The Xiaomi 15 has finally landed in Singapore, bringing the brand’s latest flagship features in a more compact form factor. Unlike the ultra-premium Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which steals most of the headlines, the Xiaomi 15 is targeted at users who want a powerful yet manageable phone that doesn’t stretch their pockets (literally and figuratively). After using the phone extensively for a week, I’ve gathered my thoughts on whether Xiaomi has truly refined its flagship formula or if it’s just another minor iteration.
Design & Build: The Compact Powerhouse Returns
Xiaomi has stuck to a 6.36-inch display for the standard model, making it one of the few high-end compact phones available today. It feels surprisingly premium, with a polished aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front, and a ceramic-like finish at the back. The overall build quality is solid, well-balanced, and ergonomic, making it great for one-handed use—a rarity in flagship devices nowadays.
The device measures 152.3mm x 71.2mm x 8.08mm and weighs 191g, offering a comfortable feel for daily use. It also includes IP68 dust and water resistance, ensuring durability against the elements. The camera module design has been slightly refined from the Xiaomi 14, featuring a square camera bump with a sleeker aesthetic, making it less wobbly when placed on a table.
Personal Take:
✅ One of the best compact phone designs out there.
❌ Still no 3.5mm headphone jack (but at this point, that’s expected).
Display: CrystalRes AMOLED with Exceptional Brightness
The 6.36-inch CrystalRes AMOLED display offers a 2670 x 1200 resolution, with a 1Hz-120Hz adaptive refresh rate for smooth scrolling and animations. The peak brightness of 3200 nits ensures excellent outdoor visibility, making it one of the brightest smartphone displays available.
The display supports DCI-P3 color gamut, 68 billion colors, and is compatible with HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision®, offering an immersive viewing experience. Xiaomi has also obtained TÜV Rheinland certifications for Low Blue Light, Flicker Free, and Circadian Friendly, ensuring eye comfort during extended use.
Personal Take:
✅ Super bright, excellent color reproduction.
❌ Bezels are slightly thicker than competitors (probably nitpicking)
Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite – The New Standard
Under the hood, the Xiaomi 15 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, built on a 3nm process. It features 2 Prime Cores clocked up to 4.32GHz and 6 Performance Cores up to 3.53GHz, along with an Adreno GPU for high-end gaming and performance needs.
The device comes with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and offers storage options of 256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0, ensuring fast data transfer and app loading speeds. Xiaomi’s Wing-type IceLoop cooling system helps manage thermals, although extended gaming sessions may still cause some heat buildup.
Personal Take:
✅ Handles everything you throw at it.
❌ Still warms up under sustained load, but it’s manageable.
Cameras: Leica Partnership Continues to Impress
Xiaomi has continued its Leica collaboration, and the triple 50MP camera setup on the Xiaomi 15 is truly flagship-grade. Here’s the breakdown:
- 50MP Leica Main Sensor (f/1.62, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF) – Captures sharp, high-dynamic range images with excellent color accuracy.
- 50MP Leica 60mm Floating Telephoto (f/2.0, OIS, PDAF) – Provides 3x optical zoom with outstanding portrait photography capabilities.
- 50MP Leica Ultra-Wide Camera (f/2.2, 115° FOV) – Captures wide shots with minimal distortion, but low-light performance is slightly weaker.
The 32MP in-display selfie camera (f/2.0, 90° FOV) ensures crisp, detailed selfies. Night photography is where the Xiaomi 15 shines, with Leica tuning enhancing low-light shots to compete with flagship rivals like the iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy S24.
Personal Take:
✅ A fantastic flagship camera setup, especially with the Leica color tuning.
❌ Xiaomi’s AI still over-sharpens images at times.
Media Consumption: A Fantastic Audio-Visual Experience
One of the biggest improvements in the Xiaomi 15 is its dual stereo speaker system, which provides a clearer, more immersive sound experience than previous generations. Listening to music on this phone is a treat, with richer bass and a well-balanced sound profile that makes every note crisp.
Coupled with its vibrant CrystalRes AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, and Dolby Atmos support, the Xiaomi 15 is an excellent device for media consumption and gaming. Watching HDR content on Netflix and playing visually rich games feels incredibly immersive, thanks to the combination of top-tier audio and display technology.
Personal Take:
✅ Music sounds significantly better than on previous Xiaomi models.
✅ Great for gaming and media consumption, thanks to Dolby Atmos support.
Software: HyperOS is Surprisingly Good, but Bloatware is Annoying
The Xiaomi 15 runs HyperOS 2, based on Android 15, which delivers a smooth and optimized experience. It provides better RAM management and snappier performance than MIUI, making multitasking seamless.
However, one aspect that irritates me is the preinstalled bloatware. While HyperOS is more refined, it still comes with several unnecessary apps that I had to manually uninstall. Given that this is a flagship device, Xiaomi should offer a cleaner experience right out of the box.
Personal Take:
✅ Much smoother and more optimized than MIUI.
❌ Preinstalled bloatware is frustrating to remove.
Connectivity & Extra Features
The Xiaomi 15 is packed with cutting-edge connectivity options, including:
- Wi-Fi 7 for ultra-fast network speeds
- Bluetooth 5.4 for better range and efficiency
- Dual SIM + eSIM support
- USB-C 3.2 for fast data transfer
- Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
- Under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is more reliable than optical ones
However, there’s no microSD card slot, meaning you’re stuck with internal storage. Regardless, the phone comes with either 256 or 512GB of internal storage, which is aplenty for daily usage. Thankfully, UFS 4.0 is also extremely fast, reducing app loading times.
Personal Take:
✅ Great connectivity options for a future-proof experience.
❌ No expandable storage, but that’s the norm nowadays.
Final Verdict: Is the Xiaomi 15 Worth It?
The Xiaomi 15 is one of the best compact flagship smartphones of 2024. It delivers top-tier performance, fantastic cameras, and ultra-fast charging, all in a one-hand-friendly form factor. Xiaomi has finally refined the experience with HyperOS, making the software much smoother and less bloated.
That said, software update commitments remain a concern, and the phone still gets warm under load. Also, the lack of a charger in the box is a letdown, given that Xiaomi’s 90W HyperCharge is one of its standout features. But for those who want a premium compact Android flagship, the Xiaomi 15 is an excellent choice—especially for users tired of massive 6.7-inch devices.
Score: 8.8/10
🏆 Pros:
✔️ Compact & premium design
✔️ Stunning display with insane brightness
✔️ Powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite
✔️ Leica cameras are among the best
✔️ 90W charging is ridiculously fast
✔️ Fantastic audio and display for media consumption
✔️ Smooth software experience with HyperOS
⚠️ Cons:
❌ Slightly thicker bezels than competitors
❌ AI post-processing can be aggressive
❌ Xiaomi’s long-term software update commitment is still unclear
❌ No charger in the box—additional cost required
❌ Preinstalled bloatware is annoying
Would I buy this? If I were looking for the best compact Android phone right now, then absolutely. The Xiaomi 15 punches above its weight and finally feels like a truly refined flagship.
