Xiaomi 15 Ultra is Here and It Means Business

Xiaomi just pulled the covers off its latest flagship, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and if there’s one thing that stands out, it’s the new 200MP periscope camera designed for low-light zoom photography.

Codenamed “Night God” internally, this phone is all about pushing mobile photography to new heights. But how does it stack up against the competition? And is it really a game-changer, or just an iterative update? Let’s dive in.

The Xiaomi Ultra series has always been about cameras, even more so than Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra models or Apple’s iPhones. Last year’s Xiaomi 14 Ultra was already a photography powerhouse, and Xiaomi clearly didn’t want to mess with a winning formula. This year, the biggest upgrade is the periscope lens—a 200MP sensor with a shorter 4.3x zoom compared to last year’s 5x but with better light capture and a larger sensor.

It looks like the idea is to bring Brighter, sharper low-light zoom shots. It’s a move that puts it directly against the Vivo X100 Ultra and Honor Magic 7 Pro, both of which have pushed zoom photography forward in their own ways.

Beyond the camera, the 15 Ultra sticks to the flagship formula: a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, up to 1TB of storage, and a 6.73-inch AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 3,200 nits. It’s slightly brighter than last year’s model, but the display remains largely unchanged otherwise.

The 6,000mAh battery is bigger, but fast charging speeds stay the same at 90W wired and 80W wireless. And while most premium Android flagships are moving toward Qi2 wireless charging, Xiaomi still hasn’t jumped on that train.

The design also gets minor refinements, but the Leica-inspired look remains. The massive circular camera module is still here, mimicking a classic professional camera. There’s also a Silver Chrome Edition, which leans even further into that aesthetic, using aerospace-grade glass fibre and PU leather to give it a more premium feel.

For those who want an even more DSLR-like experience, Xiaomi is selling a third-generation Photography Kit, which includes a camera grip with a built-in battery, shutter button, and zoom controls.

While Xiaomi might not officially sell its flagships in the U.S., the 15 Ultra is going global on March 2 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Pricing starts at CNY 6,499 ($895) in China, with international pricing yet to be confirmed.

At the end of the day, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is not a radical departure from its predecessor, but it does refine what was already one of the best smartphone cameras out there. Whether the 200MP periscope lens truly lives up to the “Night God” nickname remains to be seen, but one thing is certain—Xiaomi is making sure it stays at the top of the smartphone photography game.