Xiaomi 15 Extremely evaluate: ugly telephone, lovely digital camera

After two years telling anybody who’d pay attention that Chinese language producer Vivo made the very best cameras in any smartphone, final yr’s Xiaomi 14 Extremely modified my tune. It grew to become my favourite telephone and digital camera, dealing with every thing from vacation snaps to product evaluate photoshoots.

With the 15 Extremely, Xiaomi took the very best and made it higher with a brand new 200-megapixel periscope lens to enrich the opposite (largely unchanged) cameras.

The draw back? The 14 Extremely was by no means a lot of a looker, and the 15 Extremely’s huge, asymmetrical digital camera module has taken a nasty design and made it worse. I’m keen to place up with the awkward aesthetic when the digital camera is that this good, however I’d be fairly understanding for those who went the opposite approach.

I haven’t talked about a lot about this telephone’s specs but past the digital camera. That’s intentional. Sure, this can be a flagship telephone by way of and thru, however you will discover most of what it provides on different telephones for half the worth. If you happen to’re keen to drop £1,299 / €1,499 (round $1,600) on the 15 Extremely, the digital camera would be the purpose why.

Very like the 14 Extremely, Xiaomi’s new flagship has a quadruple rear digital camera specified by a big, spherical module that dominates the design. Charitably, you possibly can say this evokes the basic Leica aesthetic that Xiaomi can be nodding to with this silver and black end, additional accentuated by the optionally available Pictures Package accent. Much less charitably, you possibly can say it’s fairly ugly, not helped by a much less symmetrical lens structure than final yr, including to the sense that Xiaomi is desperately making an attempt to cram the {hardware} in.

That structure might be pressured by the brand new 4.3x periscope lens, which makes use of a 200-megapixel 1/1.4-inch-type sensor and a quick f/2.6 aperture. That is an improve on final yr’s in each respect besides the zoom distance, down barely from 5x, and the outcomes actually are spectacular.

On the 14 Extremely, I discovered myself making an attempt to make use of the three.2x telephoto as usually as doable, and this yr, the periscope had the identical charming impact on me. I maintain stepping again from topics to offer me the excuse to make use of it as a substitute of the primary lens, preferring its pure depth and bokeh in comparison with the flattening impact that any telephone’s major lens tends to supply. In good lighting, you’ll get lovely, pure photographs at as much as 10x, with respectable outcomes at 30x. Past that — going all the way in which as much as 120x — some aggressive sharpening kicks in. I wouldn’t take into account this something particular at excessive vary, however for mid-distance, it’s fairly good.

The opposite three lenses — all 50-megapixel — are not any slouches, both. The primary digital camera makes use of the identical one-inch-type Sony LYT-900 sensor as final yr, however Xiaomi has ditched the variable aperture in favor of a set f/1.63 strategy. In concept, it makes this lens rather less versatile, however I don’t assume a lot is misplaced in observe. Nonetheless, it’s an odd downgrade.

The common telephoto makes use of the identical spec as final yr’s equal however with 3x zoom relatively than 3.2x. This was my favourite lens final yr, and I believe it’s nonetheless essentially the most helpful right here. 3x is a extra sensible distance than 4.3x a lot of the time, and that is additionally the lens used robotically for macro photographs, permitting you to take close-ups with out truly getting shut. The ultrawide and selfie lenses are essentially the most forgettable: they’re good however unremarkable. It will be a bit unfair to name them afterthoughts, however they’re clearly not the place Xiaomi’s focus lies.

Past merely slapping an unlimited periscope in, Xiaomi’s different focus has been enhancing pictures efficiency in low mild. I run a meals publication on the aspect, so I spend plenty of time making an attempt to {photograph} dishes in dimly lit eating places, precisely the place most telephones battle. I liked the 14 Extremely, partly as a result of it excels in these situations, even on its telephoto. And on the 15 Extremely, the identical is true, although I’m undecided this telephone marks a major step ahead. The brand new periscope’s efficiency is spectacular, although: it’s a slight drop-off from the 3x lens, being barely extra inclined to glare from shiny lights in darkish environment and requiring a steadier hand to get a crisp shot.

The most important grievance I might muster about this digital camera is that it’s not that completely different from final yr’s. If you happen to don’t personal the 14 Extremely, then that gained’t be a problem for you, however it could be one for Xiaomi. Competitors at this finish of the market is intense, particularly in China, and I’m wondering if rivals like Vivo and Oppo are about to usurp the throne.

Get past the digital camera, and the 15 Extremely nonetheless impresses, however it feels much like different flagships. The specs all sound acquainted: a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with 16GB of RAM and as much as 1TB of storage; a big 6.73-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED show; an IP68 score with bolstered glass for the show. I don’t wish to recommend any of that is dangerous — it’s high of the road. There are only a lot of different telephones crowding for area on the high with it.

Battery life is sweet. The 5,410mAh capability is beneficiant, and it took a journey day with numerous pictures and a few hours hotspotting my laptop computer earlier than I began to fret about it dying. 90W wired charging will high it up shortly, with 80W wi-fi speeds for those who put money into the official charger and considerably slower speeds on a typical Qi pad. Like virtually each different Android OEM, Xiaomi nonetheless hasn’t felt the necessity to put money into Qi2.

The software program is the place you’ll discover downsides. HyperOS — Xiaomi’s Android pores and skin — runs on high of Android 15 and shares annoyances in widespread with different takes on Android from Chinese language OEMs. You’ll discover plenty of Xiaomi-branded apps preinstalled, a couple of of which you’ll be able to’t take away, plus a smattering of different apps you won’t need, like AliExpress.

Xiaomi eliminated a number of the OS’s customizability in its newest model. If there’s a approach to have 5 apps on a homescreen row relatively than 4, I haven’t discovered it, regardless of having precisely that enabled on my 14 Extremely. A number of different duties simply really feel cumbersome and aggravating — altering the wallpaper means forcing your approach by way of a Themes app intent on promoting you new ringtones and naff graphics.

Nearly all of this may be ignored. I’d most likely say I want HyperOS to Samsung’s Galaxy UI, however you’ll have to dwell with rather less polish. The promise of 4 generations of Android OS updates and 6 years of safety help additionally lags a couple of years behind Samsung and Google, although it’s nonetheless an honest run.

The most effective and worst issues concerning the 15 Extremely come right down to its digital camera. I believe the one factor more than likely to place anybody off shopping for this telephone — value apart — is that the lens module is a little bit of an eyesore. It’s the very first thing anybody I’ve seen up to now week has observed concerning the telephone, and never in a great way.

However you then begin utilizing the digital camera, and also you get it. Sure, it’s ugly. However there was most likely no different approach to make it this rattling good.

Pictures by Dominic Preston / The Verge