Xiaomi is reluctant to change a working formula. In February last year, its well-rounded Xiaomi 14 compact flagship got favourable reviews. So perhaps it’s no surprise that when you first pick up the new Xiaomi 15, officially launched in Barcelona, Spain, on March 2 you think you’re holding last year’s phone.
Design and hardware
The phone might look relatively unchanged, but the hardware is 2025 flagship-level. The 6.36-inch Amoled display (2670 x 1200) offers impressive brightness (3,200 nits), handy for outdoor use.
One less obvious feature is a more powerful chip which has leapt ahead of last year’s model in processing speed. The latest Xiaomi 15 has outperformed the likes of the iPhone 16, the Samsung Galaxy S25 and the Pixel 9 in benchmark tests. Users who game, edit videos or run other high-intensity apps will appreciate this extra muscle.
Xiaomi offers almost a decade of usability, with four years of Android updates followed by another six years of security patches.
Xiaomi’s version of Android is among the most cluttered, and not everyone will want Xiaomi’s extra features and pre-installed apps. If you would rather have a cleaner version of Android, go for the Pixel 9.
