Xiaomi's long-awaited 15 Ultra and 15 models have officially landed on the world stage, albeit with a few subtle changes compared to their Chinese counterparts. Although the basic DNA remains the same, international buyers will find some variations in battery capacity and color options. The smartphones debuted during the MWC exhibition in Barcelona, and we had the opportunity to see them live a few days before their official debut.
The flagship 15 Ultra, retaining 90W wired and 80W wireless charging, has a slight decrease in battery size, which from 6000 mAh in China drops to 5410 mAh for global markets. The color options also differ, with white, black, and a special edition Silver Chrome making their way to Europe, leaving the Pine Green variant exclusive to China.
Under the hood, the 15 Ultra features the same powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, paired with up to 16GB of RAM. The device features a sturdy aluminum frame and Xiaomi's Shield Glass 2.0, which is exceptionally drop-resistant. The back panel uses a unique fiberglass material, with textured finishes on the black model and a circular engraved pattern on the white variant. The 6.73-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200x1440px, with a refresh rate of 1-120 Hz and a maximum brightness of 3200 nits, remains unchanged.
The camera system, a main highlight of the 15 Ultra, features a 50MP LYT-900 1-inch sensor, now with a fixed aperture of f/1.63. Zoom capabilities are handled by a 70mm f/1.8 lens with a Sony IMX858 sensor and a new 100mm f/2.6 telephoto lens using a 200MP Samsung HP9 sensor. The ultra-wide lens is a 14mm f/2.2 with a Samsung JN5 sensor. The package is completed by a 32MP selfie camera with a 21mm f/2.0 lens.
The standard Xiaomi 15 also makes its global debut, similarly featuring a slightly smaller battery with a capacity of 5240 mAh compared to the 5400 mAh of the Chinese model. The Xiaomi 15 has a 6.36-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 1200x2670px, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and the same “shock-resistant glass“ as the Ultra. It also shares the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and up to 16 GB of RAM.
The Xiaomi 15's camera setup includes a 50MP main sensor with a 23mm f/1.6 lens, a 60mm f/2.0 zoom lens with a Samsung JN5 sensor, and a 14mm f/2.2 ultrabook lens. The front camera is 32MP with a 22mm f/2.0 lens.
Both Xiaomi 15 and 15 Ultra models retain the prices of their predecessors. The price of the Xiaomi 15, which is available in black, white starts at 1,000 euros for the 12/256 GB configuration. The price of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, is 1,500 euros.