Xiaomi has just unveiled two new phones as part of its mid-cycle upgrade: the Xiaomi 15T Pro and the slightly more affordable Xiaomi 15T.
Even though we’re expecting an announcement of the flagship Xiaomi 17 in China later this month, the 15T range offers some crucial upgrades that are sure to please fans looking for a new mid-range phone.
The highlight feature of the launch is the addition of a Leica 5x telephoto lens to the Xiaomi 15T Pro, which should put the phone right up there with flagships when it comes to capturing detailed photos from a distance.
While the Xiaomi 15T doesn’t get the upgraded telephoto, it does see a leap in efficiency for its main 50Mp camera, which Xiaomi has dubbed the Leica Summilux optical lens, boasting a wider f/1.7 aperture to capture more light.
Both phones see a greater degree of parity when it comes to the display and the battery life, though, which could be the main reasons to upgrade from older Xiaomi phones.
The screen size has leapt forward to occupy a massive 6.83-inch panel on both phones, and they pack 3200 nits of peak brightness, which should ensure good outdoor visibility. You also get 3840Hz PWM dimming, which usually helps reduce eye strain and discomfort.
Even though the standard 15T boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, gamers will likely get on better with the 144Hz offering of the 15T Pro.
It’s a similar story with the battery life, as the two phones now pack a longer-lasting 5500mAh cell (which our reviewer managed to stretch to a two-day stint on both), but there are slight differences with the charging speeds.
While the 15T still gets to enjoy Xiaomi’s 67W HyperCharge technology, the 15T Pro kicks that up a notch to 90W wired fast charging and also brings in 50W wireless charging for good measure. However, the necessary chargers aren’t included in the box.
The 15T and the 15T Pro utilise the MediaTek Dimensity 8400-Ultra and Dimensity 9400+ chipsets, respectively. While we have yet to review the performance of the latter, our four-star review for the 15T details that “the phone feels lightning quick” during everyday use. Meanwhile, the 4.5-star 15T Pro is “powerful enough to breeze through just about any title on the Play Store”.
There’s also a major upgrade to rival Apple’s Emergency SOS feature: Xiaomi Astral Communication. This concept is also intended to help people who have found themselves in an area of the wilderness that’s out of range for their phone network, but instead of going via satellites, it uses long-range Bluetooth to connect to other Xiaomi 15T handsets and facilitate voice calls.
Luke Baker
It’s a solid concept in theory, but the fact that it only works between Xiaomi 15T handsets greatly limits its usability. Hopefully it’ll be expanded to include other Xiaomi
While the pricing for both phones has yet to be officially confirmed, we wouldn’t be too surprised if it stays quite close to the pricing of last year’s Xiaomi 14T and 14T Pro (£549/£649) to avoid encroaching on the higher price tags assumed for the upcoming Xiaomi 17 range.
Author: Thomas Deehan, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Tom began covering tech all the way back in 2018, initially writing about tech deals for Trusted Reviews before working his way up to being the site's Deputy Editor. Now operating as a freelance writer, you can find Tom testing the latest smartphones, wearables, earbuds and more. In his spare time, you'll either find him trying to get through a backlog of books, games and TV shows, or trying to write his very own novel (if he's feeling productive).