Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Big camera, small battery
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is coming soon, perhaps in February like its predecessor, or in January as some rumors suggest, just like the Samsung Galaxy S25 series. Today, well-known tipster Digital Chat Station revealed more details about Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship on Weibo in a now-deleted post.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra will have roughly the same display size as the 14 Ultra, also with small curves on all sides and the same resolution, according to the tip. So expect a 6.73-inch panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1,440 x 3,200 pixels.
On the back, there is a 1-inch main camera with an f/1.63 aperture. However, there is no mention that this aperture is variable. The predecessor could still switch between an f/1.63 and an f/4.0 aperture. In addition, there is a 50 MP telephoto lens with probably 2x magnification and a 200 MP periscope telephoto lens with probably 4.3x magnification.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra also has IP68 and IP69 (hot water protection) dust and water resistance, as well as wireless charging. But if you were expecting a huge battery, here comes a small damper. Rumors suggest that the cell capacity will be between 5,450 mAh and 5,800 mAh, not quite in the 6,000 mAh range that some competitors are playing in. This will probably have a lot to do with how much space the cameras of the next Ultra model need and how thick Xiaomi wants to build the Ultra.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra with its own chipset?
Incidentally, according to a new report, Xiaomi is allegedly working on its own, self-developed chipset. The move is being made to reduce dependence on the top dogs Qualcomm and MediaTek. Mass production of the chip is apparently set to begin next year, and the first phones powered by it will also hit the market as early as 2025. That might make the CPU too late for the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, though.
Chinese officials have repeatedly urged local companies to reduce their dependence on foreign technology as much as possible. And Xiaomi seems to have heard that message loud and clear. Of course, it remains to be seen how the chip will be positioned and in which part of the market it will be used. And of course, how well it will perform compared to the current top Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite and MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processors.
Xiaomi plans to invest around CNY 30 billion (€3.9 billion/$4.1 billion) in research and development in 2025, compared to CNY 24 billion (€3.1 billion/$3.3 billion) this year. Developing its own chipset will no doubt consume a fair chunk of that.
