Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra impressed me earlier within the 12 months with its stellar digital camera setup that gives excellent high quality for professional shooters. However the firm’s not executed for the 12 months simply but; the Xiaomi 15T and 15T Professional pack Leica-branded digital camera techniques and a bunch of high-end tech right into a steel physique. I have been hands-on, and there is a lot to love.
Each the processor and the cameras put in stable performances throughout my hands-on time with them. Plus, I used to be intrigued to listen to a few distinctive new function discovered solely on the Xiaomi 15T and 15T Professional: a walkie talkie mode for making device-to-device voice calls in areas the place there is no such thing as a cell service.
Learn extra: I Took Over 1,000 Photos With the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. Check Out My Favorites
On the time of writing, Xiaomi would not verify pricing particulars for the 15T or 15T Professional, however for reference, final 12 months’s 14T Professional began at £650 (roughly $880) within the UK and was a high-performing mid-range handset. I would count on the 15T Professional to return with an analogous price ticket. It is protected to imagine the bottom 15T will likely be not less than £100 cheaper. As with all of Xiaomi’s merchandise, an official US launch just isn’t on the playing cards.
Xiaomi 15T Professional cameras
The again of the 15T Professional is residence to a triple-camera array, which features a 50-megapixel major digital camera, a 50-megapixel telephoto digital camera with 5x optical zoom and a 12-megapixel ultrawide digital camera.
Taken with the principle digital camera, I like the nice and cozy tones and wealthy distinction right here.
The cellphone has saved a superb deal with on publicity with this picture from the principle digital camera.
On a sunny late summer time day in Edinburgh, I discovered the principle digital camera able to taking stable photographs with even publicity, correct colours and loads of element.
There’s noticeably much less element in photographs taken with the ultrawide lens, particularly towards their edges.
Switching to the ultrawide lens, I am not fairly as impressed. The publicity steadiness is not pretty much as good and the small print are noticeably poorer, particularly in the direction of the sting of the body. Nonetheless, it is positive for snaps.
At 5x zoom, photographs are crisp and clear.
However the 5x optical zoom is spectacular, delivering crisp particulars and constant publicity dealing with, similar to the principle digital camera.
There are numerous shade profiles to select from on the cellphone.
As with the Xiaomi 15 Extremely, it is the Leica-branded black-and-white preset that I preserve coming again to. It delivers a punchy look that I actually love.
The front-facing digital camera captured a vibrant picture right here, with out an excessive amount of unnatural pores and skin smoothing.
Just like the 15 Extremely, it additionally gives a Professional mode that means that you can shoot in RAW, manually regulate settings and select from varied shade profiles — together with a number of of the identical Leica-branded ones discovered on Leica’s common cameras.
Xiaomi 15T Professional: Design and show
The cellphone is made with an aluminum alloy body and a glass fiber again, which feels sturdy in hand, whereas its IP68 waterproof score means the occasional splash will not be an issue. I feel the cellphone appears to be like a bit plain; even its “mocha gold” shade leans extra in the direction of Nineteen Seventies sofa brown. However appears to be like are subjective and hardly matter for those who’re simply going to throw a case on it anyway.
The steel and glass fiber development feels sturdy to carry.
The 6.8-inch show is vibrant sufficient to be used in direct daylight, with wealthy colours and loads of display screen actual property to do justice to cell video games or YouTube movies — good in your commute.
Xiaomi 15T Professional: Processor, battery and extras
The 15T Professional runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ processor, which clocked some first rate scores on the Geekbench 6 benchmark take a look at. It got here in a bit shy of the Galaxy S25 Extremely, however a good method above the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL. In on a regular basis use, I discovered it nippy and it dealt with gaming in PUBG and Future: Rising with none points.
Powering the cellphone is a 5,500-mAh battery, which ought to get you thru a full day of blended use. It helps as much as 90W wired charging, which ought to get juice again within the tank in a short time, assuming you’ve gotten a suitable charger.
The 15T Professional’s show is fairly straightforward to view below direct daylight.
The cellphone runs Android 15 at its core and I am a bit peeved that it comes preinstalled with a bunch of third-party apps, together with Amazon purchasing, Amazon music, AliExpress, Fb and extra. It makes the cellphone really feel cluttered proper out of the field; I like to recommend uninstalling no matter you don’t need earlier than you even start putting in your individual apps.
An attention-grabbing new function is offline communication, which lets two 15T sequence telephones make direct device-to-device voice calls from as much as 1.9 kilometers away. It basically turns the cellphone right into a walkie-talkie, choices a method to talk in areas the place there isn’t any cell service — like if you’re mountain climbing with associates within the wilderness. It is a novel concept, and so far as I do know, distinctive to Xiaomi. That mentioned, it at the moment solely works if each you and your buddy have a Xiaomi 15T or 15T Professional, so hopefully the corporate rolls it out to extra units quickly.
The Xiaomi 15T (left) and the 15T Professional (proper).
Xiaomi 15T and 15T Professional: Are they any good?
The 15T Professional’s stable processor and digital camera efficiency make it an honest all-round cellphone for what I am hoping will likely be an inexpensive mid-range price ticket. Whereas it will not offer a lot competitors to the likes of the Galaxy S25 Extremely or the brand new iPhone 17 Pro, it is bought the whole lot you’d want from an on a regular basis Android cellphone.
The bottom 15T packs many of the identical digital camera setup however makes use of a barely much less highly effective processor and misses out on the 90W quick charging present in its Professional sibling. I count on it to price even much less, making it a greater possibility for those who’re purchasing on a price range.
