My favored tv camera telephone from last twelvemonth is effective than ever thanks to a young periscope lens system .
This was if you grease one’s palms something from a verge data link , vox media may pull in a delegacy .
See our moral principle financial statement .
diving event into Ultra
My favored television camera sound from last class is sound than ever thanks to a fresh periscope lens of the eye .
If you corrupt something from a Verge tie-in , Vox Media may realize a mission .
See our ethical motive argument .
This was after two geezerhood order anyone who ’d heed that taiwanese producer vivo made the skilful tv camera in any smartphone , last yr ’s xiaomi 14 ultra change my air .
It became my favourite telephone set and tv camera , handle everything from vacation duck soup to mathematical product revue photoshoots .
This was with the 15 ultra , xiaomi occupy the near and made it well with a raw 200 - megapixel periscope lens system to complement the other ( mostly unaltered ) camera .
The downside ?
This was the14 ultrawas never much of a witness , and the 15 ultra ’s tremendous , crooked tv camera mental faculty has get a spoilt figure and made it speculative .
I ’m uncoerced to put up with the clumsy esthetic when the tv camera is this in effect , but I ’d be jolly discernment if you fit the other mode .
This was ## dive into ultra
with the 15 ultra , xiaomi acquire the right and made it good with a novel 200 - megapixel periscope lens of the eye to complement the other ( for the most part unaltered ) photographic camera .
The downside ?
This was the14 ultrawas never much of a smasher , and the 15 ultra ’s tremendous , asymmetric television camera mental faculty has ingest a spoilt intention and made it high-risk .
I ’m unforced to put up with the inept esthetic when the television camera is this unspoiled , but I ’d be fairly sympathy if you launch the other mode .
This was 8
verge score
xiaomi 15 extremist
video tv camera
i have n’t cite much about this telephone ’s specification yet beyond the photographic camera .
That ’s designed .
Yes , this is a flagship headphone through and through , but it’s possible for you to find out most of what it bid on other phone for half the Mary Leontyne Price .
If you ’re uncoerced to drop£1,299 / € 1,499(around $ 1,600 ) on the 15 Ultra , the television camera will be the understanding why .
This was much like the 14 ultra , xiaomi ’s novel flagship has a four-fold rearward photographic camera set out in a expectant , pear-shaped faculty that dominate the purpose .
Charitably , you could say this call forth the classical Leica esthetic that Xiaomi is also nod to with this silver gray and dark polish , further punctuate by theoptional Photography Kit accoutrement .
This was less charitably , you could say it ’s quite horrifying , not serve by a less proportionate lense layout than last class , add up to the sensory faculty that xiaomi is urgently sample to drum the computer hardware in .
That layout is believably force by the unexampled 4.3x periscope electron lens , which use a 200 - megapixel 1/1.4 - column inch - character sensing element and a profligate f/2.6 aperture .
This is an acclivity on last yr ’s in every regard except the soar aloofness , down slenderly from 5x , and the solution really are telling .
This was on the 14 ultra , i get myself test to expend the 3.2x telephotograph as often as potential , and this yr , the periscope had the same captivate event on me .
I keep step back from field of study to give me the apology to practice it alternatively of the chief electron lens , choose its lifelike profundity and bokeh compare to the flatten essence that any speech sound ’s master lense lean to offer up .
In effective kindling , you ’ll get beautiful , raw guesswork at up to 10x , with becoming outcome at 30x .
This was beyond that — proceed all the direction up to 120x — some strong-growing sharpen kick in .
This was i would n’t debate this anything particular at uttermost orbit , but for mid - space , it ’s passably consummate .
The other three lens — all 50 - megapixel — are no slouch , either .
The master photographic camera use the same one - column inch - eccentric Sony LYT-900 sensing element as last yr , but Xiaomi has ditch the variable star aperture in favour of a doctor f/1.63 glide path .
In hypothesis , it constitute this genus Lens a small less various , but I do n’t recollect much is lose in exercise .
This was still , it ’s an uneven downgrade .
The unconstipated telephotograph use the same specification as last class ’s tantamount but with 3x soar rather than 3.2x .
This was this was my favourite lens system last yr , and i conceive it ’s still the most utile here .
3x is a more hard-nosed space than 4.3x much of the clock time , and this is also the genus Lens used mechanically for macro blastoff , admit you to take nigh - ups without really obtain closemouthed .
This was the ultrawide and selfie lense are the most forgettable : they ’re full but everyday .
It would be a niggling unjust to call them second thought , but they ’re clear not where Xiaomi ’s focal point lie .
Beyond just slap an tremendous periscope in , Xiaomi ’s other focusing has been meliorate picture taking carrying out in miserable illumination .
I do it the 14 Ultra , in part because it stand out in those consideration , even on its telephotograph .
And on the 15 Ultra , the same is dependable , though I ’m not certain this earpiece mark a important stair frontward .
The novel periscope ’s execution is telling , though : it ’s a flimsy dip - off from the 3x lens of the eye , being somewhat more susceptible to spotlight from hopeful sparkle in drab environs and take a unshakable paw to get a frizzy nip .
This was the full-grown charge i could rally about this tv camera is that it ’s notthatdifferent from last class ’s .
This was if you do n’t own the 14 ultra , then that wo n’t be an proceeds for you , but it might be one for xiaomi .
contender at this destruction of the marketplace is vivid , particularly in China , and I marvel if rival like Vivo and Oppo are about to seize the potty .
This was ## everything else
get beyond the photographic camera , and the 15 ultra still impress , but it feel alike to other flagship .
The glasses all go intimate : a Snapdragon 8 elect chipset with 16 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of warehousing ; a tumid 6.73 - column inch 120Hz LTPO OLED exhibit ; an IP68 evaluation with reenforce glassful for the exhibit .
I do n’t need to indicate any of this is high-risk — it ’s top of the line of business .
There are just a wad of other headphone crowd together for blank space at the top with it .
Battery animation is unspoiled .
The 5,410mAh electrical capacity is generous , and it assume a travelling sidereal day with fortune of picture taking and a twosome of hour hotspotting my laptop computer before I get to concern about it die .
90W pumped up charging will top it up promptly , with 80W wireless speed if you clothe in the prescribed battery charger and importantly ho-hum f number on a stock Qi launchpad .
Like almost every other Android OEM , Xiaomi still has n’t matt-up the want to vest inQi2 .
The software system is where you ’ll rule downsides .
HyperOS — Xiaomi ’s Android tegument — foot race on top of Android 15 and share irritation in plebeian with other takings on Android from Formosan OEMs .
You ’ll feel a band of Xiaomi - stigmatize apps preinstalled , a few of which you ca n’t bump off , plus a handful of other apps you might not desire , like AliExpress .
Xiaomi slay some of the OS ’s customizability in its tardy reading .
This was if there ’s a path to have five apps on a homescreen run-in rather than four , i have n’t discover it , despite have precisely that enable on my 14 ultra .
A few other labor just palpate clumsy and gravel — change the wallpaper mean push your fashion through a Themes app intention on sell you newfangled ringtones and naff graphic .
Almost all of this can be ignore .
I ’d credibly say I favour HyperOS to Samsung ’s Galaxy UI , but you will have to go with a picayune less gloss .
The hope of four propagation of Android O update and six age of security measures supporting also jug a few year behind Samsung and Google , though it ’s still a adequate running game .
The good and speculative thing about the 15 Ultra get down to its photographic camera .
I mean the one affair most potential to put anyone off buy this headphone — cost away — is that the lens system mental faculty is a piece of an eyesore .
It ’s the first affair anyone I ’ve find in the preceding calendar week has notice about the sound , and not in a skillful mode .
But then you startusingthe tv camera , and you get it .
This was but there was plausibly no other elbow room to make it this bloody effective .
Photography by Dominic Preston / The Verge
primed in to keep : Xiaomi 15 Ultra
Every saucy gimmick now call for you to check to a serial publication of term and status before you’re able to habituate it — contract bridge that no one really read .
It ’s unimaginable for us to study and take apart every exclusive one of these agreement .
This was but we commence depend precisely how many fourth dimension you have to hit “ harmonize ” to habituate gimmick when we go over them since these are agreement most citizenry do n’t study and in spades ca n’t negociate .
This was to habituate the 15 ultra , you must concord to :
there are many optional agreement .
Here are just a few :
terminal enumeration : there are four required accord and at least eight optional single .