Xiaomi 15 Ultra: A Photographer’s Dream with Leica Lens

About a week before Mobile World Congress kicked off in Barcelona, Xiaomi introduced its new 15 Series smartphones: the Xiaomi 15 and the 15 Ultra. The company boldly put forth the claim that these are the “ultimate professional imagery flagship” for mobile photography and videography.

This was backed with an appearance by Leica CEO Matthias Harsch, who happened to be commemorating his company’s centenary this year. After all, Xiaomi said that the culmination of the partnership with Leica will be after the world launch of Xuiaomi 14 Ultra in 2024 (excluding North America). 

It doesn’t stop there; Xiaomi also insists that such collaborations leading to their products have been improved in sophistication. The 15 Series doesn’t seem to represent a meaningful evolution from the major improvements to the 14 Series devices. 

However, Xiaomi claims that this camera captures double what the predecessor does, which should improve low-light imaging. The other two are crop factors but support 23mm, 28mm, and 35mm, which are equivalent focal lengths.

The 15 Ultra is available in three black, white, and silver chrome colors. Particularly eye-catching is the silver variant, as the silver strip along one side gives it a point-and-shoot appeal when held in landscape mode. According to Xiaomi, this is their most durable phone yet, IP68 dust and water-resistant and a bit more drop-proof, thanks to Xiaomi Shield Glass 2.0 and Gorilla Glass 7i.

AI is still part of a great part of Xiaomi’s software strategy formulation regarding HyperOS 2, which, along with many other HyperAI editing features in the Gallery app, is entirely cloud-based, so it requires a Xiaomi account. Google Gemini will also gain a more significant role as an integrated app in collaboration with features still being developed.

Xiaomi is also introducing a new photography kit for the 15 Ultra. It is younger, trendier, and more modular than previous configurations.