Xiaomi 15: A compact powerhouse that redefines the small flagship experience?
Xiaomi 15 co-engineered with Leica. Picture: Noel Campion.
Xiaomi has built a strong reputation for delivering feature-packed smartphones at competitive prices, and the Xiaomi 15 continues that tradition. With a refined design, a powerful Snapdragon processor, an impressive camera system, and blazing-fast charging, this compact flagship is a serious contender in the premium smartphone space. But is it the best small flagship of the year? Let’s dive in and see how it holds up.
The Xiaomi 15 boasts a refined, premium design that sets it apart. With a high-strength aluminium frame and smooth, rounded edges, the device feels sturdy and comfortable in the hand. Its IP68 rating enhances durability, providing reliable protection against dust and water.
Despite its compact size and light weight (192g), the Xiaomi 15 feels sturdy and well-balanced. Xiaomi’s Shield glass is designed to be durable, ensuring resistance against scratches and accidental impacts. It comes with a preinstalled screen protector. The minimalist design gives it a sleek and modern aesthetic without being overly flashy, making it an excellent choice for those who appreciate understated elegance in a smartphone.
The Xiaomi 15 features an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, offering fast and reliable unlocking, even with wet or oily hands. While optical under-display fingerprint readers have improved over time, there's no doubt that ultrasonic technology is the superior method. It's shockingly fast and incredibly reliable, and the Xiaomi 15 has the best implementation I’ve used to date. Face unlock is also available, though it isn't as secure.
The 6.36-inch CrystalRes AMOLED display on the Xiaomi 15 is one of the best compact screens I’ve used. With a 2670 x 1200 resolution and 460 PPI density, the display delivers sharp visuals, excellent contrast, and vibrant colours. The adaptive 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and an ultra-responsive touch experience, while the peak brightness of 3,200 nits makes it easy to use even under direct sunlight.
Support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and 68 billion colours enhances the viewing experience, making everything from movies to games look rich and immersive. Xiaomi’s Shield Glass+ further reinforces the display’s durability, reducing the risk of scratches and cracks. Whether for work or entertainment, the display on the Xiaomi 15 is a pleasure to use.
The Xiaomi 15 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite chipset, paired with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. This combination ensures blazing-fast performance, whether you are multitasking, streaming, or gaming. Apps open instantly, transitions feel seamless, and even the most demanding tasks are easily handled.
Gaming performance is particularly impressive. Titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and Wreckfest run flawlessly, thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate and high peak brightness. The IceLoop cooling system stabilises temperatures, preventing overheating during long gaming sessions. Even after extended play, the device remains comfortable to hold without excessive heat buildup.
The Xiaomi 15 never struggles in everyday use. Whether switching between multiple apps, editing photos, or browsing the web, the experience remains smooth and responsive.
The Xiaomi 15’s hardware is future-proof, with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, dual-Bluetooth connectivity, and support for Hi-Res and Hi-Res Audio Wireless, ensuring seamless performance and high-quality audio for years to come.
Xiaomi has focused heavily on photography, and the Xiaomi 15’s triple-camera setup is a testament to that. The 50MP primary sensor (f/1.62, OIS, 1/1.31 sensor size), 50MP telephoto lens (3x optical zoom, f/2.0, OIS), and 50MP ultra-wide lens (f/2.2) provide versatility and excellent image quality in various scenarios.
Daylight photos are sharp, well-balanced, and full of natural colour reproduction. Xiaomi has fine-tuned its white balance and HDR processing, ensuring highlights aren’t blown out and shadows retain plenty of detail. Textures appear crisp without excessive noise, and skin tones remain true-to-life without unnatural saturation.
Low-light performance is equally impressive. The optimised noise reduction and balanced exposure allow the Xiaomi 15 to capture sharp and detailed night shots, preserving textures while minimising graininess. The night mode processing is well-executed, ensuring bright but natural-looking photos.
I noticed slight colour balance shifts while switching between the different rear cameras. I don’t think most people will see this, but it’s worth pointing out.
Edge detection in portrait mode is highly accurate, and the background blur effect (bokeh) looks natural and well-defined. Skin tones appear natural while maintaining detail in textures like hair and clothing.
At 5x zoom, the Xiaomi 15 delivers sharp details and excellent contrast, retaining clarity without excessive digital smoothing. Even when zooming in, the phone manages to preserve fine details with minimal loss of quality.
On the video front, 4K recording performance is solid, offering superior stabilisation, accurate colour grading, and fast autofocus. The Xiaomi 15 also supports 8K video recording at 24fps and 30fps, along with 4K Dolby Vision recording at 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps, as well as 4K Log recording at 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps.
In general, the Xiaomi 15 manages highlights and shadows well, preventing overexposure and keeping colours natural. The video quality remains consistent without over-processing, making it a strong performer for casual and professional video recording.
Despite its compact size, the Xiaomi 15 packs a 5,240mAh battery, easily lasting a full day of moderate to heavy use. It supports 90W HyperCharge wired charging, which fully recharges the device in around 40 minutes, while 50W wireless HyperCharge offers a convenient cable-free alternative. Xiaomi’s Surge battery management system optimises power consumption, ensuring greater efficiency and extended battery life. However, there’s no charger in the box, so charging speeds will vary greatly if you use a non-Xiaomi charger.
On the software side, HyperOS 2 (based on Android 15) brings a cleaner, more refined UI with improved animations and multitasking features. Xiaomi has worked on making the experience more fluid, responsive, and user-friendly. While there’s still some pre-installed software, it’s less intrusive, and most can be uninstalled.
The Xiaomi 15 perfectly balances performance, design, and camera capability in a compact form factor. The premium build quality, stunning AMOLED display, and flagship-level cameras make it one of the best small smartphones available. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite ensures smooth performance, while 90W fast charging and solid battery life keep it powered throughout the day. Of course, no phone is perfect. The compact size may not suit everyone, especially users who prefer larger displays for gaming and media consumption.
The Xiaomi 15 is an outstanding choice, offering top-tier performance in a small and stylish package, proving that great things really do come in small sizes.
€1,099 Eir, Tesco, Vodafone, and Harvey Norman. Buy a Xiaomi 15 before the end of March and get a free Xiaomi Robot Vacuum Cleaner X20 Pro worth €559.
