Sep 1 (edited) • Android
Xiaomi 15 Review - 30 Days of Use
Alright guys.. after 30 days of use, I’m ready to give my detailed thoughts on the Xiaomi 15.
Here we go!
So prior to swapping to the Xiaomi 15, I was using the iPhone 13 Pro max. An awesome device, with a fantastic camera and even better battery life. Personally I think the 13Pro Max was peak iPhone. But I eventually got sick and tired of how heavy the device was. Carrying a brick in your pocket gets tiresome after a few years.
Reading in bed, or trying to use the device with one hand was basically impossible. So I went on the hunt for a new device.
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For me, it had to have the following:
- A great display
- A great battery life
- A flagship camera
- A smaller footprint
- Good speakers
- Fast charging/Wireless charging
At first, I was going to opt for the s25 or Pixel 9. Both great devices, but I felt both devices were lacking something.. So I keep hunting for something else. I was super close to buying the Vivo X200FE, but it lacked wireless - something I use every night.
A found a used Xiaomi 15 (Global) on eBay for $750 AUD. It was only used for a few days, so I made the decision to snap it up.
I made a few videos over the course of 30 days to share my experience of using the device. You can watch them here:
Key specs of the Xiaomi 15:
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Display: 6.36-inch OLED with 1.5K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 3,200 nits peak brightness.
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm).
Operating System: Android 15 with Xiaomi HyperOS 2.
RAM/Storage: Available with various RAM options (e.g., 12GB/16GB) and up to 1TB of storage.
Rear Cameras:
50MP Leica main camera (wide) with OIS.
50MP Leica telephoto lens with OIS.
50MP Leica ultrawide camera.
Front Camera: 32MP camera.
Battery: 5,240 mAh capacity.
Charging: 90W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Durability: IP68 water and dust resistance.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4/6.0, USB Type-C 3.2
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Okay, so… here’s my pros and cons to begin with:
Pros:
- I love the size of the device. It’s slightly taller than the s24/s25 series, but still feels small in my hand.
- It’s also a nice weight. Feels solid. Really well built.
- It’s extremely well balanced. My finger rests perfectly on the bottom of the camera bump and it has minimal table wobble.
- Battery life is 1.5 days for me. I typically end most days with 50% or more. I think you could probably kill the battery in a day if you do a lot of maps and gaming.
- Camera is really snappy and does a great job with moving objects. (I have kids so this is a big win for me).
- Camera is true flagship. Some of the images I’ve captured with this device are awesome - the detail is insane even when you zoom in and pixel peep.
- Speakers are full for a device that’s pretty small.
- All the AI junk is hidden for the most part. If you don’t want to use AI, you don’t have to. I think that’s a win lol.
- The Snapdragon 8 Elite is powerful and there’s nothing this phone can’t handle
Cons:
- The software is okay atm, but HyperOS 3.0 will be a welcome update (based on what I’m seeing on Youtube).
- I had some weird heat issues when I first started using the device. From what I can tell, it was related to YouTube. I moved to the Revanced YouTube app and that seemed to fix the issue for me. No more heating issues
- I hate the Xiaomi theme store. It feels cheap and spammy.
- I hate that I can’t uninstall apps. Xiaomi locks down lots of apps that can only be removed using abd.
- Flash charger only works if I use a worldwide charging adapter. Power delivery chargers only deliver a max of 20w charging which is a bit disappointing.
And thats it!
Overall, I really like the Xiaomi 15. It’s well built, has a GREAT camera, solid software and really reliable battery life. This is the first time in a few years that I’ve used an Android device, so it took some getting used to. In saying that, I don’t miss my iPhone 13 PM nearly as much as I thought I would.
I don’t miss iMessage at all and RCS is solid.
I’m looking forward to testing out HyperOS 3.0 once it’s available - it looks really cool and the "dynamic island" looks awesome. Once that drops I’ll do a follow up review.
Any questions? Drop them below!
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Xiaomi 15 Review - 30 Days of Use
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