The ugly phone is reviewed by the beautiful camera
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra Spectroscopy and Lenses: Where Do They Come From? What Do They Have to Say About It?
If you go past the camera, the 15 Ultra still impresses but it feels like other flagships. The main specifications are similar: a chip with up to 1 t of storage, a large display, and an immunity rating with glass for the display. I don’t want to suggest that this is bad, but it is top of the line. There are just a lot of other phones crowding for space at the top with it.
The good news is that the 15 Ultra finishes have been jazzed up with new finishes like silver chrome and fake black leather. The camera module has a red highlight around it. Sadly, I got the white model, which has a subtle marbled effect but is the dullest of the bunch. The 15 and 15 Ultra score an IP68 rating for water resistance and are protected by Xiaomi’s Shield Glass, though the Ultra gets the enhanced version 2.0.
The best and worst things about the 15 Ultra come down to its camera. I think the one thing most likely to put anyone off buying this phone — price aside — is that the lens module is a bit of an eyesore. It is the first thing that anyone has noticed about the phone that is not in a good way.
It is usual for the latest version of a phone to be indistinguishable from the one before. (Samsung and Apple, I’m looking at you.) But the Xiaomi 15 is identical. Even the colors are the same; I got a black review unit, but it also comes in white or green. That said, I do like the design. It is easy to hold and has a smooth finish that is resistant to fingerprints.
The biggest complaint I could muster about this camera is that it’s not that different from last year’s. If you don’t own the 14 Ultra, then that won’t be an issue for you, but it might be one for Xiaomi. Competition in this market is fierce, I wonder if the throne is going to go to someone other than the company that has been there longest.
That layout is probably forced by the new 4.3x periscope lens, which uses a 200-megapixel 1/1.4-inch-type sensor and a fast f/2.6 aperture. This is an upgrade on last year’s in every respect except the zoom distance, down slightly from 5x, and the results really are impressive.
Improving photography performance in low light has been one of the focuses ofXiaomi. I have a food newsletter on the side, so I keep an eye out for dimly lit restaurants where most phones can’t take pictures. I loved the 14 Ultra, in part because it excels in those conditions, even on its telephoto. The 15 Ultra is the same and I am not sure if this is a step forward for the phone. The new periscope has a slight drop-off from the 3x lens and requires a steadier hand in order to get a crisp shot.
The regular telephoto uses the same spec as last year’s equivalent but with 3x zoom rather than 3.2x. I think this is the best lens here, it was my favorite last year. 3x is more practical than 4.3x much of the time and also the lens is used automatically for macro shots so you can take close ups without actually getting close. The selfie and ultrawide lens are not good. It would be a little unfair to call them afterthoughts, but they’re clearly not where Xiaomi’s focus lies.
Battery life is good. The 5,410mAh capacity is generous, and it took a travel day with lots of photography and a couple of hours hotspotting my laptop before I started to worry about it dying. 90 W wired charging will top it up quickly if you invest in a official charge station and 80 W wireless charging if you invest in a standard Qi pad. Like almost every other Android OEM, Xiaomi still hasn’t felt the need to invest in Qi2.
Is It Necessary to Use Smart Devices? An Empirical Study of Mobile Apps and UI Design Contracts on Smartphones
All of this can be ignored. I’d probably say I prefer HyperOS to Samsung’s Galaxy UI, but you will have to live with a little less polish. The promise of four generations of Android OS updates and six years of security support also lags a few years behind Samsung and Google, though it’s still a decent run.
Xiaomi removed some of the OS’s customizability in its latest version. I haven’t found a way to have five apps on the homescreen row, despite having exactly that enabled on my 14 Ultra. Changing the wallpaper feels very cumbersome and annoying, and you have to go through a Themes app to get to it.
Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to scrutinize each one of these agreements. We began to count how many times you have to agree to use devices when we review them since these agreements are not good for negotiation.
