Xiaomi’s Leica-Engineered 15 Ultra Smartphone Focuses on Photography

Mar 02, 2025

Ted Kritsonis

A sleek smartphone with a prominent circular camera module labeled "Leica" on the back. The design features a dual-tone finish with metallic and textured surfaces. The brand name "Xiaomi" is visible on the upper left.

Xiaomi unveiled its 15 Series smartphones with the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Ultra on the eve of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, championing them as “the ultimate professional imagery flagship” mobile photography and video devices.

It’s a bold statement, and one Xiaomi chose to back up yet again with a lengthy appearance from Leica CEO Matthias Harsch, whose own company is celebrating its centenary this year. After taking a big step with a global launch (not including North America) of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra in 2024, the Chinese brand is touting the partnership as growing in sophistication within the latest devices.

A person on stage presents the Xiaomi 15 Ultra smartphone with a large screen displaying its camera features. The phone has a notable Leica-branded camera module. The text reads "Pinnacle photography" in collaboration with Leica.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra Optics and Specs

Overall, there aren’t too many dramatic changes with the 15 Series compared to the leap the 14 Series took last year. Starting with the 15 Ultra, the 50-megapixel Type 1 LYT-900 sensor carries over from the previous model, complete with a Summilux lens that retains the same f/1.63 aperture and 14EV of dynamic range. Xiaomi claims the camera can take in double the light of its predecessor for better low-light performance. It also supports 23mm, 28mm, and 35mm equivalent focal lengths, albeit with the latter two being crop factors.

A person stands on stage presenting a slide titled "The pinnacle of mobile optics," featuring three labeled images: "Pinnacle optical design," "Pinnacle main camera," and "Pinnacle telephoto.

Notably missing, however, is the variable aperture from the 14 Ultra that offered f/4 as an alternative to the native f/1.63 stop. Xiaomi hasn’t explained why it’s gone nor mentioned it during its keynote.

The 50-megapixel main telephoto is natively a 70mm equivalent at 3x optical zoom and is joined again by a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto (100mm equivalent) at 4.3x optical zoom. Here, too, Xiaomi touts the telephoto’s light-gathering capability by quantifying it as a 136% improvement despite a tighter f/2.6 aperture. Hybrid zooms can take the lens to 200mm, 400mm, and beyond, with varying degrees of success, which I’ll be covering in my upcoming review.

A presenter on stage introduces a smartphone's internal components, focusing on its "13-channel spectral sensor" for accurate color reproduction. A large screen displays a close-up image of the sensor and camera system. Audience members watch the presentation.

It’s worth noting this lens uses the Samsung Isocell HP9 Type 1/1.4-inch sensor — the same one used so impressively in the Vivo X200 Pro and left out entirely in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The telephoto also serves a dual purpose as a macro camera with close-ups up to 10cm away.

The 50-megapixel (14mm equivalent) ultra-wide camera is slightly different, with a tighter 115-degree field of view (compared to 122 degrees before), though Xiaomi barely mentioned it during the keynote.

A person presents on stage beside a large screen displaying a vivid image of a person working near a flaming furnace. The screen also shows camera settings: 28mm, f/1.63, 1/504s, ISO100.

The company uses a 24-layer ultra-low reflection glass with special coating for the camera module to ward off reflections as much as possible. Since it covers the whole rear array, it applies to all cameras. Glare has been an issue in past Xiaomi phones, though blown-out highlights remain the biggest dynamic range obstacle.

On the video side, it’s noteworthy that Xiaomi supports Dolby Vision on all rear cameras and adds support for 4K at 120fps. There’s 10-bit Log recording across all four cameras, plus optical image stabilization (OIS) and electronic image stabilization (EIS) available for smoother footage.

15 Ultra Gets Retro Styling

The 15 Ultra comes in three colors: black, white, and silver chrome. It’s the latter that stands out most because the silver strip running along one side makes the phone look like a retro point-and-shoot when tilted in landscape. Xiaomi claims this is the most durable phone it’s ever produced, with IP68 dust and water resistance and enhanced drop resistance with Xiaomi Shield Glass 2.0 and Gorilla Glass 7i.

A person holds a Xiaomi smartphone showcasing its back side. The phone features a large circular camera module branded with "Leica," containing multiple lenses. The design is sleek with a black and silver finish.

On the front, the 6.7-inch AMOLED offers 3,200 nits of peak brightness. While the glass is sturdier this time, the screen is otherwise much the same as the 14 Ultra. One nice upgrade within it is the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that is considerably more responsive than the previous optical one. The battery also gets a slight boost to 5410mAh (from 5000) but doesn’t match the 6000mAh Xiaomi manages in the China-only variant. It is capable of wirelessly charging at up to 80W, making it faster than just about anything else out there when you have a wireless charger capable of going that fast.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite powers the device’s functions (as it does the regular Xiaomi 15), with 12/16GB of RAM and 256/512GB or 1TB for memory and storage. Interestingly, the Ultra also has Snapdragon Sound built-in to make hi-res audio playback much easier from the right sources.

A presenter stands on stage in front of a large screen displaying an image of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra Photography Kit Legend Edition. The phone features a large circular camera module with Leica branding and red accents.

Software and AI

Xiaomi will continue to make AI a major pillar of its software suite with HyperOS 2. This includes a slate of HyperAI editing features within the Gallery app, all of which are cloud-based and require a Xiaomi account. Google Gemini will play a bigger role integrating with select apps as it expands further going forward.

It also highlights its HyperConnect feature as a way to bridge the gap between devices, platforms, and ecosystems, which will include iOS and Macs. Without a real demonstration, it’s hard to know for sure how sturdy or convenient that bridge will be, but it echoes a move OnePlus made when launching its recent flagship 13. One of the intriguing ones is called the Cross-device Camera, which would allow users to access another device’s camera while retaining the 15 Series’ imaging pipeline. This also goes for Combined Cameras, an ability to combine and show video feeds from multiple devices simultaneously.

A hand holds a smartphone capturing an image of a large, illuminated cathedral at night. The phone screen displays the detailed architecture of the cathedral, while the actual structure appears blurred in the background.

Details About the Xiaomi 15

As the smaller (and cheaper) of the two new phones, the Xiaomi 15 may not get as much attention, but it offers plenty that’s in its Ultra sibling. The Summilux lenses feature a similar anti-reflective coating. On the video side, that includes Dolby Vision and 4K at 60fps across the rear array. For stills, the focal lengths also stay similar, only without a periscope telephoto and a wider 60mm equivalent for the regular telephoto lens.

The main and telephoto cameras offer cropped options to increase focal range options. That also plays into the dual Portrait mode made up of Leica’s own and Xiaomi’s more elaborate Master Portrait. The company is adding a “Sunset Portrait” for glowing results during golden hour by optimizing bokeh and skin tone. All of the HyperAI features apply here the same way, as do Gemini integrations, so the regular 15 isn’t left out on those fronts.

With a 6.3-inch AMOLED, the Xiaomi 15 is considered “small” by today’s standards and an easier one-handed phone. It’s available in black, white, green, and a new liquid silver coming out later than the others in 2025.

Two smartphones are displayed, one in light green and the other in black and silver. Both feature prominent camera modules labeled "Leica." The foreground phone's module has three lenses and a flash, with the brand "Xiaomi" visible.

Pricing and Availability

Xiaomi is releasing another photography kit for the 15 Ultra that is more stylish and modular than previous ones were. It has a built-in 2000mAh battery inside that can give the phone roughly one-third of its battery life back for longer shooting sessions. It includes an adapter for 67mm filters as well. The zoom lever, exposure dial, and video recording button are all back as well.

You won’t be able to find either of these phones from retailers in Canada or the U.S., but online vendors from different parts of the world will sell them and ship them overseas if you’re keen. Note that Xiaomi offers four years of Android updates and six years of security updates — falling well short of what Samsung and Google currently offer for their respective flagships.

Prices are 999 Euros for the Xiaomi 15 and 1,499 Euros for the 15 Ultra. That converts to roughly $1,030 and $1,550, respectively. As it’s done before, Xiaomi also announced it will offer one free out of warranty repair and one screen replacement within the first 12 months after buying either phone.