Xiaomi 15 Ultra: The Pinnacle of Imaging Flagships, a Comprehensive Interpretation of Ultimate Experience

Xiaomi 15 Ultra: The Pinnacle of Imaging Flagships, a Comprehensive Interpretation of Ultimate ExperienceIt's undeniable that "imaging" is increasingly crucial in today's smartphones, especially flagship models. Major brands are focusing on imaging as the core upgrade for their top-tier flagships, a testament to its importance

Xiaomi 15 Ultra: The Pinnacle of Imaging Flagships, a Comprehensive Interpretation of Ultimate Experience

It's undeniable that "imaging" is increasingly crucial in today's smartphones, especially flagship models. Major brands are focusing on imaging as the core upgrade for their top-tier flagships, a testament to its importance. With the spring 2025 new product wave approaching, manufacturers are gearing up to launch their flagship devices, highlighting imaging upgrades as a key selling point. On February 27th, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, a flagship device focusing on peak imaging technology, made its debut, leaving viewers undoubtedly impressed.

Current trends in smartphone imaging technology can be summarized in two words: AI and "full focal length." "Full focal length" doesn't just mean equipping the phone with cameras of different optical focal lengths; it demands that every focal length achieves the same top-tier image quality as the main camera. Through collaboration between these lenses, it satisfies almost all zoom requirements in everyday shooting scenarios. This is the necessary path for mobile imaging to surpass professional photography, and AI technology plays a vital role. Xiaomi 15 Ultra has taken a leading role in this direction, achieving impressive results. IT Home has received a Xiaomi 15 Ultra in the new Pine Green color, and we will delve into its true capabilities.

I. Exterior Design

As a technological flagship achieving significant breakthroughs in imaging, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra's design incorporates a strong imaging DNA. Continuing its collaboration with Leica, the overall design pays homage to the classic Leica I camera, resulting in a pure aesthetic that centers on imaging while blending retro and modern styles.

The IT Home review unit is the Pine Green Xiaomi 15 Ultra. The back of the phone features a striking two-tone design combining silver metal and a green leather-like texture. The bold color scheme and sharp lines exude a retro-legendary aura with high recognition. The Pine Green hue resembles the deep green of real pine trees, lending a powerful and sophisticated feel. The silver metal and green leather are vertically separated, with the "xiaomi" logo and "Ultra" plate inspired by a camera's rangefinder viewfinder on the metal section. A touch of red adds to the refinement.

The camera module retains the Xiaomi Ultra series' signature large circular design, surrounded by a silver threaded metal ring seamlessly integrated with the phone's backplate, echoing the silver on the back and frame for a cohesive visual effect.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra boasts a four-curved wrap-around design, crafted from aerospace-grade 6M42 aluminum alloy, providing structural support and ensuring high strength and hardness. The metal surface undergoes sandblasting for a smooth feel.

The front features a 6.73-inch full, equally curved micro-curved screen with an equal R-curve (R=3.5mm) and an equal depth curve (570m). The screen appears harmoniously integrated with the body, creating a floating effect. When lit, the four bezels are equally narrow, delivering a striking visual impact.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra measures 161mm x 75.3mm, with an IT Home measured thickness of 9.7mm (excluding the camera bump) and weighs 230g. This weight is expected for a flagship phone packed with advanced imaging technology.

The packaging is a standard black box with a simple design, featuring a silver "xiaomi 15 Ultra" logo and the small Leica red dot. Inside, you'll find a 90W charger, data cable, manual, SIM ejector tool, and a clear protective case.

Beyond the phone itself, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra includes a third-generation professional imaging kit in a new gold-plated color scheme, offering enhanced battery life and splash resistance. Xiaomi retains the filter adapter ring and adds a detachable shutter button and grip for improved handling. A customizable wheel allows quick adjustment of EV, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance; the filter adapter ring supports 67mm filters; and a dedicated video recording button is also included. This imaging kit has a built-in 2000mAh battery.

In short, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is a flagship phone that exudes a geek-chic imaging vibe. Its exterior design reflects a strong retro Leica aesthetic; it looks as much like a camera as a phone, sure to appeal to photography enthusiasts.

II. Imaging Capabilities and Experience

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra's most significant selling point is its top-tier imaging capabilities, which we will thoroughly evaluate.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra features a rear quad-camera system:

• Main Camera: A 50-megapixel main camera with a 1-inch LYT-900 sensor, 23mm equivalent focal length, f/1.63 large aperture, ALD coating, 1.6m individual pixel size, and a 3.2m four-in-one pixel size currently the largest pixel size in mobile imaging.

• Periscope Telephoto Lens: A 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with a 1/1.4-inch Samsung HP9 sensor, 100mm equivalent focal length, f/2.6 aperture, and 4x in-sensor zoom, achieving a 400mm equivalent focal length and 17.2x lossless zoom.

• Telephoto Lens: A 50-megapixel telephoto camera with an IMX858 sensor, 70mm equivalent focal length, f/1.8 aperture, and telephoto macro capabilities.

• Ultra-wide-angle Lens: A 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a Samsung JN5 sensor, 14mm equivalent focal length, f/2.2 aperture, and a 115 ultra-wide field of view.

Through the combination of these four cameras and the full-pixel opening (Remosaic) mode of the two largest CMOS sensors, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra achieves lossless focal length expansion, covering 14-400mm with a total of 8 focal lengths and 28x lossless zoom, which Xiaomi calls a "pocket-sized trinity."

We will now analyze the imaging performance of these cameras in detail.

Sample Image Analysis:

• Main Camera Daytime Shots: Leica Classic mode produces sharp and clear images with cool tones in shadows, rich detail, distinct layers, and transparent colors, embodying a strong Leica style. Exposure is accurate, with a natural contrast between light and shadow and a unique light feel. Details remain clear even upon magnification, thanks to the abundant light intake from the large 1-inch sensor, significantly enhancing the resolution.

• Main Camera 50-megapixel Full-pixel Mode Shots: The imaging style differs slightly from the standard mode, with less of a "German" feel, resulting in a flatter overall image. However, the detail is even sharper than in standard mode, with more noticeable sharpening. The resolution in standard mode is sufficient for everyday use.

• Leica Native Dual Image Quality Comparison: Leica Classic mode prioritizes the reproduction of light and shadow in real-world scenes, retaining the natural vignetting of a large-aperture lens; Leica Vivid mode enhances the dynamic range for a more visually appealing image, better catering to internet aesthetics. Both styles have their merits, and users can choose based on their needs.

• Complex Lighting Conditions Shots: In scenes with strong light contrast, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra doesn't aggressively suppress highlights but aims for a natural look. The large LYT-900 sensor possesses excellent latitude, and the photos don't show any obvious signs of algorithmic dynamic range enhancement; the tone is natural.

• Backlit Shots: Subtle light and shadow variations realistically capture the nuances of sunlight, with shadows appearing darker than perceived by the human eye, but the photo presents a strong tonal quality. Combined with unique, rich colors, it captures the atmosphere of early morning sunlight.

• Shallow Depth of Field Shots: Even without using the telephoto lens, the main camera's large sensor and aperture create natural optical shallow depth of field, emphasizing the subject.

• Telephoto Shots (23mm-400mm): Covers multiple focal lengths (23mm, 35mm, 46mm, 70mm, 100mm, 200mm, 400mm). Each focal length provides sharp and clear images with rich detail, consistent light and color with the 23mm focal length. Even at ultra-telephoto (200mm, 400mm), the images remain clear, without a cropped feel, showing accurate light and shadow relationships and detailed, transparent details.

• Ultra-wide-angle Shots: The 115 wide angle captures more scene elements, with minimal distortion, and the unique perspective creates a more spectacular image; the imaging style and quality are almost identical to the main camera.

• Super Macro Shots: Using the 70mm telephoto lens, clearly captures flower stamen details and petal textures; foreground and background blurring is natural.

• Street Photography Mode Shots: The viewfinder is smaller, with guidelines defining the focusing area, facilitating quick capture of moving objects; the image is sharp and the blur is natural.

• Night Shots: Main camera night shots are clean,