Xiaomi just won the Snapdragon 8 Elite launch race, unveiling the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro at a China event before Samsung, OnePlus, or any other OEM has its own device in hand. Former Xiaomi consultant perspective on the table: the brand has been very good at this, being first to market with flagship silicon and pricing it where you feel slightly guilty about how much camera you are getting.
The 15 Pro keeps the 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor that made the 14 Pro a camera benchmark, and adds a Leica Summilux 75mm portrait telephoto to the lineup. The new AI Telephoto Zoom restores generative detail at 5x, which addresses the one weakness of computational zoom on the previous generation. Dolby Vision capture support on a phone at this price tier is still notable. The battery jumps to 6,100mAh with 90W HyperCharge wired and 50W wireless, which is the combination that makes a device genuinely all-day for heavy users.
The standard Xiaomi 15 holds the 6.36-inch compact premium form factor with 67W wired charging. HyperOS 2 brings on-device AI for photo enhancement, real-time translation, and writing assistance. The global launch is expected in Q1 2025.
Snapdragon 8 Elite first, 1-inch sensor second time out, Leica Summilux portrait telephoto added, 6,100mAh battery, and a price point that will be competitive when it lands globally. This is Xiaomi executing the playbook it has run for three years: take the best Android silicon, pair it with serious optics, and price it below what Samsung charges for equivalent hardware. Still works.
Source: Xiaomi Blog