Verdict
Xiaomi’s latest premium mid-ranger brings the fight to proper flagships, featuring a premium design, a top-end screen, flagship performance and surprisingly capable cameras for its £649 price tag. Is it the perfect flagship replacement? No, but for most people, it’ll be close enough.
-
Great camera performance -
Looks and feels like a top-end phone -
Flagship-level power -
Massive 6.82-inch AMOLED screen
-
No LTPO screen tech -
Rarely hits the full 144Hz -
HyperOS is far from the stock Android experience
Key Features
-
Review Price: £649 -
Capable cameras
The flagship-level 50MP main and 50MP periscope lenses are surprisingly capable for the price -
Flagship performance
The MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ is one of the most powerful chipsets around right now -
Premium look and feel
The combination of aluminium frame, glass-fibre rear and a matte finish gives the Xiaomi 15T Pro a high-end look
Introduction
Xiaomi’s 15T Pro is the company’s answer to the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: a more budget-conscious variant of its flagship alternative.
However, while Samsung’s Galaxy S25 FE offers flagship Galaxy S25 looks with distinctly more mid-range tech, the Xiaomi 15T Pro looks to closely emulate the top-end Xiaomi 15 experience it’s based on – and, in some ways, even improve on it.
That said, it’s still a £649 smartphone, so there have to be compromises somewhere, right? Let’s dive in.
Design
- Premium look with flat edges and matte finish
- On the slightly heavier side, but feels reassuring
- IP68 and Gorilla Glass 7i protection
Closer in design to the regular Xiaomi 15 than the curvy Xiaomi 15 Ultra, the Xiaomi 15T Pro features a similarly industrial, flat-edged look to its flagship brethren.
It’s a clean, premium look that’s elevated by the inclusion of the Mocha Gold colourway that I was sent for review, managing to subtly stand out without drawing too much attention with garish colours. If it’s not to your cup of tea, however, more standard Black and Grey options are also available.
It is a touch on the thicker side, measuring in at 8mm and 210g, but it’s perfectly balanced – no top-heavy phone here – and it feels reassuringly solid in the hand.
That’s mainly down to the combination of a glass-fibre rear and an aluminium frame, complete with a matte finish that helps maintain grip and also negates fingerprints. The squared-off camera bump also means that it doesn’t wobble when placed on a desk – something that even top-end foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 can’t offer.
Simply put, it really is a phone that looks and feels way more premium than its £649 price tag suggests.
It is a big phone, however, with a 6.82-inch screen at its heart – and that means that those with smaller hands might struggle to use it one-handed. It’s not really a problem I encountered, but feedback from my other half after using the phone for a few minutes suggests that it could be a problem for some.
I have a bit of a gripe with the fingerprint sensor embedded on that screen; its placement is very far down on the screen compared to most other smartphones, certainly much further down than my thumb tends to rest when I fold the phone. And, with the muscle memory I have, it meant I kept placing my fingerprint in the wrong place on the screen.
It is rapid when it does work – you just have to adjust to the placement.
Elsewhere, you’ll find IP68 dust and water resistance that Xiaomi claims is good down to 3m of water for 30 minutes, while Gorilla Glass 7i shields the display from damage. The latter is one of the only clues that this isn’t a fully-fledged flagship, falling behind the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 used in true top-end smartphones for even better protection from scratches and cracks.
Screen
- 6.82-inch AMOLED screen
- 144Hz refresh rate, but you won’t hit 144Hz often
- Slimline 1.5mm thick bezels
On the surface, it sounds like the Xiaomi 15T Pro’s 6.83-inch AMOLED screen could go toe-to-toe with the best around.
It’s impressively bright with a 3200-nit peak brightness that makes HDR content look great – especially with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support that, yes, does actually work in apps like Netflix – and the 1.5K resolution means text and icons are pixel-perfect.
There’s even support for high-end eyecare features like 3840Hz PWM dimming and a boosted 480Hz touch sampling rate to make games feel that little bit more responsive – neither are a given at the price point.
My main gripe is with the refresh rate. At 144Hz, it’s faster than the 120Hz offered by much of the competition, but there’s a catch: it’s not an LTPO screen. Unlike some of the premium competition, the 15T Pro can only drop down to 30Hz, meaning elements like the always-on display drain more power than they might otherwise.
It also means that the screen doesn’t dynamically adjust the refresh rate; it seems to use 120Hz throughout the UI, though it inexplicably drops to 60Hz when running certain apps like YouTube or Google Maps. You can change this, but it needs to be done on a per-app basis and quickly becomes a pain.
In reality, you’re only going to get the full 144Hz experience in supported games, and there aren’t many of those.
So yes, it sounds impressive on paper, but in reality, you’ll only be experiencing 60- or 120Hz most of the time. I’d rather a slightly slower LTPO-enabled panel over a faster, non-LTPO alternative.
That doesn’t detract from the overall experience too much though; the screen is bright, vivid, detailed and fantastic for both watching HDR movies and playing games, especially when combined with slimline 1.5mm uniform bezels that help make everything feel a little more immersive.
It’s actually tuned to be more neutral out of the box, with slightly muted colours that I’m sure some will appreciate, but if you’re like me and have grown accustomed to the more vibrant, colourful effects of AMOLED tech, you can tweak it to your liking in the Settings app. There are presets to choose from, as well as support for custom temperature selection.
Cameras
- 50MP main camera is flagship-quality
- 50MP 5x periscope is capable for the price
- Pro-level video capture options
The Xiaomi 15T Pro offers a pretty exciting combination of rear cameras that allow it to perform with some of the best around, not just in its price category but more generally. It’s a phone that I’ve rarely been disappointed with during my week and a bit of snapping – it’s not perfect, but it’s good enough for most use cases.
That starts with the excellent main camera; using a high-end 50MP Light Fusion 900 sensor, the primary lens consistently delivers sharp, detailed shots with a wide dynamic range, and the Leica-branded shooting modes only boost the look of shots.
Like the flagship range, the 15T Pro offers support for Leica Vibrant and Leica Authentic, and these can really change the overall look of your shot if used correctly. It can be a bit conservative when it comes to exposure, with some shots looking a little bit dark and moody in certain lights – usually indoors in the evening – but that’s easily fixed with an edit.
That’s backed up by a surprisingly capable 50MP 5x periscope zoom lens that really stands out at the 15T Pro’s £649 price point – just look at the Pixel 10’s 10.8MP 5x telephoto and you’ll see what I mean here.
Like other zoom lenses, it’s best used in well-lit environments, with the lens able to deliver clean, sharp 5x zoomed shots with colours consistent with the main lens, letting you get closer to the action without a drop-off in terms of detail or colour accuracy.
The 5x zoom could be a little too close for portrait photography – some might prefer the 3x zoom offered by competitors – but if you’re looking primarily to close the distance, it’s a great option.
The upgraded periscope tech means it’s pretty usable up to the 30x point; beyond that, things start to look a little soft and blurry, and once you hit anywhere from 60-100x, it’ll rely on generative AI to fill in details – and that leaves photos looking a little bit ‘off’. That’s becoming more common, however; even stalwarts of camera tech like Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL rely on generative tech at higher levels of zoom.
With the same ‘floating’ zoom design present on Xiaomi’s flagship range, it also doubles up as a solid macro lens, able to focus as close as 10cm away.
If there’s a chink in the Xiaomi 15T Pro’s armour, it’d have to be the ultrawide lens. The 13MP, 120-degree ultrawide lens is fairly basic in nature, lacking elements like autofocus present on higher-end lenses. It’s still more than enough to capture a great photo in daylight, as seen in my sample shots, but it’s easily the worst lens in low light with largely soft, muddy results.
For better night performance, look to the main camera – it has the largest sensor and widest aperture of the trio, after all.
Combined with OIS and Xiaomi’s dedicated Auto Night Mode tech, the performance is strong, even in extremely dark conditions – though like so many other phones, it has a tendency to artificially brighten shadows. I personally don’t mind the look, but those who want a more ‘true to life’ shot might be better off elsewhere.
The 5x periscope is surprisingly decent in low-light considering it has a much narrower aperture and a smaller sensor – but it’s rather inconsistent. Some shots can look pixel-perfect and well-lit, while others, taken just seconds after, can look comparatively dark and a touch blurry.
Video performance is also surprisingly strong for a phone of its price point, featuring support for 8K@30fps and 4K@120fps, along with HDR10+, LOG recording, LUT support and even a teleprompter mode when using the 10.5MP selfie camera.
Performance
- MediaTek Dimensity 9400+
- 3D IceLoop cooling tech
- Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support
The Xiaomi 15T Pro might not be a ‘true’ flagship in the traditional sense, but that doesn’t stop it from offering flagship-level power. Until a couple of weeks ago, the Dimensity 9400+ within the 15T Pro represented the top-end chipset in the MediaTek line-up, with the new Dimensity 9500 set to begin appearing in devices soon.
Even without the very latest chipset, when paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage as standard, it’s safe to say that the Xiaomi 15T Pro doesn’t leave you wanting for more in the performance department.
It’s not quite up to the standard set by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the more popular flagship chipset of 2025, but it’s still a solid performer when it comes to benchmark testing, offering similar levels of performance to Samsung’s Exynos 2500 chipset in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Apple’s A19 chip in the iPhone 17.
This means that you’re unlikely to notice any kind of difference in terms of real-world performance when compared to flagships that cost hundreds more than Xiaomi’s premium alternative. I certainly had no complaints about day-to-day use, even coming from the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, my current daily driver.
The 15T Pro handled just about anything I threw at it, from split-screen multitasking to high-end gaming in titles like Call of Duty Mobile with the graphics cranked all the way up. It’s a phone that, in most scenarios, won’t complain at all.
It can get warm under load, but with Xiaomi’s upgraded 3D IceLoop cooling tech, it never gets uncomfortable to use or hold. Yes, performance can be throttled if you push things too far for too long, but it’s not something you’ll ever see outside of gaming.
And, if you care that much about gaming on a smartphone, you’re probably better off with a dedicated gaming phone anyway.
Xiaomi hasn’t skimped on the connectivity front either, packing support for the latest tech, including Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, along with 5G connectivity and NFC for mobile payments.
Software
- HyperOS 2 based on Android 15
- A skin you’ll either love or hate
- Five OS upgrades promised
When it comes to Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 based on Android 15 present on the 15T Pro, you’ll either love it or hate it. Xiaomi’s UI seemingly has a visceral effect for some; they hate the highly stylised look, the duplicate Xiaomi-branded apps and the confusing placement of some settings in the Settings app.
I, for one, enjoy the deep customisation on offer from HyperOS, especially compared to the comparatively limited stock Android experience. You can change the look and style of the lock screen, use dynamic wallpapers, download new fonts and entire new themes via Xiaomi’s theme store, change your icons on the fly and much more, helping it feel more personal right out of the box.
There’s certainly some iOS inspiration here, especially with the layout of the lock screen customisation UI, but that’ll at least make it easier for long-time iPhone users to adapt if they did want to make the jump. It’s not as on the nose as Honor’s MagicOS, anyway.
That said, it’s still not the perfect skin; as mentioned, the phone comes with a range of duplicate Xiaomi-branded apps that simply aren’t necessary when most of us use the Google alternatives, and there are a few pre-installed apps – though these are easily deleted.
I also struggle to navigate the Settings app, even after all this time. Xiaomi has an interesting (read: confusing) approach to settings categories, meaning elements like Always-on Display settings aren’t actually found in the Display section. There is a search function, but it’s not a natural-language search like that offered by the likes of Samsung, so you’ll need to know the exact name of the setting you want to change ahead of time.
Of course, these are minor issues that, given time, most people would learn to live with, without issue – I’m proof of that. I quite enjoy HyperOS these days, certainly more so than competing heavily stylised Android skins, but I do concede that those who prefer a near-stock Android experience won’t enjoy Xiaomi’s interpretation.
Plus, with a commitment to five OS upgrades, it should only continue to improve over time.
Battery Life
- 5500mAh cell
- Solid all-day battery life
- Up to 90W charging
In a year where we’ve seen Chinese OEMs go all-in on battery capacity with options like the 6000mAh OnePlus 13, the Xiaomi 15T Pro’s 5500mAh alternative may seem comparatively small. However, it’s still a larger cell than what you’d find in the likes of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and day-to-day performance largely reflects this.
The 15T Pro hasn’t given me much in the way of concern when it comes to battery life, seeing me through every day in my testing period without having to reach for a charger mid-evening.
Granted, I’m not the heaviest smartphone user, mainly using it for short stints of messaging, emails, scrolling through social media and playing the occasional game, but I average at around 3-4 hours of screen time per day – and the Xiaomi often finished with a comfortable 30-40% in the tank.
Of course, mileage may vary; if you switch from the default Balanced Mode to Performance Mode, you’ll see a boost to gaming performance but more battery drain as a result. And, without LTPO tech, the 144Hz refresh rate can impact things – but it’s more than enough for the vast majority of users.
Charging, as always with Xiaomi, is extremely rapid. It’s rated at up to 90W, though you’ll need a HyperCharge-branded charger to hit those extreme charge speeds – something that isn’t included in the box, unfortunately. If you do source one, Xiaomi claims it’ll go from flat to full in just 36 minutes.
That said, with support for charging standards like PD 3.0 and QC4, it still charges pretty damn fast compared to much of the competition when not using a Xiaomi-branded charger.
Using my Anker Prime 250W desktop charger, it hit 42% in 15 minutes, with 68% in 30 minutes and a full charge at bang on 60 minutes. Considering pricier alternatives like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra take 90 minutes to charge a smaller 5000mAh cell, that’s a pretty good offering.
Fast 50W wireless charging rounds out the offering, but again, this is only achievable with Xiaomi’s branded wireless charger. You really do need to invest if you want to get the most out of the 15T Pro’s charging system.
Should you buy it?
You want premium performance without the price
In many respects, the Xiaomi 15T Pro offers a flagship-level experience, from camera tech to performance and even battery life, while still being much more affordable than a true flagship.
You want the best screen tech
While the 6.82-inch AMOLED is a treat for the eyes, the non-LPTO 144Hz refresh rate is a bit of a letdown.
Final Thoughts
After spending over a week with my SIM in the Xiaomi 15T Pro, there’s very little to dislike.
It features a premium design with eye-catching yet subtle colour options, a massive 6.82-inch AMOLED screen with ultra-slim bezels, a very capable camera system for both photo and video, and the performance of the Dimensity 9400+ leaves very little to be desired.
Is it a truly flagship experience? No. It misses out on more premium screen protection, the ultrawide lens is pretty basic for the price, the lack of LTPO screen tech is more noticeable here than elsewhere, and HyperOS is an acquired taste – but for most people, these are sacrifices easily made to get a phone of this calibre.
One thing is for sure; it certainly doesn’t look, feel or perform like your regular run-of-the-mill £649 smartphone. In fact, it could very well be one of the best mid-range phones around right now.
How We Test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
- Used as a main phone for over a week
- Thorough camera testing in a variety of conditions
- Tested and benchmarked using respected industry tests and real-world data
FAQs
Yes, it has full IP68 dust and water resistance.
Xiaomi has committed to five OS upgrades for the Xiaomi 15T Pro.
Despite offering 90W fast charging capabilities, you won’t get a charging brick in the box.
Test Data
| Xiaomi 15T Pro | |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 single core | 2518 |
| Geekbench 6 multi core | 7610 |
| Time from 0-100% charge | 60 min |
| Time from 0-50% charge | 18 Min |
| 30-min recharge (no charger included) | 68 % |
| 15-min recharge (no charger included) | 42 % |
| 3D Mark – Wild Life | 4998 |
| GFXBench – Aztec Ruins | 51 fps |
| GFXBench – Car Chase | 68 fps |
Full Specs
| Xiaomi 15T Pro Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £649 |
| Manufacturer | Xiaomi |
| Screen Size | 6.82 inches |
| Storage Capacity | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear Camera | 50MP + 50MP + 13MP |
| Front Camera | 10.5MP |
| Video Recording | Yes |
| IP rating | IP68 |
| Battery | 5500 mAh |
| Wireless charging | Yes |
| Fast Charging | Yes |
| Size (Dimensions) | 77.9 x 8 x 162.7 MM |
| Weight | 210 G |
| Operating System | HyperOS 2 (Android 15) |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 10/10/2025 |
| Resolution | 1280 x 2772 |
| HDR | Yes |
| Refresh Rate | 144 Hz |
| Ports | USB-C |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Colours | Mocha Gold, Black, Gray |
| Stated Power | 90 W |
