MWC 2025: I Took Hundreds of Photos With the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. These Are My Faves

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An image of a black Xiaomi phone

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The Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which launched globally at MWC 2025, has a triple-camera setup with a large 1-inch type camera sensor at its heart. It's a potent camera setup and I was keen to put it to the test. I've taken hundreds of images in my testing time so far, across multiple countries and even in the Arctic. 

Here's a selection of my favorites, and be sure to check out the full Xiaomi 15 Ultra hands-on for a lot more information on the phone. 

a row of colorful buildings

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Taken with the main camera, this image is colorful and sharp. 

a boat

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I love the contrast and colors on this shot from the main camera.

a street performer

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Using the telephoto zoom, I've been able to get closer up on this street performer in Edinburgh. The details look great.

a street performer in black and while

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I love using this phone's high-contrast black-and-white mode. It gives a punchy look that's great for street photography. This one was taken with a telephoto lens.

a street performer giving a look in black and white

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Even with a high zoom level, the details still look nice and sharp.

Onlookers in black and white

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I love the black-and-white look the phone provides using any of the lenses. This time, it's the main camera.

an ultrawide shot of a crowd in black and white

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And here it's using the ultrawide.

a man taking a picture with his phone

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Using the zoom and focusing on this person's phone gives a nice out-of-focus background to this scene. 

beautiful buildings at dusk

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Beautiful buildings that are brighter and more colorful

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But I was shooting in Pro mode so I had the DNG raw file to work with. After a bit of Lightroom work, I've been able to craft a much more pleasing image that shows off the lovely sunset colors. The 15 Ultra's files capture a lot of information.

A cat napping

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This edited raw file of my sweet ball of orange fur has come out nice. I love that the phone has kept the shadows nice and deep rather than trying to artificially lift them as many phones do.

A church steeple in silhouette

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This night-time edited raw file was taken with the telephoto zoom. It's pin-sharp.

A tower in the middle of a roundabout

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Another night time scene, this time taken with the main camera in JPEG. The exposure is good and details are crisp. 

An orange tent on snow

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I also like this night shot taken in the arctic.

A neat looking building at dusk

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While the phone does a great job at night, it lacks the variable aperture of its predecessor so the street light here doesn't have the attractive starburst that I'd have hoped for.

an ultrawide photo of two buildings across the street fro each other

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Good exposure, good colors. Nice work.

an night time photo of a major street

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Another good night shot taken with the main camera lens.

two people at a bar drinking

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The wide aperture and big sensor help capture sharp details in indoor low-light scenes too.

a lady leaning on the shoulders of a man in front of her

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The telephoto zoom has helped create a nice out-of-focus area behind this couple.

a street performer in black and white

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