Xiaomi 15 Ultra Reddit Verdict: Camera Beast or Daily Driver?

Chinese manufacturers are pushing the tech. It's really time for Samsung to wake up — the S25 Ultra is a damn update of an update of an update of an update of the S21 Ultra.

I tested it on my dachshund last weekend. The little fella can't stay still for a fraction of a second, but all of the shots came out perfectly sharp and focused.

Chinese brands are certainly taking over while Samsung is stagnating on hardware.

As a user of the 15 Ultra, it seems like you didn't bother trying to learn how to use the camera and expected it to be a point and shoot, which it is decent at but definitely not its strength. Yes, HDR isn't the greatest, but it usually strikes a realistic balance — not that over-processed and sharpened result from typical Samsungs.

HyperOS is very good and customizable in the deepest bit to look like a completely different OS. You can't customize that much anywhere else.

I had been a Samsung user for 6 years. When I first got the Xiaomi, I initially thought its camera capabilities weren't that exceptional. But then I made the effort to learn how to use it better. The phone takes incredible photos — I did a direct comparison with my old Samsung S23 Ultra and the Xiaomi is better by far.

HyperOS has its downsides but no more than One UI in some aspects. You can say it lacks features in which One UI is richer, but that's all. The phone does everything you'd expect — you just need to learn it.

Good phone, but the question is: will the battery be crap like the 14 Ultra? As soon as you launch the camera app, the battery drains like crazy. Hope this time it will be fixed or the battery will be much bigger to counter the drain.

Software is bad, battery life is very similar to Samsung, display is actually worse, support is also worse, and the rest is about equal. Even in the camera it's not always better — it also loses in some things. I will probably go back in 1 or 2 years or switch to some other brand.

It feels like this might be less about an issue with the 15 Ultra itself and more about being accustomed to Samsung's color science. I own the 15U and the user experience has been fantastic. I compared it side by side with the S25 Ultra before purchasing — for basic point-and-shoot photos, the difference was like day and night in favor of the Xiaomi.

I've been using Xiaomi phones in the United States for 7 or 8 years. The first thing to know is that only T-Mobile will let you use them. There is no warranty for Xiaomi phones in the United States — if you want a warranty you need to purchase a protection plan yourself from Asurion or Allstate.

Double tap to lock is like a sin on Xiaomi phones — only POCO has that option. For bloatware it's always there, but at least no ads whatsoever. Software is always hit and miss: smooth and rich in features, but stability and the amount of updates per year are issues, and bugs take too long to fix.

Had it for a few months. I thought the camera was great until I got a Huawei Pura 80 Ultra yesterday. Now I won't even use the Xiaomi 15 Ultra for photos anymore. Back to the Xiaomi: is it a good phone? It's a good camera phone that gets too hot if you take too many photos. The UI doesn't feel as polished.

Been using mine for 3 weeks, upgraded from a Pixel 8 Pro. So far I'm quite happy with it — running smoothly without any issues. I just had to customize it to my liking with Nova Launcher. My only downside is the case and screen protector selection; you'll find slim pickings for cases you'd like.

I don't like the pixel processing so for me the 15 Ultra is way better — it retains shadows and definition and doesn't just lighten up the entire photo. Even while I used the Pixel 9 Pro I often carried around my 14 Ultra just to take photos. The new 4.3x zoom seems like a real upgrade as I'm seeing a lot more detail retained with the 200MP sensor.

Been using it since March and honestly this is the best camera phone I have used. Certainly better than iPhone and Samsung if the camera is your priority. I don't see any obvious problems with point and shoot images. At least there aren't any that an average user without a deep technical knowledge can complain about. On the other side, if you play around with your settings, 15U will help you push the boundaries of mobile photography.

I've had the 15 ultra 6 months, no problem with anything. Outstanding camera, outstanding battery. I get a day and a half of very heavy use and still got a lot of battery left. No complaints from me.

I tested the Xiaomi 15 Ultra expecting flagship perfection, but it still overheats during 4K recording and long gaming sessions. The weight makes it tough for daily use, and battery life takes a hit with that bright display. Honestly, feels like Xiaomi focused more on specs than real-world balance.

Late to the discussion, but I wanted to say I have been amazed by this phone — everything feels so complete: the OS, camera, hardware, everything. I have been taking photos every hour, playing games and consuming media. The device is just amazing, I highly recommend it.

Been using since launch, got it during pre-order. Very competent for photography. The 1-inch sensor gives somewhat decent details for a phone cam if you view on a larger 4K monitor. My only tiny beef is Xiaomi removed the variable aperture for the 1-inch sensor, but that is the same for nearly most phones.

Got mine two weeks after the launch and haven't experienced anything bad yet. The camera is amazing and definitely a point and shoot camera. I'm guessing the people who don't agree have expectations that can never be fulfilled. It's not a professional camera. Can it reach those highs with the pro mode? Sure, but as a non-professional person the pictures are amazing also in auto mode.

Agree with you — heating is the main issue on this phone. My previous X14U finished the 3DMark test. My new X15U crashes during it.

I have come across the first mechanical fault of the camera system I think. The 4.2x zoom lens OIS makes a horrible squeaky noise when not in use whilst the camera app is open. Once I use the 4.2x zoom lens the noise is gone. Xiaomi are going to replace the phone, which entails a 15-day wait for a replacement — annoying as heck.

I put a glass camera lens protector from AliExpress for $2 — it doesn't affect photo quality at all. The massive camera bump is actually good to support the phone using my index finger under the ridge. However it will be my last Xiaomi phone because of the OS and less customization. I'm also not happy with the photo quality — skin tone is really off and it doesn't focus as fast as my Galaxy phones.

6 months in and it's great. Moved from S24U. I take lots of photos for social media and family sharing and the pics are good enough with little or no editing. I find the proportions on the X15 a bit more comfortable for my relatively small hands. The extra photography case and battery is excellent for heavy usage and camera-like controls.

I get around 8-9 hours of screen time with my usage pattern, which includes a lot of pictures and some videos with browsing, GPS, Maps, Reddit, and Firefox. Coming from OnePlus and Samsung, it's really good.

HyperOS just isn't a good version of Android with its many battery management issues, shutting down apps, alarms not working, etc. I'm just not a fan of using something like that.

I have the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and it is a real beast! The cameras are a luxury and are outrageous. Honest opinion: I would buy it again!

I used to carry a Sony A6400 in my daily workbag, but now the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has replaced it — far from perfect, but the sheer convenience is hard to beat.

The camera hardware is fine — sometimes it looks almost as good as my Sony QX100 and RX100 IV. But it's the software that sucks. By default all modes are too sharp and contrasty. You need to dig into pro mode and manually adjust things. The denoising is also too aggressive. Solution: use GCam mod.

As a Xiaomi 15 Ultra user, I recommend Samsung. Xiaomi is not a bad phone but I think it is too overpriced. The screen glass is curved and cameras are covered with one big glass that is not so strong as the front one — easier to break both. Samsung has a flat screen and small glasses covering cameras, which are easier to protect.

It has excellent build quality. I don't think it quite feels as premium as S25 Ultra but it's certainly well made — and it looks a bit different. It's an incredible phone. I'm blown away by the image quality.

I actually have the 15 Ultra and effectively, this phone is absolutely not that comfortable in daily use. About photography — mostly in low light and indoors, this phone is clearly not that great at all. Macro shots taken by a family member with her iPhone 16 were 100x better. Food photos and portrait detail are inconsistent and most of the time too smooth.

I just sold my OnePlus 13 and my Huawei Pura 70 Ultra and bought the Xiaomi 15 Ultra as I needed a Google phone with a great camera. I was tired of always having to remember to get both phones with me. So far I love the phone! The only thing it is lacking is the battery. Apart from that, everything else is perfect!

I switched from the S22 Ultra to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and am still thrilled after months. Photos are perfect. Because of the large battery and fast charging, I have never had an empty battery or the stress of having to charge it quickly before leaving. It fits much better in my hand than the Samsung, and I can always use it with one hand.

The Xiaomi's greatest strength is in the combination of Leica-designed optics and the 1-inch Sony sensor. This puts the potential image quality into the realm of a purpose-made camera. The 'Oreo' bump is annoying, I agree. However, it is needed for the Leica optics — you cannot possibly illuminate a 1-inch sensor without the bump.

I was really hoping the Xiaomi 15 Ultra would impress, but the performance feels underwhelming. The processor struggles sometimes, especially with gaming and multitasking. For a flagship, that is disappointing. It looks great and the camera is solid, but the processor drags down the overall experience more than I expected.

I don't like pixel processing so the 15 Ultra is way better for me. No issues with my carrier — as soon as I put in my SIM card, it immediately connected to 5G and worked perfectly. The global version supports numerous network bands.

Coming from an S21 Ultra and having the wife's S24 Ultra for comparison — after learning to play around with EV adjustments outside of pro mode, the pictures became great. Xiaomi's handling of auto EV should be improved, but in some situations it's actually great to have an easy slider to adjust it to my liking.

The autofocus is so fast on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra that it's perfect for street photography.

If you want to use the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in combination with a DJI Gimbal, I wouldn't recommend it. The lens part is too big and the phone is not in balance.