Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Common Questions
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most about the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, based on two weeks of testing.
Last revised
The questions we are asked most often about the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, answered from our own testing rather than the specification sheet.
Is it worth buying?
It scored 4 out of 5 at £1299. It is a straightforward recommendation if you are photographers who want the closest thing to a compact camera in a phone, and a poor one otherwise.
What is the catch?
Heavy. That is the single thing most likely to bother you, and it is worth being certain it will not before buying.
How long will it stay usable?
Assume the support window rather than the hardware determines this. Software support length is what decides how long a device stays safe to use, not how well the hardware holds up.
How does it compare with the alternatives?
The strongest alternative we have measured is the Pixel 9a at £499, which scored 5 out of 5 against this one's 4. The cheapest we would still recommend is the Galaxy A56 at £399. Both went through the same tests under the same conditions, which is the only reason those numbers can sit in the same sentence.
Should I buy it now or wait?
It launched in 2025, which puts it a year into its life. If what you have still works, waiting costs you very little; replacement cycles in this category are long and the successor is rarely a step change. If what you have has actually failed, buy now — the price will not move meaningfully before it does.
Is it good for everyday use?
Yes, with one qualification. For photographers who want the closest thing to a compact camera in a phone it is a straightforward yes. The qualification is that heavy, which is a background irritation for most people and a dealbreaker for a few — and only you can say which you are.
Full specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.73in LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz |
| Chip | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Battery | 5410mAh |
| Charging | 90W wired |
| Weight | 226g |
| Screen-on time | 7h 05m |
What we liked
- A one-inch main sensor with genuinely optical depth falloff
- An optional grip with a physical shutter
- Very fast charging
What we did not
- Heavy
- Noticeable preinstalled software bloat
- A shorter update commitment than Google or Samsung
Behind this page
This reference page is written from the same testing notes as the reviews it supports, and it is revised whenever the hardware or the software underneath it changes. Where a figure appears here it has been measured rather than quoted from a specification sheet.
If something on this page no longer matches what you are seeing, it is out of date rather than disputed — tell us and it gets checked again.
Related reading
The reviews this page supports go into the measurements behind these figures, and the knowledge base collects every reference page we keep.
Elsewhere in common questions: eero 6+: Common Questions, iPad Air 11 (M2): Common Questions and iPad Pro 13 (M4): Common Questions.