Xiaomi 15 Ultra In-Depth Review: Optical Imaging Revolution Can It Carry the Xiaomi High-End Flag?

Xiaomi 15 Ultra In-Depth Review: Optical Imaging Revolution Can It Carry the Xiaomi High-End Flag?The launch of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra marks a bold attempt by Xiaomi to penetrate the high-end smartphone market. Previously, Xiaomi Group President Lu Weibing publicly stated that one of the core goals of Xiaomi's five-year high-end strategy is to achieve significant scale in the price range above 6000 yuan (approximately $830 USD)

Xiaomi 15 Ultra In-Depth Review: Optical Imaging Revolution Can It Carry the Xiaomi High-End Flag?

The launch of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra marks a bold attempt by Xiaomi to penetrate the high-end smartphone market. Previously, Xiaomi Group President Lu Weibing publicly stated that one of the core goals of Xiaomi's five-year high-end strategy is to achieve significant scale in the price range above 6000 yuan (approximately $830 USD). The Xiaomi Ultra imaging flagship series is tasked with this responsibility. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra boasts significant upgrades in processor, battery, and camera capabilities. Particularly in imaging technology, Xiaomi insists on solving imaging problems through optical means, which undoubtedly significantly increases the product's cost. However, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is first and foremost a phone. Balancing imaging performance with overall phone performance is crucial to its success; whether this imaging flagship can finally break through the shackles of Xiaomi's high-end market is key. This article will conduct a comprehensive in-depth review of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, detailing its design, imaging capabilities, performance specifications, and concluding with a summary to showcase its advantages, disadvantages, and competitiveness in the high-end market.

I. Design: Classic Leica Two-Tone Design, Extremely High Recognition

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra's design draws inspiration from classic Leica camera elements. Its unique segmented design exudes a strong "German" aesthetic. The new Ultra branding further enhances the phone's recognizability; it's instantly identifiable as Xiaomi's latest flagship.

The rear of the phone continues Xiaomi's signature circular camera matrix design. A "volcano crater"-like transitional design seamlessly integrates the camera module with the body. Notably, the new camera layout differs from its predecessor. Due to the large size of the periscope telephoto lens, it couldn't be placed according to the original layout. Xiaomi redesigned the arrangement, resulting in a slightly uneven distribution. However, Xiaomi cleverly utilizes the Leica logo as a decorative element, effectively masking this imperfection.

The back of the phone features a micro-curved design that smoothly transitions to the four-curved aluminum alloy frame, providing a comfortable grip. Xiaomi offers two classic Leica two-tone designs, as well as classic solid white and black versions. The two-tone designs undoubtedly have higher recognition. Furthermore, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra boasts IP68 water resistance, enhancing the user experience.

• The front features a 6.73-inch deeply curved screen, identical to the Xiaomi 15 Pro, with a peak brightness of 3200 nits. It supports Xiaomi's Super Sunlight Display technology, providing excellent visibility in bright environments. The screen resolution is 32001400, supports a 120Hz refresh rate, and uses DC dimming + 1920Hz PWM dimming technology, making it virtually flawless in specifications.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra also integrates ultrasonic fingerprint recognition, enabling quick unlocking even with wet hands. The ultra-sensitive touch function ensures responsive control even when wearing gloves or using a screen protector. The screen is covered with Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 2.0, boasting a 16-fold improvement in drop resistance, significantly enhancing the phone's durability.

In summary, while inheriting the family design language, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra introduces clever design changes, providing a fresh visual experience. Its design reflects the quality and sophistication expected of a flagship phone.

II. Imaging: Large-Sensor Periscope Telephoto Lens, a Breakthrough in Optical Imaging

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra's camera module has also been significantly upgraded, maintaining a full-focal-length quad-camera combination: wide-angle main camera + ultra-wide-angle + portrait telephoto + periscope telephoto. However, almost every lens has been improved.

Changes to the portrait telephoto lens are minimal. It still uses the IMX858 sensor and a large f/1.8 aperture, but the focal length has been adjusted from 75mm to 70mm, slightly reducing the optical zoom. This adjustment makes the connection with the main camera's focal length more reasonable, reducing gaps in the optical zoom range.

The ultra-wide-angle lens uses the JN5 sensor, with a 1/2.75-inch size, slightly smaller than its predecessor a minor "downgrade." The main camera remains a 50-megapixel LYT-900, but the variable aperture has been removed, adopting a fixed large f/1.63 aperture. The "shrinkage" of the ultra-wide-angle and main camera specifications is mainly to provide sufficient physical space for the periscope telephoto lens.

The periscope telephoto lens is the highlight of this upgrade, upgraded to 200 megapixels using the Samsung HP9 sensor. It features a large 1/1.4-inch sensor, supports OIS optical image stabilization, has a 100mm focal length, and provides an approximate 4.3X equivalent focal length. While the optical zoom magnification appears reduced, the ultra-high 200-megapixel resolution allows for lossless zoom through digital zoom. At 8.6X and 17.2X zoom, the image quality remains lossless. At higher zoom levels, the AI algorithm effectively enhances clarity.

Sample images demonstrate that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra's 10X zoom images are rich in detail; even at 100% magnification, the details of the duck's feathers and water droplets are clearly visible. At 30X zoom, the details of the duck's head feathers are exquisitely rendered, even showing reflections in its eyes. At 60X zoom, the duck's pupil is clearly visible, and the edges of the feathers are sharp, showcasing excellent microscopic rendering capabilities.

Compared to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra's telephoto lens boasts higher lossless zoom capabilities. Within the lossless zoom range of both phones, the clarity difference is not significant. However, at 30X zoom, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is noticeably clearer, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra shows some blur. At 60X zoom, the difference is even more pronounced; the Xiaomi 14 Ultra shows significant mosaic effects on building surfaces, whereas the Xiaomi 15 Ultra remains sharp and clear. This clearly demonstrates the significant improvement in the Xiaomi 15 Ultra's periscope telephoto lens in ultra-telephoto shooting.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra's biggest improvement in its imaging system lies in the optical aspects. Xiaomi believes that some imaging issues must be solved through optical means. For example, ghosting and flare are usually caused by light reflections inside the lens. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra incorporates several optical improvements: Corning GG7i glass with double-sided coating to reduce reflectivity; high-transmittance resin lenses that absorb more infrared light reducing purple fringing and chromatic aberration; and internal lenses with a pyramid coating technology. This nanometer-scale regular coating precisely controls the direction of light, further reducing reflections and fundamentally addressing common smartphone photography issues.

Sample photos show that in scenes prone to ghosting, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra significantly outperforms its predecessor; ghosting is almost invisible to the naked eye. Xiaomi suggests that while previous night scene algorithms could also address ghosting, they resulted in image distortion and hindered capturing fleeting moments. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra's main camera and periscope telephoto lens both feature large sensors and large apertures, offering a significant advantage in light intake. This optical advantage alone allows it to obtain sufficient light intake and high dynamic range in night photography, resulting in more realistic night shots.

Comparative sample images show that under the same parameters, both the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra exhibit very transparent image quality. However, upon magnification, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra displays a cleaner, clearer image with sharper details, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra shows noise and edge artifacts. This proves the significant impact of optical improvements on image quality.

Another set of comparative images shows that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has a shorter exposure time, higher latitude, and more precise suppression of glass backlighting. In night long-range telephoto shots, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra shows higher clarity, with distant building signs clearly visible, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra can only barely make them out. In high-contrast long-range night shots, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra demonstrates higher sensitivity, resulting in a natural image with proper highlight suppression and complete retention of background building details, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra loses some background details.

In portrait photography, both the main camera and periscope telephoto lens of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra feature large apertures, enabling pure optical blurring. Coupled with the optimization of the second-generation Xiaomi portrait large model 2.0, the face exhibits better three-dimensionality. In well-lit environments, facial skin tones are natural, lighting effects are excellent, and details are sharp. In complex environments, the Xiaomi 15 Ultras metering is more accurate, ensuring faces are bright and not dark. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra's portrait bokeh is also excellent, with clear foreground and background layering, and natural blurring that emphasizes the subject. This blurring capability supports the full focal length, ensuring excellent results at any shooting angle.

For video recording, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra supports ACES