zoom portraits (100mm equivalent) stand out with enhanced vibrancy and a well-balanced bokeh effect.

 

The primary camera also serves as the macro shooter, but I found the 200MP telephoto lens more effective for close-ups. It not only allows for detailed shots from a distance but also performs well in short-range focusing. Another standout feature is the digital zoom capability, which goes up to 120x. Surprisingly, images remain usable even at 50x zoom.

 

On the front, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra sports a 32MP OmniVision OV32B sensor which captures good selfies across most lighting conditions. However, images tend to have a warmer tone compared to those taken with the rear cameras. Notably, the front camera lacks Leica tuning, meaning it does not support Leica styles or filters.

 

For videography, all cameras, including the front-facing one, support 4K recording at 60FPS while allowing sensor switching. Xiaomi has also improved stabilisation, making transitions between sensors smoother. The four rear cameras also support 8K recording at 30FPS, but users are limited to the sensor they start with. Additionally, the primary and 200MP telephoto cameras offer 4K recording at 120FPS. Other features include Dolby Vision recording and multiple audio options such as Smart Noise Reduction, Dimensional Immersive Audio, and Source Tracking.

 

Photography Kit- Legend Edition

 

Xiaomi also offers a “Photography Kit” for the 15 Ultra, priced at Rs 11,999. The kit includes a plastic case, multiple metallic camera rings, a Camera Grip, and its accessories. The grip attaches to the case and connects to the smartphone via USB-C, enhancing ergonomics while adding functional controls such as a shutter button, zoom lever, rotating dial, and recording button.These buttons are also customisable to some degree from within the settings app on the smartphone. For example, the rotating dial can be assigned functions like adjusting ISO, white balance, or bokeh effects.

 

Additionally, the Camera Grip doubles as a 2,000mAh power bank. A USB-C port at the bottom enables charging and supports bypass charging to the phone when attached.

 

While the kit improves handling and provides dedicated controls for photography, it does not enhance the camera’s performance. However, it does lend the smartphone a more professional camera-like appearance.

 

Performance

 

Like many flagship smartphones launched this year, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite chip. The top-tier processor is paired with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.1 storage.

 

As expected, the smartphone handles most tasks effortlessly, including heavy multitasking, graphics-intensive gaming, and high-resolution video recording. Even demanding titles like Genshin Impact run smoothly at high settings with minimal frame drops. While the device does heat up during prolonged gaming, it remains comfortable to hold, and there is no significant dip in performance.

 

Software

 

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra runs on Android 15-based HyperOS 2. According to Xiaomi, the smartphone will receive four generations of Android system updates and six years of security updates. While this is not as extensive as what Google and Samsung offer, it is in line with several other manufacturers.

 

As seen on other recent Xiaomi devices, the new interface marks a significant upgrade over the previous generation UI. The software is noticeably smoother and far less intrusive, with fewer system notifications and advertisements. Additionally, subtle UI refinements, such as redesigned icons and animation styles, give it a refreshed look. Other improvements include a more streamlined settings menu, a redesigned widget drawer, and enhanced system navigation, making the interface more intuitive.

 

As for the AI-based features, Xiaomi offers several tools as part of its Hyper AI suite. This includes AI Writing, which assists with summarising, proofreading, and rewriting text in the native Notes app. The feature works well most of the time, and the interface bears a striking resemblance to Apple’s Writing Tools tray. AI Interpreter is aimed at transcribing calls and performs surprisingly well, accurately transcribing both Hindi and English conversations while also offering real-time translation. Another notable inclusion is AI Search, which enables users to find content in the Gallery, File Manager, Recorder, and Notes apps using natural language prompts.

 

There are also several AI-powered tools for image editing, such as AI Erase Pro and Enhance. However, one standout feature is AI Image Expansion, which uses generative AI to extend images beyond their actual borders. The feature proves particularly useful and often delivers impressive results, even in crowded scenes.

 

Battery

 

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is equipped with a 5,410mAh battery, which comfortably delivers a day and a half of use on a full charge with moderate usage. Even for heavy users, the smartphone is likely to last an entire day with some battery remaining.

 

For recharging, the device supports 90W wired charging, and Xiaomi includes a charger of the same rating in the box. The smartphone takes approximately 50 minutes for a full charge, while a 15-minute top-up can replenish around 40 per cent of the battery. Additionally, it supports 80W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, making it convenient for topping up accessories like wireless earbuds.

 

Verdict

 

Priced at Rs 109,999, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra stands out as one of the best camera-centric smartphones available in the market. The Leica-tuned rear cameras deliver impressive imaging and videography performance, though the front-facing camera leaves room for improvement. Beyond its impressive camera capabilities, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is a well-rounded flagship, featuring a brilliant display, strong performance, and solid battery life. It also brings a useful set of AI features that could enhance the user experience. While Xiaomi has made notable improvements in software, there is still scope for further refinement and smoothness in the overall experience.