A year after the launch of the flagship 14 Ultra, Xiaomi revealed its successor, the aptly named 15 Ultra. But what’s really new with the smartphone? Should you bother upgrading if you’re already sporting the 14 Ultra?
While the two have plenty of similarities, key differences could influence your buying decision. Here, we compare the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra based on specs to see whether the new handset has the potential to make our best Android smartphone list.
Pricing and Availability
Launched officially on 2nd March 2025, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has an RRP of £1299.
At the time of writing, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra actually has the same RRP as its successor at £1299. However, as it’s a year old, you can pick it up for cheaper from retailers like Amazon.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra runs on Snapdragon 8 Elite
Like many of 2025’s top Android smartphones, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset whereas the Xiaomi 14 Ultra runs on last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
As we haven’t reviewed the Xiaomi 15 Ultra yet, we can’t comment on how well it performs, however it’s worth pointing out that we have been seriously impressed with the processor’s performance so far.
For example, the OnePlus 13, which runs on Snapdragon 8 Elite, is easily one of the most capable phones around and surpasses even Apple’s A18 Pro chip in our benchmarking tests.
It’s a similar story with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, though we have tested many phones fitted with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and have been consistently impressed with its power and AI support.
In fact, many of the best smartphones of 2024 sport the processor, so we can reasonably assume that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra benefits from speedy and reliable performance.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra has a 200MP telephoto lens
Firstly, it’s worth pointing out that the cameras of both the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra were co-engineered with Leica, and the two phones sport four rear lenses and a 32MP front snapper.
While the handsets each have a 50MP main, 50MP floating telephoto, and 50MP ultrawide rear lens, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra boasts a 200MP periscope lens. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra, on the other hand, has a 50MP periscope lens instead.
Xiaomi explains the 200MP periscope telephoto lens in the 15 Ultra is fitted with OIS and has a 100mm equivalent focal length, while the 14 Ultra’s has a 120mm equivalent focal length alongside OIS too.
Although the difference sounds hefty on paper, it’s worth remembering that higher resolution doesn’t necessarily guarantee a better camera set up. Still, with a boosted telephoto bolstering an already impressive camera offering, it could end up being the best camera phone of 2024.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra has a larger battery
At 5410mAh, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has a larger battery capacity than the 14 Ultra’s 5000mAh. Without testing, it’s difficult to know how this translates into real-life use, but we can assume the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will be more efficient than its successor, especially as the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor offers 52% lower power consumption.
Otherwise, both handsets support a whopping 90W Hypercharge and 80W wireless Hypercharge, which Xiaomi explains takes the 14 Ultra from 1 to 100% in 33 and 46 minutes, respectively.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra is available in three colours
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is available in Black and White. Both have the same dimensions, 161.4mm x 75.3mm x 9.20mm, and weigh 219.8g.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is slightly different in a couple of ways. Firstly, it comes in a choice of three colours: Black, White, and Silver Chrome. The latter weighs more and measures slightly thicker than the first two. Although the difference is negligible (229g vs. 226g and 9.48mm vs. 9.35mm), it’s still worth mentioning.
Both have AI features
Like most smartphones in 2025, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and 15 Ultra are packed with AI features built into HyperOS.
Coined HyperAI, this Xiaomi toolkit includes features akin to those found in Galaxy AI and Apple Intelligence, including AI Writing for help rewording text and AI Interpreter for communicating in different languages.
There are also various photo editing features such as Eraser Pro, much like Google’s Magic Eraser, which removes unwanted objects from images, and AI Image Enhancement for general editing.
Early Verdict
We won’t deliver our final verdict until we’ve spent more time with the two flagship handsets.
Having said that, just by looking at their respective specs, it’s fair to say the Xiaomi 15 Ultra isn’t entirely different from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. While a new chipset, bigger periscope telephoto lens, and larger battery are impressive, they probably aren’t enough to warrant an upgrade.
That said, if you’re yet to invest in either, it looks like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is the more capable of the two.
