Xiaomi 15 review

The competition

The Xiaomi 15 is globally available in black, white, green and silver in two memory configurations - 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB. As we said, neither the 16GB RAM variant nor the 1TB storage variant are coming to global markets for now. As far as we know, at the time of writing, the MSRP for the Xiaomi 15 will remain the same as the Xiaomi 14. That means that the base model should cost €1,000, and the storage upgraded one will set you back €1,100. That's a fairly typical and expected flagship price for the rough segment in which Xiaomi 15 is competing.

Let's go through some of the alternatives to the Xiaomi 15 to potentially explore. As we've already mentioned, the Xiaomi 15 is a kind-of-compact device. For about as much, you can go for one of the popular truly compact phones out there, like the iPhone 16. Its display is just 6.1 inches in diagonal. Frankly, even though it is a bit more expensive, the iPhone 16 Pro seems like a better match for the Xiaomi 15. Like the Xiaomi, it is a bit bigger with a 6.3-inch display, but one that is 120Hz instead of 60Hz like the non-Pro. You also get a triple-camera setup on the 16 Pro to match the versatility of the Xiaomi 15. You won't be strapped for performance either, and even though Apple's battery is noticeably smaller, it still has a great Active Use Score.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro • Samsung Galaxy S25 • Google Pixel 9 Pro • vivo X200 Pro mini

Over in camp Samsung, the most compact flagship device you can get is the Galaxy S25. It is similarly equipped to the Xiaomi 15 in most areas, like the triple rear camera setup. Though, you don't get nearly the same camera prowess here. At least the 6.2-inch AMOLED is comparable in performance. Plus, at current pricing, the Galaxy S25 falls comfortably below the €1,000 point. Frankly, if size is not a big concern for you, though, and you're okay with rocking slightly older hardware, you can easily fit a Galaxy S24 Ultra within budget and get basically the best of the best Samsung has to offer, but it's an unwieldy device, that's for sure.

The list of contenders just wouldn't feel complete without Google's entry into the race with the Pixel 9 Pro. Despite enjoying relatively lower popularity, as per our statistics, it is a strong contender with a periscope telephoto as part of a rear trio of cameras, an autofocusing high-resolution selfie camera and a solid all-around 6.3-inch, 120Hz OLED display. Plus, you get excellent software support, just like from Samsung.

Finally, depending on where you live or whether you're not afraid to get tech imported straight from China, vivo has an admittedly less-obvious, less-popular, slightly obscure, but still solid offer in the X200 Pro mini. It matches the rough size of the Xiaomi 15 nearly perfectly and doesn't give up any ground regarding hardware. Its triple 50MP rear camera system looks particularly interesting on paper. You also get a very competent 6.32-inch, 120Hz LTPO display and a large battery.

Our verdict

The Xiaomi 15 is more of an iterative upgrade rather than a colossal jump forward. The notably larger battery is probably the most important change in our minds. The chipset swap to the new Snapdragon 8 Elite is nice and all, but just like last year, the Xiaomi 15 still struggles to keep it cool with prolonged loads. The camera changes are pretty minor. Last year, we did wish for autofocus on the ultrawide, but that didn't come to pass. Even so, this is one of the best and most capable camera setups you can currently get in a relatively compact phone.

Honestly, apart from the lackluster cooling performance, there are very few, if any, glaring issues we can point out with the Xiaomi 15. While it might not be a huge upgrade over its predecessor, we acknowledge that fitting so much premium hardware into such a small body is a really tough job and one that Xiaomi continues to excel at.

The bottom line here is that you can't realistically do much better than the Xiaomi 15 for a powerful, modern, compact flagship. If the price is right for you, you won't regret picking one up.

Pros

• One of the few compact flagship phones
• Very nice 120Hz, LTPO OLED display.
• Great battery life and a big battery.
• Pretty fast charging.
• Premium stereo speaker setup.
• Excellent connectivity, including tri-band Wi-Fi 7, eSIM support and a fast 10 Gbps USB port with DP output.
• HyperOS 2 is streamlined, efficient and full of interesting AI.
• Еxcellent camera experience all-around in both photos and videos.

Cons

• Generational upgrades are few and far between.
• Ultrawide cam has subpar photo quality and lacks autofocus.
• Battery capacity is large but smaller than the Chinese model.
• Throttles heavily under heavy load.
• No charger in certain markets like the EU.