Xiaomi Focuses on Images With Its High-Finish 15 and 15 Extremely

I am a fan of Xiaomi’s new 15 and 15 Extremely flagship telephones—even when they solely carry incremental enhancements over their predecessors. The Xiaomi 15 is an aesthetic, compact competitor to the iPhone 16 or Pixel 9, however the Xiaomi 15 Extremely is a photographer’s dream. Each are extraordinarily well-rounded smartphones with distinctive {hardware}, and Xiaomi has polished its HyperOS software program and infused it with AI—similar to everybody else available in the market.

However there’s nonetheless room for enchancment. Unwelcome bloatware feels cheeky on smartphones this costly, the design of the 15 is downright uninteresting and an identical to final yr’s Xiaomi 14, and there’s no Qi2 assist, which is unhappy as a result of we’re craving magnetic equipment for our Android telephones. Neither cellphone is formally bought within the US.

Elegant and Succesful

It’s not at all uncommon for the most recent model of a cellphone to be indistinguishable from the one earlier than. (Samsung and Apple, I’m you.) However the Xiaomi 15 is an identical. Even the colours are the identical; I bought a black evaluation unit, nevertheless it additionally is available in white or inexperienced. That stated, I do just like the design. It’s a compact cellphone that’s simple to handle one-handed, the matte end is fingerprint-resistant, and the whole lot is gently rounded, making it very snug to carry.

The 15 Extremely is a completely totally different beast, dominated by that colossal digicam on the again. It’s top-heavy, and, as I discovered with the 14 Extremely, you want a case to keep away from injury and scratches on that massive module. It generally catches if you slip it into your pocket, and the bump makes utilizing some wi-fi chargers tough as a result of the cellphone can’t lie flat. Fortunately, that is all justified for pictures followers (extra on that later).

Pleasingly, Xiaomi has jazzed up the 15 Extremely finishes, leaning into its digicam prowess and Leica partnership with a stunning two-tone silver chrome and pretend black leather-based paint job. It additionally is available in black with a purple spotlight across the digicam module. Sadly, I bought the white mannequin, which has a delicate marbled impact however is the dullest of the bunch. The 15 and 15 Extremely rating an IP68 score for water resistance and are protected by Xiaomi’s Defend Glass, although the Extremely will get the improved model 2.0.

The Xiaomi 15 has a 6.36-inch flat AMOLED display screen at 3670 X 1200 pixels, and the 15 Extremely jumps as much as a 6.73-inch at 3200 X 1440 pixels, with a really slight bevel on the edges. Each have a variable 1 to 120-Hz refresh fee for clean scrolling and energy effectivity, can hit 3,200 nits peak brightness, and assist Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10+. That’s a slight brightness enhance over final yr’s telephones, and these are top-notch, sharp, wealthy shows, nearly as good as any I’ve seen. The sound high quality from the stereo audio system is above common.