Xiaomi 15: Design, workmanship and scope of delivery
The Xiaomi 15 in Liquid Silver looks as if someone had poured liquid metal into the shape of a smartphone. While the surface reflects like a wavy chrome mirror, it hardly attracts fingerprints, making it surprisingly suitable for everyday use. Compared to the matte black, white, or green versions, Liquid Silver is definitely the most striking color of the four.
The transitions between the glass and frame are seamless, the buttons are precise and click cleanly. At 152 mm long and 71 mm wide, it fits even in smaller hands without requiring constant acrobatic finger movements. The weight of 192 grams is perfectly acceptable. It's noticeable, but not heavy. It's well protected against dust and water according to IP68.
The square camera unit is comparatively large for an otherwise very handy smartphone and also protrudes quite a bit from the casing. The case somewhat balances this out, but anyone who likes to use their smartphone "naked" will notice the wobbly effect when typing on a table.
Xiaomi includes a simple but sturdy TPU case. A charger is missing from the box, which is no longer surprising, but still disappointing. At least a USB-C cable, a SIM card removal tool, and some paperwork are still included.
Xiaomi 15: Display
The Xiaomi 15's display is clearly top-of-the-line. With a peak brightness of up to 3200 nits, it shines so brightly in sunlight that you wonder why not all displays are so easy to read. The colors appear rich without being overly overpowering, and the display remains stable even at oblique viewing angles.
The handy format extends to the display. At 6,36 inches, it remains pleasantly small for a flagship, yet combines a high resolution of 2670 x 1200 pixels, which in turn ensures razor-sharp images at 460 ppi.
Thanks to LTPO technology, the refresh rate adjusts dynamically between 1 and 120 Hz. This saves energy without sacrificing fluidity when scrolling or gaming.
The touch sampling rate is up to 300 Hz, which is quite noticeable in fast-paced games. Content also benefits from HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and precise color representation in the DCI-P3 color space with 10-bit depth.
In everyday use, you'll especially notice how unobtrusively well-designed the panel is. There are no annoying edges, no accidental taps like with curved displays, and even in the rain, the touch panel remains reliably operable. Xiaomi calls this "Wet Touch," which sounds silly, but works surprisingly well.
The whole thing is protected by Xiaomi Shield Glass. Not Gorilla Glass, not Dragon Trail, but Xiaomi's own blend. It feels robust, looks good, and survived every scratch attempt in our tests.
Xiaomi 15: Performance and Software
Performance
The Xiaomi 15 is currently one of the fastest devices in its class. The Snapdragon 8 Elite ensures that apps launch instantly, animations run smoothly, and even demanding games like Genshin Impact or Diablo Immortal run smoothly. The chip is supported by 12 GB of fast LPDDR5X RAM and either 256 or 512 GB of UFS 4.0 storage, which not only offers plenty of space but also works lightning fast.
In everyday use, the system simply feels instantaneous. Swiping, tapping, and scrolling all happen without any noticeable lag, and performance remains consistently high even with apps open in the background. Xiaomi has its software under control and is clearly well-matched to the hardware.
However, prolonged use reveals that performance in a compact chassis also has its limits. After a few minutes of full load, the Xiaomi 15 becomes warm, especially around the camera unit. Performance remains stable, but is throttled somewhat. Xiaomi seems to be deliberately focusing on thermal control to prevent overheating. The cooling system is still easily sufficient for everyday tasks and normal gaming sessions.
Software
The Xiaomi 15 ships with HyperOS 2, based on Android 15. Visually and structurally, much is reminiscent of the previous MIUI, but everything seems a bit cleaner, smoother, and more sophisticated. System animations run smoothly, app transitions are fast, and the home screen responds without lag.
Anyone switching from an older Xiaomi device will find their way around immediately. The most important menus remain in their usual location, but there are many small improvements. These include the customizable app drawer, an optional simplified mode with larger icons, and the familiar separation of the Control Center and notifications.
Google Gemini is deeply integrated into the system and replaces the previous Google Assistant. Additionally, Xiaomi offers its own suite of AI features, including automatic text summaries, note layout suggestions, intelligent gallery features such as object detection, distance, or background expansion, as well as real-time translation in the recorder app.
All AI functions are clearly summarized in the new "HyperAI" menu item. This is a small but useful improvement over previous versions, in which many of these features were hidden within the apps.
Less pleasing are the pre-installed apps, including shopping, gaming, and streaming services. Most can be removed, but this still seems out of place on a high-end device. Even the app store occasionally displays recommendations that can only be disabled if you actively search for them.
In terms of updates, the Xiaomi 15 is guaranteed to receive four years of major Android updates and six years of security patches, far exceeding what we used to expect from Xiaomi.
Xiaomi 15: Connectivity
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
The Xiaomi 15 supports Wi-Fi 7 with 320 MHz channel width and multi-link operation, as well as Bluetooth 6.0. This allows the smartphone to communicate on multiple bands simultaneously, ensuring stable connections and high data throughput, especially in modern mesh networks. In practice, the device impresses with fast downloads, smooth streaming in high resolution, and low latency, even in congested networks.
Mobile
Mobile communications are also covered. The Xiaomi 15 supports 5G in both SA and NSA modes and supports a wide range of frequency bands, including n1, n3, n7, n28, n38, n41, n77, and n78. This makes it compatible with virtually all European networks, even in rural areas.
eSIM is also supported and can be used flexibly alongside a traditional nano-SIM. Dual-SIM management works reliably, calls are clear, and automatic network switching is fast and unobtrusive.
Navigation
GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou, QZSS, and NavIC are all on board, often with dual-band support. Positioning is precise, especially in densely built-up cities. The device finds a fix in seconds and maintains it, making it ideal for tracking during exercise or for navigation in the car.
Data transmission
The USB-C port supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 with speeds up to 10 Gbps. This is noticeable not only when transferring large amounts of data, but also when connecting to external monitors. DisplayPort over USB-C works flawlessly, so the device can be connected directly to HDMI or USB-C displays with a suitable adapter.
Audio
The stereo speakers are well-tuned, deliver a balanced sound, and reach a pleasantly loud volume without distorting the highs. One sits traditionally on the bottom, while the other is hidden in the top frame and also serves as the earpiece.
You shouldn't expect deep bass from a device of this size, but the sound is perfectly adequate for TV series, music, and YouTube. Voices are clearly understandable, podcasts feel present, and the device also delivers a decent sense of space when gaming. Dolby Atmos is enabled, but can be turned off or adjusted in the settings.
Those who prefer wireless listening get almost the full package. The Xiaomi 15 supports all major codecs, such as aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LHDC 5, LDAC, SBC, and AAC. When paired with high-quality headphones, the sound is rich in detail and low in latency. Traditional headphones with a jack are excluded, as a 3,5 mm jack is completely missing. However, the lack of a 3,5 mm jack is now standard.
Fingerprint scanner
The fingerprint sensor is located under the display and uses ultrasound instead of optical technology. In our tests, the scanner responded quickly and reliably, even working with slightly damp fingers.
Alternatively, the device can be unlocked using your face. Recognition via the front camera is fast, but only works in sufficient light and doesn't offer true depth detection. Convenient for on the go, but not as secure as a fingerprint.
Xiaomi 15: Camera
The Xiaomi 15 features a Leica-optimized triple camera setup with three 50 MP sensors, each tuned for different scenarios. Here are the key technical specifications at a glance:
- 50 MP main camera with OmniVision Light Fusion 900 sensor (1/1.31 inch), f/1.6 aperture, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF
- 50 MP telephoto camera with Samsung ISOCELL JN5 sensor (1/2.76 inch), 2.6x optical zoom, f/2.0 aperture, OIS, PDAF
- 50 MP ultra-wide-angle camera with Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor (1/2.76 inch), f/2.2 aperture, 115° field of view
- 32 MP front camera with OmniVision OV32B sensor (1/3.14 inch), f/2.0 aperture, 90° field of view
main camera
The large sensor with a pixel size of 2.4 μm in binning mode captures significantly more light than many competitors, which has a positive impact in daylight as well as in difficult lighting conditions.
The image quality impresses with sharpness, a smooth dynamic range, and natural colors. The Leica "Authentic" and "Vibrant" profiles allow you to flexibly customize the image look. Vibrant mode gives colors a richer hue, while the Authentic Look mode makes the image appear more natural and true to life.
In backlighting or difficult contrast situations, the dynamic range remains stable. The Xiaomi 15 is neither prone to overexposed skies nor drowned shadows. Sharpening is also excellent. Fine details like strands of hair or fabric textures appear natural and not artificially sharpened.
If the lighting conditions decrease, the automatic Night Mode intelligently intervenes and extends the exposure time if necessary. The results are low-noise and offer a natural lighting atmosphere. Highlights are barely blown out, and image depth is maintained even in particularly dark scenes.
Telecamera
The new floating telephoto lens uses the ISOCELL JN5 sensor and delivers 2.6x optical magnification at a 60mm focal length. While the zoom is slightly less than its predecessor, Xiaomi has clearly improved the quality. The photos appear sharper, have higher contrast, and retain a solid level of detail even at zoom levels up to 5x. The digital zoom up to 10x remains usable in good light, but beyond that, the images become noticeably softer.
What is noticeable when switching between the main and telephoto cameras, however, are slight differences in color and contrast. Especially in difficult lighting conditions, shots taken with the telephoto lens appear somewhat cooler and harsher. This isn't a huge problem, but it can be noticeable in mixed burst shots.
Portraits shot with the telephoto lens benefit from the shallower depth of field. The subject is cleanly isolated, creating a pleasantly soft background bokeh. Those who want to capture even more in their portraits can experiment with dedicated portrait focal lengths like 35 mm and 60 mm in the camera app.
In addition to portraits, macro shots can also be taken with the telephoto camera, which offers a close-up distance of approximately 10 centimeters. This allows for particularly close-up captures of flowers, textiles, or surface textures, yet still with great detail.
Ultra wide angle camera
The ISOCELL JN1 sensor succeeds in matching the colors to the main camera and the dynamic range is also impressive.
What's missing is autofocus. This limits flexibility, especially for close-ups or architectural details. Furthermore, image sharpness suffers at the edges, which is the case with many ultra-wide-angle cameras. This is especially noticeable on the Xiaomi 15 when the lighting conditions aren't optimal.
The lens is still perfectly usable for landscapes, group photos, or interiors. Colors and contrasts are stable, and the wide-angle effect isn't exaggerated.
Front camera
The 32 MP selfie camera delivers good results in daylight. Skin tones appear realistic, the dynamic range is sufficient, and backlighting is well compensated. In lower light conditions, noise increases slightly and details become noticeably softer. However, the quality is easily sufficient for everyday selfies.
Video
All rear cameras record in 4K at 60 fps. The main camera also supports 8K at up to 30 fps. HDR10+, Dolby Vision, LOG video, and a professional video mode with focus peaking, zebra, and audio level display are supported. Video stabilization works reliably, even during continuous recording or slight movement. The autofocus responds quickly, subjects are tracked smoothly, and the audio sounds clear and immersive via the four-microphone system.
The Xiaomi 15 also impresses in low-light video mode. While sharpness decreases slightly, brightness and color balance remain stable. The color matching between the lenses is better in video than many competitors, allowing for smooth perspective changes without any visible breaks.
Xiaomi 15: Battery and runtime
At 5.240 mAh, the battery is surprisingly large for a compact smartphone. Xiaomi uses modern silicon-carbon cells, which offer higher energy density and ensure long battery life. In everyday use, 6 to 7 hours of screen-on time are realistic.
Charging is possible with up to 90 watts via cable and 50 watts wirelessly. A full charge takes approximately 46 minutes, with 80 percent being reached in just 30 minutes. Reverse wireless charging is supported with 10 watts.
