Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s camera benchmark, dots equally brilliant split personalities

As far as Android flagships, and their cameras go, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has its task articulated with little left to ambiguity. There is of course the partnership with iconic German photography giants Leica, their legacy intertwined. It plays a part in holding Xiaomi’s flagship and photography efforts in good stead, as competition too relies on a similar there — Hasselblad with OnePlus, and Zeiss with Vivo. There was little doubt that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra (and indeed the Xiaomi 14) stood tall among the camera focused flagships of last year, and this generation is certainly a step forward.

For India, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra keeps things uncomplicated with just the 16GB memory and 512GB storage spec, which demands you come to terms with parting with ₹1,09,999 before taking advantage of some discounts and cashback offers. The competition landscape includes all flagships at this time — the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Vivo X200 Pro and the OnePlus 13 more so, because of the differing approaches to otherwise brilliant photography proposition each promises. It’s early days for the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and there will be market defined price corrections along the way, and alignment will be dictated by the Galaxy S25 Ultra (starts ₹1,29,999 at this time), the X200 Pro (now ducks just below the lakh barrier, at ₹94,999) and the OnePlus 13 (now genuine value at ₹69,999 onwards).

For now, the Photography Kit is bundled (this otherwise sports a price tag of ₹11,999) that includes a case (the black with red accents, looks really good) to which attaches a photography grip using the USB-C port. A customisable dial to adjust exposure, shutter speed and ISO settings, a zoom and focal length adjustment toggle, quick start video recording button and a 2,000mAh battery to complement the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s massive 5410mAh battery, figure prominently for this value-add package.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is more of a looker than its predecessor, particular with the Silver Chrome finish that does well enough to replicate a traditional camera’s visual cues. To that point, the ever-larger camera module at the back, adds its bit. Attention to detail? The Ultra logo is largely where the rangefinder window would be placed. The dual-tone finish isn’t just differential colours, but a faux black leather complimenting the silver metal. I do have a feeling the satin black finish, an option that’s not on sale in India at this time, may have its share of takers too.

There is a heft to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and it still feels lighter in hand than the 229-gram weight rating would suggest. The power key, which doubles up as the Gemini quick access button, has a knurled finish to help the fingers distinguish it from the volume keys which are adjacent to it. That’s a nice touch, a detail you will appreciate. Many an Android phone now requires you to take a second stab at feeling your way around the plethora of physical keys, if not looking down at the frame.

Cameras are where the big hardware upgrades are. The quad camera setup has a 50-megapixel wide camera (this is the Sony LYT-900, carried forward), a 50-megapixel telephoto (focal length changes from 75mm to 70mm), a 1/1.4-inch-type sensor underlining the 200-megapixel periscope (100mm for periscope telephoto; replaces a 50-megapixel 120mm sensor) and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide (perplexing, the aperture has dropped from f/1.8 to f/2.2).

Specs only tell half the tale, and Xiaomi too is basing a chunk of the expectations on image processing and improved algorithms—such as aperture variations and background blur in portraits. This is a powerful camera setup, and if you like the Leica tonality in photographs, there is little chance you won’t immediately like what the Xiaomi 15 Ultra delivers into your Gallery app. I prefer Leica Vibrant for most photos, but there are some moods and scenes that may be better suited to Leica Authentic — both return perceptible differences, almost akin to two cameras in one. High contrast black & white photos, a strong point like no other flagship phone at this time.

Daytime outdoor shots have generous detailing and just the perfect dynamic range. Light and shadows come through brilliantly, and that in fact, is very useful for certain indoor scenarios too. Low light and night-time photos look stunning with pristine details shining through, since exposure and light sources remain accurately represented (point this camera at a light source as part of the frame, and it doesn’t burn any brighter than natural).

Zoom, with improvements to the telephoto proposition (it’s now a more useful 3x than 3.2x), and you’ll find yourself stepping away more and more to use this. In fact, 2x too, for many photos, from afar. Telephoto portraits aren’t a whim, they genuinely look beautiful, with very accurate skin tones if a human is in the frame. There can be an argument that the Vivo X200 Pro handles telephoto close focus better in some scenarios — that observation is based on distance of the subject. A consistent theme throughout is that colours are nicely vivid enough, without being unnaturally bright. It is a real positive that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra focus locks in quickly, whether it’s for close-ups, standard wide photos or just about any scenario. And stays locked in.

If video recording on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is a priority for you, this is capable of up to 8K recording at 30fps. For most intents, the 4K 60fps option might work best, because this is where the Dolby Vision HDR is also enabled (not on 4K 120fps, mind you). If you use ShootSteady to add another layer of stabilisation to potentially jerky videos, that’s limiting you 2.8K at 30fps. Videos that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra records largely leave little to complain about, except perhaps that the contrast errs on the side of caution (read, it could have been a notch more aggressive) and image stabilisation leaves a few cards on the table in certain scenarios.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra runs HyperOS 2.0.2.0 out of the box, but surprisingly, there have been no early updates rolled out (true at least till the time of writing this) — as is perhaps the norm, as phone makers preferring to scramble early to optimise the headline features. in this case, one of the bugs that need fixing include the first saved fingerprint getting deleted once you delete a Second Space profile. In case the fingerprint scanner mysteriously doesn’t unlock the primary space, it’s likely because the saved fingerprint scan has been deleted.

Can we also do something about unwanted preloaded apps, at least on these pinpoint flagship phones? And why, when I need to change the wallpaper, do I need to wade through (which means accepting the T&Cs as well) the Themes app mandatorily?

Secondly, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra does tend to get more than tepid at the back, particularly when the camera is used for a sustained duration. The summer cannot really be a factor in this, because my observations timed in the midst of the Delhi spring season. Usually, phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chips tend to do well with thermals, and this may be an easy fix for Xiaomi when an update does finally roll out.

Battery stamina is where the Xiaomi 15 Ultra really is bucking general trends — 17 hours and 15 minutes of run time on a single charge, significantly higher than the 15-hour ballpark that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Vivo X200 Pro manage too. Fast charging at 90-watts wired and 80-watts for wireless (if you have a wireless charger capable enough), is convenient to the hilt.

The best thing about the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is the camera collective, not limited to just the hardware, but also shining with vibrant photos. But that isn’t the only strong point, with a brighter than before 6.7-inch AMOLED display, improved graphics on the back of the latest generation flagship chip, a sprinkling of AI across different apps with the Gemini influence clear, XPAN audio, and the promise of 4 major Android updates in coming years, adding to the value proposition. HyperOS, as we have established, needs more polish. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra may be the definitive camera flagship for 2025.

But it isn’t as simple, at least as far as subjective preferences go, with the Vivo X200 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the OnePlus 13 having a lot to say on that matter. That’s certainly a good place to be, if you have to splash some cash on a new Android flagship.