The Xiaomi 14 is a great all-round device if you want powerful hardware in a small chassis, and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has one of the best camera packages of 2024. Xiaomi is building on that momentum with the introduction of the 15. and 15 pro; Both models now reside in China, and are making their way to global markets soon.
Chinese manufacturers have made a habit of releasing their next-generation flagships before the end of the year in China, with the global launch usually scheduled for Q1 of the following year. Xiaomi isn’t waiting that long, and has said it will release the Xiaomi 15 globally before the end of the year, so that should be welcome news if you’re looking to upgrade.
Xiaomi 15: Design
Xiaomi was known for its ever-changing designs, with each new device featuring a completely new aesthetic that bore little resemblance to its predecessor. Thankfully, the brand is now creating a cohesive design that translates across generations, and that means the Xiaomi 15 has a lot in common with the Xiaomi 14 — and even the Xiaomi 13.
The phone has the same flat sides, but the beveled finish makes it comfortable to hold and use. Like last year, the device is on the smaller end of the scale, and you get a 50:50 weight distribution. Xiaomi is using a glass back with a sandblasted finish to give the device a velvet-like texture, and it’s available in four colors. While the overall size is the same, the Xiaomi 15 has a significantly larger 5400mAh battery while maintaining the same weight as the Xiaomi 14, and it’s great to look at.
The Xiaomi 15 Pro uses the same design but has a larger OLED panel, and the device gets an impressive camera upgrade. The Pro model was limited to China last year, and it remains to be seen if Xiaomi will do the same this time around.
What I like is that the 15 Pro comes with an absolutely massive 6100mAh battery, and that should be enough for everyday use.
Xiaomi 15: Specifications
Xiaomi has the honor of taking the stage at Qualcomm’s annual summit to announce its latest phones, and the Xiaomi 15 was no different. Both models are powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite platform, and should deliver massive gains across the board.
While Xiaomi hasn’t changed the screen size this time around, the OLED panels go up to 3200 nits, and they use a custom glass solution to protect the panels instead of Corning’s Gorilla Glass.
Xiaomi hasn’t changed the cameras on the Xiaomi 15, and the device gets the same trio of 50MP modules as last year. The Xiaomi 15 Pro gets the 50MP telephoto from the 14 Ultra, but apart from that, it uses the same camera modules elsewhere. This is a good thing, as the Xiaomi 14 nailed the cameras, and I’m interested to see what Xiaomi did with the tuning to deliver better shots.
Both devices get IP68 dust and water resistance, the latest connectivity features, standard 12GB RAM with 256GB storage on base models, and large batteries.
Xiaomi 15: Availability.
Xiaomi has indicated that it will release the Xiaomi 15 globally before the end of the year, so we won’t have to wait long to find out when these devices will be available.
The change in strategy effectively allows the brand to position the Xiaomi 15 against the Galaxy S25 and other 2025 releases. I’ll update this post as additional details become available, but if you’re using a Xiaomi phone and considering an upgrade, you shouldn’t wait until 2025.