Today at MWC in Barcelona, Xiaomi has unveiled the Xiaomi 15, its latest flagship smartphone, featuring a Leica-engineered camera system, a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and the Xiaomi HyperOS 2 platform. Xiaomi promises to offer high-end performance and imaging capabilities, the Xiaomi 15 combines cutting-edge hardware with AI-driven software enhancements.
It’s really exciting to see Xiaomi continue to focus on the Irish market, so let’s take a closer look at the key specs before covering the phone in a full review.
Display and Design
The Xiaomi 15 features a 6.36-inch CrystalRes AMOLED display with a 2670 x 1200 resolution and 460 PPI pixel density. It supports a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, ensuring smooth visuals and vibrant colours. The screen brightness peaks at 3200 nits, and the TÜV Rheinland-certified display includes Low Blue Light, Flicker-Free, and Circadian Friendly (which we know I love) certifications for eye comfort.
In terms of design, the Xiaomi 15 has a high-strength aluminium frame and Xiaomi Shield Glass, offering enhanced durability. It maintains a 94% screen-to-body ratio with ultra-thin 1.38mm bezels. The phone is IP68-rated for water and dust resistance. Broadly speaking, the Xiaomi 15 will be available in Black and Green in the Irish market.
Performance and Software
Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, the Xiaomi 15 is built on a 3nm manufacturing process and features an octa-core Oryon CPU with two Prime Cores at 4.32GHz. It includes LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, with configurations of 12GB + 256GB (the only one coming to the Irish market) or 12GB + 512GB.
I’m keen to ensure this article doesn’t wander into the realms of review, but to date, the Snapdragon 8 Elite has been mightily impressive from my experience with it in the HONOR Magic 7 Pro.
The device runs on Xiaomi HyperOS 2, which introduces HyperAI, HyperCore, and HyperConnect for optimized system performance, seamless device interconnectivity, and AI-powered enhancements. Features such as AI Speech Recognition, AI Writing, and AI Image Processing are included.
Camera System
Developed in collaboration with Leica, the Xiaomi 15’s camera system consists of:
- 50MP Leica main camera (ƒ/1.62, Light Fusion 900 sensor, OIS, 23mm equivalent)
- 50MP Leica telephoto camera (ƒ/2.0, JN5 sensor, OIS, 60mm equivalent, floating lens, 10cm macro support)
- 50MP Leica ultra-wide camera (ƒ/2.2, 115° FOV, JN1 sensor, 14mm equivalent)
Additional imaging technologies include Xiaomi AISP 2.0, Master-lens system with wide and bubble bokeh effects, and fast street photography mode.
For videography, the Xiaomi 15 supports 8K recording at 24fps and 30fps, 4K Dolby Vision® recording at 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps, and 4K Log video capture. The 4-mic array and MasterCinema mode enhance audio and video recording capabilities.
Battery, Connectivity, Pricing and Availability
The 5,240mAh Xiaomi Surge Battery supports 90W wired HyperCharge and 50W wireless HyperCharge. Xiaomi claims the device offers up to 25 hours of video playback. The Xiaomi Surge P3 charging chipset improves efficiency and charging speed.
The Xiaomi 15 includes Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, and USB-C connectivity. It supports dual SIM (nano SIM + nano SIM / nano SIM + eSIM / eSIM + eSIM). The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor enhances security, offering faster and more accurate unlocking, even with wet hands.
You can read my full review of the Xiaomi 15, but for now, I’ll close out by saying the Xiaomi 15 12GB RAM with 256GB memory is available for €1,099, SIM-free from Harvey Norman Ireland and on plan from Tesco Ireland and Vodafone Ireland.
As an added bonus, customers that purchase the Xiaomi 15 in Ireland between 2nd March to 31st March will also get a free Xiaomi Robot Vacuum Cleaner X20 Pro worth €559.
Xiaomi also launched the Xiaomi 15 Ultra; very much a photography-focused smartphone. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra will be available in Ireland in silver chrome, sporting 16GB RAM and 512GB memory. It will set you back €1,599 and is available SIM-free from Harvey Norman Ireland and on plan from Tesco Ireland.
Updated 2/3/25: Added actual colours available in Ireland for both devices.
