I replaced my Galaxy S25 Ultra with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra – and it’s spoiled me big time

The moment I opened the box Xiaomi 15 UltraI knew I was in trouble. The flagship was launched in China a few days ago, but today its global debut at Mobile World Congress (MWC) should raise some flags between Android competitors and perhaps Apple.

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I’ve been replacing the SIM from my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and have been testing my phone for a month. Like most international mobile phones like Xiaomi support, I have a T-Mobile partially grateful for it just Here in the US, GSM-based cellular bands are sufficient to make LTE calls, messages and brows.

Other reasons range from the new 200mp periscope cameras (more than just a marketing gimmick) to industrial design and an incredibly smooth software experience. In other words, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra could be the best all-round phone I’ve ever tested. But even so, the reason for upgrading to it is just as clear as what you see elsewhere. This is a malfunction.

With 15 Ultra, you don’t need to look far to understand how Xiaomi wants to sell you. The absolute island of camera bumps requires attention, whether you’re staring directly or feeling the weight when holding the phone.

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But from the shield glass 2.0 to the high-strength Gorilla Glass 7i layer that protects the rear camera, Xiaomi says it’s much more durable than last year’s model, from the shield glass 2.0 to the high-strength Gorilla Glass 7i layer, which protects the rear camera. The subtle grooves on the power button look great.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is heavier than its predecessor – given the recent trends in slim down devices, it’s because the camera stack has been updated and the battery capacity is larger. At 226g, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is still lighter iPhone 16 Pro Max But it’s even heavier Galaxy S25 Ultra (218g). Still, the curved dimensions make the phone far more manageable than Samsung’s Bokuye aesthetic.

This year’s model is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. This, when combined with 16GB of RAM and Android’s rather optimized Hyperos skin, offers a stingy, almost flapping software experience. Knock Xiaomi for excessive bloatware, including preloaded apps such as WPS Office and Aliexpress. But beyond that, even after running the benchmark, the device rarely blocks or drops frames. It’s optimized.

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For charging, we have looked at a wired rating of 90W and a wireless rating of 80W. This is not a record globally, but is basically twice as fast as the best mobile phone in the US (sans oneplus). It’s a shame Xiaomi reduced the battery to 5,400mAh capacity when the Chinese version of the 15 Ultra was 6,000mAh size.

Now, for the elephant in the room: Wi-Fi 7 connection. I’m kidding. Because the Quad-Camera setup on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is one of the most capable ones I’ve tested, and domestic rivals like the Vivo X200 Pro are just as good.

Xiaomi has kept most of this year’s camera hardware the same, including Leica partners and brand optics, but has maintained a subtle yet meaningful upgrade across the board. The main 50MP lens still captures subjects at dynamic range and depth levels that only a 1-inch sensor can achieve. I’m a huge fan of super raw image capture that keeps details when editing in Lightroom, but the new 200MP periscope lens has become my default shooting tool.

This is a big spec bump from last year’s 50MP sensor, and the pixels added when you want to capture photos in low light environments or harvest after the fact are useful. Know that the optical zoom has been reduced from 5x to 4.4x. This may make you get used to it if your iPhone or Samsung is 5x.

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I’ve been testing a 200MP camera for recording movie video in portraits, landscape shots and pro mode, but the results made me consider retiring $3,500 Sony A7S III. Although phones can take a few seconds to fully render and process the image, which means that the final shot doesn’t appear right after capturing, the results are in contrast to my preferences, in a right amount of natural colour, sharpness, and contrast.

So the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is a phone that makes sense to have a dedicated camera/shutter button. Place it under the power button, which can encourage users to stabilize their phone (and their top camera bumps) with their index finger, possibly leading to a more comfortable and reliable capture experience.

ZDNET purchase advice

As with all global variations of mobile phones (read: those not officially sold in the US), they must be exported Xiaomi 15 Ultra Use one. It is currently retailing at 1,499 euros, which has been converted to almost 1,555 USD. It doesn’t count the impending upcharge from recent US tariffs. So, if you want one of the best mobile phones on the market, you need to pay to play.

Luckily, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is one of the simple phones we recommend to power users and tech enthusiasts, thanks to its onslaught of its competent camera system and specifications. At this point, you may even be capturing product shots and videos in place of a bulky Sony camera, using only a mobile phone.