The Xiaomi 15 Pro, the protagonist of today’s review, showcases Xiaomi’s latest advancements as its most innovative and powerful flagship phone. It pushes forward with comprehensive breakthroughs in performance, battery life, interactive experience, and imaging.
Xiaomi debuts its annual flagship, the Xiaomi 15 Pro, by launching the world’s first 3nm process Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition chip in an Android system, delivering a major improvement in both performance and energy efficiency.
The Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition utilizes Qualcomm’s second-generation Oryon CPU architecture, featuring two super cores with a main frequency of up to 4.32GHz and six performance cores at 3.53GHz. This “all-big core” design enhances single-core and multi-core performance by up to 45% compared to previous generations, while reducing power consumption by 44%.
Its GPU, the new Adreno 830, operates at a main frequency of 1.1GHz, offering a 40% performance boost, a 40% reduction in power consumption, and a 35% improvement in ray tracing performance.
Looking back on the evolution of Snapdragon chips, none have delivered a performance leap this significant since 2015. The Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition marks the largest performance upgrade in the last decade.
Reviewing Xiaomi’s Pro models, the last to use a periscope telephoto lens was the Xiaomi 11 Pro, released three and a half years ago, with an 8-megapixel 5x periscope telephoto lens, providing a near-ultra telephoto experience. The Xiaomi 15 Pro revives the periscope telephoto design, incorporating a top-tier 50-megapixel Sony IMX858 sensor, as used in the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. This sensor enhances focusing performance and detail, addressing a gap in ultra-telephoto capabilities for Pro-level models over the past three years.
Not only does the Xiaomi 15 Pro lead in performance and imaging, but it also breaks new ground in battery life. Following the introduction of “Jinshajiang Battery Technology” in the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Xiaomi has made further progress in battery innovation. With an industry-leading energy density of 850Wh/L, Xiaomi achieves generational leadership. In the Xiaomi 15 Pro, this advanced battery technology enables a 6100mAh battery in a body only 8.35mm thick, ranking it among the top in the industry.
Additionally, the Mi 15 series standardizes single-point ultrasonic fingerprint technology, which enhances unlocking speed and accuracy and supports wet-hand unlocking, creating a more convenient and responsive user experience.
At the system level, the Surge OS, initially launched in the Xiaomi 14 series, drew considerable attention, although some users raised concerns about its fluency. Responding to feedback, Lu Weibing, Xiaomi’s mobile phone department president, supervised the release of HyperOS 2 in the Xiaomi 15 series. The new system focuses on kernel optimization, intelligent connection architecture, and AI technology, substantially improving fluency and stability, and restoring user trust and satisfaction.
Let’s delve into Xiaomi’s flagship for the year and see how it performs in real-world scenarios.
Design and Screen
The Xiaomi 15 Pro features a 6.73-inch OLED screen using the latest Huaxing Optoelectronics M9 luminous material. This screen offers an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz, with a manual maximum brightness of 800 nits and peak brightness reaching 3200 nits. Notably, when the displayed content’s average brightness hits 25% (as seen when viewing short TikTok videos or using e-books in dark mode), the screen reaches this maximum brightness, ensuring clear visibility even in intense lighting.
In contrast, most industry phones need to lower the displayed content’s brightness to about 1% to reach peak brightness, which primarily enhances HDR content but isn’t as practical for daily usage. The Xiaomi 15 Pro optimizes power and brightness through Huaxing Optoelectronics M9 material, achieving either higher brightness at standard power levels or lower power consumption at consistent brightness. Its unique dual-microcavity luminescent layer keeps the power consumption of its 2K screen below that of the previous generation’s 1.5K C8 luminescent system screen, allowing efficient control over its 2K display.
With a resolution of 3200 × 1440 and a standard PPI of 522 (OLED equivalent PPI 426), the Xiaomi 15 Pro preserves the equidistant quad-curved screen from its predecessor, balancing the straight screen’s resistance to accidental touches and excellent viewing experience with the curved screen’s improved handling.
The screen surface includes an upgraded Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 2.0. This new formula, compared to the Dragon Crystal Glass 1.0 on the Xiaomi 14 Pro, reduces alkali metal content, boosts mechanical strength by 20-30%, and improves the sandpaper drop test by 25-30%, enhancing both durability and strength. Against iPhone 16’s super ceramic glass, Xiaomi Dragon Crystal Glass 2.0 provides 50% better drop resistance, ensuring higher device reliability.
The back of the device showcases rock gray glass, with a balanced grayscale that reflects a natural, cool tone. This shade emphasizes the stone’s tough texture while adding a calm and solemn feel. The matte finish creates a refined, warm touch, with a subtle smoothness that combines a secure grip with a comfortable feel.
The camera lens, crafted from ceramic, contrasts sharply with the matte back, enhancing the design’s visual depth and giving the device an elegant finish. The camera module’s advanced stacking reduces the lens group’s protrusion by 0.6 mm and its size by 2.5 mm compared to the previous generation, while the “crater” design seamlessly integrates into the back panel for both style and a refined feel.
Examining the phone’s top and bottom middle frames, the infrared remote sensor on the top is integrated into the camera module, avoiding the need for a separate opening. The bottom includes a speaker, Type-C port, microphone, and SIM card slot.
The Xiaomi 15 Pro uses a stereo dual-speaker setup, with the earpiece-style speaker adding an immersive audio dimension. The power and volume buttons sit on the right side of the device.
Finally, the Xiaomi 15 Pro supports up to 90W wired fast charging and includes a 90W fast-charging kit for speedy power-ups.
Performance and Hardware
Xiaomi has launched the Mi 15 Pro as the world’s first device with Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition. This marks Snapdragon’s debut of a mobile platform featuring the 3nm process technology. Unlike the 5nm process introduced four years ago, this 3nm node delivers significant improvements in performance and energy efficiency, making it more than just a numerical upgrade.
The Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition leverages TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process technology, which both enhances chip performance and reduces power consumption significantly. Energy efficiency, a critical factor in smartphones, remains an area where the Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition leads the industry.
Qualcomm made a bold move in the Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition’s core architecture by switching to a full large-core design and eliminating small cores, aligning with MediaTek’s approach. The processor includes a super-large core with an ultra-high frequency of 4.32GHz, complemented by two super-large cores and six 3.53GHz large cores. With a 24MB total CPU cache—12MB L2 cache for the two super-large cores and another 12MB for the six performance cores—this configuration achieves record-breaking performance among mobile phone processors.
Qualcomm reports that the new CPU architecture has single-core and multi-core performance by up to 45% while cutting power consumption by 44%. The Adreno 830 GPU, running at 1.1GHz, increases performance by 40%, reduces power consumption by 40%, and enhances ray tracing by 35%. With 12MB of dedicated GPU memory, reliance on system memory decreases, further lowering power consumption and latency.
Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition now supports 5333MHz (10.7Gbps) LPDDR5X, an upgrade from the previous generation’s 4800MHz (8.53Gbps) LPDDR5X specifications.
Performance Testing
The Mi 15 Pro scored exceptionally well in the Geekbench 6 test, surpassing 3000 points for single-core performance with a score of 3157—nearly 1000 points higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen3, reflecting a 44.4% performance increase. Thanks to the all-big-core three-cluster architecture, multi-core performance reached 9677, a 37.7% year-over-year increase, outperforming the A18 Pro of the iPhone 16 Pro.
In GPU testing, the Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition excelled across six GFXBench 1080P tests:
- Aztec Ruins OpenGL: 236 FPS
- Aztec Ruins Vulkan: 278 FPS
- Car Chase: 189 FPS
- Manhattan 3.1: 291 FPS
- Manhattan Outrageous: 416 FPS
- Tyrannosaurus Rex off-screen: 649 FPS
These results confirm nearly a 40% GPU performance increase over the Snapdragon 8 Gen3, solidifying the Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition as the most significant performance leap in the last decade.
In the Androbench memory test, the Mi 15 Pro’s UFS 4.0 achieved sequential read and write speeds of 3.7GB/s and 3.3GB/s, with random read and write speeds of 441.51MB/s and 574.42MB/s.
Game Testing
For game testing, we ran “Honor of Kings,” “Genshin Impact,” and “Honkai Impact 3rd” in a 26°C office, measuring frame rate, power consumption, energy efficiency, and body temperature.
- Honor of Kings: At maximum graphics and frame rate, the game maintained an average frame rate of 119.86 FPS. Power consumption averaged 2.59W, achieving a 46.28 FPS/W energy efficiency ratio—a 21% improvement over the Snapdragon 8 Gen3. Body temperature stayed low, reaching just 33.9°C on the back.
- Genshin Impact: At maximum graphics and 60 FPS, the game ran for nearly 15 minutes in Xumi City, stabilizing at an average frame rate of 59.64 FPS. The Snapdragon chip achieved sub-4W power consumption for the first time in Genshin Impact, with an energy efficiency ratio of 16.03 FPS/W—up 23.7% from the Snapdragon 8 Gen3. Body temperature remained cool, maxing at 38.8°C, approximately 4°C lower than its predecessor.
- Honkai Impact 3rd: With effects maxed and 60 FPS, the game averaged 59.56 FPS. Power consumption stayed under 4W at 3.69W, with a 16.14 FPS/W energy efficiency ratio, over 20% higher year-over-year. Body temperature reached a maximum of 38.8°C near the camera, maintaining a stable and cool gaming experience even in extended sessions.
Snapdragon’s 8 Extreme Edition has brought unparalleled performance and energy efficiency to mobile gaming, setting a new benchmark in the industry.
Cameras
After four generations, Xiaomi’s 15 Pro brings back the periscope telephoto camera, featuring the same CMOS as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra—Sony’s IMX858 sensor. This sensor’s benefits are clear; it offers full-pixel omnidirectional focus technology, which speeds up focusing when capturing distant shots.
The sensor integrates a 1/2.51-inch photosensitive unit, outputs up to 50MP, and has single-pixel measurements of 0.7μm/1.4μm with an effective focal length of 120mm. Through Remosaic, it achieves 10x lossless zoom and extends the focal length to 240mm, providing a highly telescopic effect with strong picture compression.
This lens also includes a large F2.5 aperture like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, supports OIS optical image stabilization, and offers 30cm floating telephoto shooting. Users can capture both distant landscapes and close details, enhancing shooting flexibility and facilitating creative opportunities across various scenes.
The Xiaomi 15 Pro’s main camera incorporates the same Light Hunter 900 sensor (OV50H) as the previous generation, with a 23mm equivalent focal length, a 1/1.31-inch photosensitive unit, and the largest F1.44 aperture in the Summilux series for mobile devices. This large aperture allows more light in, enables fast shutter speeds, and creates a smooth background blur, producing clear and artistic photos for dynamic scenes or subject-focused shots.
The ultra-wide-angle lens employs a 50-megapixel Samsung S5KJN1 sensor, with a 14mm equivalent focal length, covering an ultra-wide 115° viewing angle.
Main Camera
With the Light Hunter 900 main camera, the Xiaomi 15 Pro captures more detail and light information due to its large aperture, creating bright, vivid images in daylight. In backlit conditions, the main camera maintains strong color reproduction, representing colors naturally and avoiding distortion.
For users, capturing clear and sharp photos is simple with the Xiaomi 15 Pro. Whether photographing grand landscapes, lively portraits, or everyday objects, this device delivers images with natural textures, brimming with artistry and vibrancy.
Night View
In night mode, the Xiaomi 15 Pro’s ALD ultra-low-reflective nano-coating provides a clean, clear image even with strong light sources or bright objects, allowing users to observe fine structural details within the light.
Telephoto
Xiaomi 15 Pro’s periscope telephoto lens offers 5x optical zoom with an F2.5 large aperture, one of the widest in the market for a 120mm focal length periscope lens. Telephoto shots display consistent tolerance, presenting natural, realistic colors for a “what you see is what you get” experience.
The periscope telephoto lens also introduces Remosaic mode, delivering 10x lossless optimization technology (equivalent to 240mm). This allows clear details even at 10x or 20x (480mm) magnification, expanding Xiaomi 15 Pro’s zoom capabilities and providing more creative possibilities and high-quality images.
Ultra-Wide Angle
With the ultra-wide-angle lens, Xiaomi 15 Pro effectively reduces distortion on the edges of images, providing visible details in the expanded image and refined edge presentation.
Charging and Battery Life
Xiaomi Mi 15 Pro, the flagship phone of the year, features a powerful 6100mAh battery, making it the largest battery in high-end flagships. This capacity comes from Xiaomi’s Jinshajiang battery technology, which boosts the battery’s energy density to an industry-leading 850Wh/L.
To enhance battery capacity further, Xiaomi integrates “thick electrode” technology for both the positive and negative electrodes in the battery. Additionally, the Mi 15 Pro includes an embossed energy slot design, optimizing the flow of active materials to improve charging performance.
Compared to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 14 Pro, which had a 4880mAh battery, the Xiaomi 15 Pro adds 1220mAh while maintaining almost the same battery volume. Despite this increase, the device is 10g lighter than the previous model, achieving an optimal balance of lightness and extended battery life.
The Xiaomi 15 Pro also supports 90W second-charge technology and 50W wireless charging.
We tested the charging speed and battery life of the Xiaomi 15 Pro to gauge its performance.
Charging Test
In our test with the screen off, the battery at 1% charged to 33% in 10 minutes, reached 60% in 20 minutes, climbed to 83% in 30 minutes, and fully charged in 51 minutes. This charging speed is remarkable for a 6100mAh battery, achieving a full charge in less than an hour.
This impressive charging efficiency allows users to quickly recharge their devices during short breaks, significantly reducing battery anxiety.
Battery Life Test
For the battery life test, we used Battery Dog, a professional tool developed by Fast Technology, to simulate real-life usage scenarios. The test included power-intensive tasks such as high CPU voltage, multi-threading, AI recognition, image browsing, video playback, and web browsing to replicate actual power consumption.
To maintain consistent environmental variables across all tests, Battery Dog automatically adjusted the screen brightness to 50%, disabled automatic brightness, and set the volume to 30%.
During the uninterrupted battery test, the Xiaomi 15 Pro took 9 hours, 14 minutes, and 47 seconds to drop from 100% to 20% battery. Converted, this performance gives an approximate full battery life of 12 hours, nearly 2 hours longer than the previous Xiaomi 14 Pro. This makes the Xiaomi 15 Pro the longest-lasting Pro model in Xiaomi’s history, offering an estimated 1.5 days of intermittent usage for general users.
Verdict
In actual performance tests, the Xiaomi 15 Pro demonstrates a remarkable 44.4% increase in single-core performance, a 37.7% increase in multi-core performance, and nearly a 40% boost in GPU performance compared to the previous generation. This marks the largest performance leap in mobile phones over the past decade, truly achieving a generational breakthrough.
During the gaming test with “Genshin Impact”—formerly known as a “hardware killer”—the Xiaomi 15 Pro now runs the game almost effortlessly. Under full-frame operation, power consumption remains at just 3.72W, showing an energy efficiency improvement of over 20%.
In the new “hardware killer” title, “Honkai Impact 3rd,” the Xiaomi 15 Pro runs at full frame with a power consumption of only 3.69W, maintaining a temperature of under 40 degrees Celsius on the back.
On the imaging front, the Xiaomi 15 Pro reintroduces the periscope telephoto lens after a three-year hiatus, incorporating Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s high-end hardware specifications and AI photography features. Actual sample photos highlight flagship-quality imaging, allowing the Xiaomi 15 Pro to easily capture everything from expansive vistas to detailed close-ups. This raises expectations for the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 15 Ultra.
In battery life tests, the Xiaomi 15 Pro lasts nearly 12 hours on a full charge, offering approximately 2 hours more than the Xiaomi 14 Pro—a significant improvement.
In summary, the Xiaomi 15 Pro stands as Xiaomi’s most powerful flagship yet. With comprehensive upgrades in performance, imaging, system, and battery life, we have reason to believe it will not only solidify Xiaomi’s position in the high-end market but may also become one of the most enduring models in recent years.