Xiaomi 15 delivers a flagship experience in a compact body, powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. The device offers significant upgrades over its predecessor, including enhanced storage options with 256GB and 512GB variants, addressing last year’s limitation of fixed storage.
The design adopts a sleek matte black finish, replacing glossy surfaces for a premium feel. The rear glass and frame sport a uniform matte texture, with the camera flash repositioned neatly beside the lenses, enhancing overall aesthetics.
Display and Build
The Xiaomi 15 features a 6.36-inch OLED LTPO panel with an adaptive refresh rate from 1Hz up to 120Hz, providing smooth visuals and energy efficiency. Instead of Gorilla Glass Victus, the display uses Xiaomi’s proprietary Dragon Crystal Glass, which is claimed to be ten times stronger against scratches and drops. Its peak brightness reaches thousands of nits, ensuring clarity even under direct sunlight.
Color accuracy and contrast are excellent, typical of OLED technology, making it suitable for multimedia consumption. The always-on display offers extensive customization tailored to user preferences.
Performance Powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite
The latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset powers the Xiaomi 15, achieving an outstanding AnTuTu benchmark score of around 2.6 million. Coupled with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, the device handles demanding gaming titles like Mobile Legends and PUBG at smooth 120fps. Genshin Impact runs steadily at nearly 60fps for extended play sessions.
Advanced cooling via vapor chamber technology effectively manages heat, maintaining a peak temperature around 42°C during intense gaming. This cooling system, combined with the chipset’s efficiency, ensures sustained high performance without thermal throttling.
Battery Life and Charging
Despite its compact dimensions, the Xiaomi 15 houses a robust 5200mAh silicon-carbon battery. This capacity surpasses the Xiaomi 14’s 4600mAh and even outlasts some larger flagship models. Real-world tests show only 4% battery drain after an hour of YouTube music streaming and 8–12% depletion during heavy gaming sessions lasting 30 minutes.
Charging is swift with 90W wired support, replenishing approximately 45% charge within 15 minutes and full charge in about 45 minutes. Wireless charging up to 50W is also available, catering to users who prefer cable-free power-ups.
Camera System with Leica Tuning
The triple 50MP camera setup on the Xiaomi 15 receives comprehensive Leica calibration. Leica treatment is applied not only to the main sensor but to all lenses, resulting in photos with natural contrast, mature color tones, and well-managed shadows.
Ultrawide shots retain good detail and color fidelity, avoiding common midrange camera pitfalls. The front camera supports 4K video recording at 60fps, matching flagship video capabilities. Audio recording quality is also superior, benefiting content creators and vloggers.
Comprehensive Flagship Features
Xiaomi has equipped the 15 with a thorough set of flagship features. The smartphone sports a dual nano-SIM tray without hybrid slots, USB-C 3.2 port for fast data transfer and powerful charging, and IP-rated dust and water resistance. Haptic feedback is refined, delivering a premium tactile experience.
Additional connectivity includes WiFi 7 support for faster and stable internet and eSIM readiness for users needing multiple lines without physical SIM cards.
Software and Updates
The Xiaomi 15 runs on HyperOS 2, delivering a smooth, modern user experience. Xiaomi commits to an extended update policy with four years of OS upgrades and six years of security patches. Continuous AI feature enhancements are rolled out through regular software updates, ensuring the device stays current in functionality and security.
This combination of top-tier hardware, efficient cooling, long battery life, and Leica camera tuning makes Xiaomi 15 a compelling flagship compact phone choice for users who prioritize both performance and portability.
