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Xiaomi 15 Release Date, Price & Specs Rumours

Published

5 hours ago

September 28, 2024

With the buzz surrounding the Xiaomi 14 series starting to fade away, users’ eyes are turning to Xiaomi’s forthcoming flagship range, the Xiaomi 15 series.

The most promising rumour so far is that these devices could mark the debut of Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset, alongside whispers concerning new periscopic telephoto cameras for the Xiaomi 15 Pro and 15 Ultra.

Here’s everything we know so far about the Xiaomi 15 series, including its release date, pricing and potential features.

When will the Xiaomi 15 be released?

Xiaomi is yet to reveal any news regarding its next generation of flagship phones. For context, here’s when the previous models launched:

Xiaomi 13 – December 2022 (China), March 2023 (global)

Xiaomi 12 – December 2021 (China), March 2022 (global)

Based on this, we’d expect Xiaomi 15 series to be unveiled in December 2024 in China, before a global launch in March 2025, likely just ahead of the annual Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona; as the company has done previously.

However, the rumours about it being the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 phone could change things. Qualcomm’s next flagship mobile chip is almost certain to be announced at its Snapdragon Summit, across 21-23 October, so it could arrive sooner than usual in China. GSMArena believes that could mean an October launch.

Chris Martin / Foundry

We expect to see three models: the Xiaomi 15, Xiaomi 15 Pro and Xiaomi 15 Ultra, however, the Xiaomi 15 Pro might never leave China, as was the case with the Xiaomi 14 Pro.

And as with all Xiaomi phones, don’t expect any of the 15 series to ever be sold in the US. Your best bet there will be to try and import one.

How much will the Xiaomi 15 cost?

As with the release date, there aren’t yet details regarding how much each new model will cost, so we look to the precedents for clues.

Here are launch prices of the previous generations:

There were slight price increases in the 13 range compared to the 12 series, but the 14 series kept the same pricing year-over-year. We think it’s likely that Xiaomi will stick to around the same tiers when the Xiaomi 15 range arrives, as their established price ceiling is already pretty high. That being said, according to a Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station, the Xiaomi 15, Xiaomi 15 Pro and Xiaomi 15 Ultra could, in fact, all be pricier than their predecessors. It’s not clear how much more expensive, though.

In a recent post by Zou Jiachen on Weibo, the leaker claims that the Xiaomi 15 will start at CNY 4,599 ($632) for 12GB RAM/256GB storage and will cost up to CNY 5,499 ($756) for 16GB RAM/1TB storage. Furthermore, the Xiaomi 15 Pro could potentially start at CNY 5,299-5,499 ($728-756) for the base model, peaking at CNY 6,299-6,499 ($866-894) for the top configuration.

Chris Martin / Foundry

What specs and features will the Xiaomi 15 have?

According to Digital Chat Station, the Xiaomi 15 series entered the next phase of internal testing in April and mass production is scheduled to start in September this year. Ahead of that, the full spec sheets of both the Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 15 Pro were leaked by Zou Jiachen on Chinese site Weibo.

Design

Notebookcheck unveiled details about the fingerprint scanner in the 15 series, indicating a shift to single-point ultrasonic technology; away from the optical fingerprint technology used in the Xiaomi 14 series.

Ultrasonic fingerprint recognition – functioning by way of ultrasonic waves beneath the screen – generally delivers better security and reliability; usually proving faster, more accurate and more resistant to water. For context, Samsung already uses ultrasonic fingerprint sensors on its Galaxy S range. Zou Jiachen also stated that both phones (referring to the 15 and 15 Pro) will likely offer an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

According to a Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will offer three different back material options: fake leather, glass, and ceramic, adding more choices compared to its predecessor.

Display

In December 2023, Digital Chat Station stated (via Gizmochina) that the standard Xiaomi 15 would maintain a 6.36-inch display size, akin to the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 14. Unlike the Pro variant, Xiaomi doesn’t intend to adopt a curved panel for the standard model. The leak also suggests the screen will offer a peak brightness of 1,400 nits and power-efficient 120Hz LTPO refresh rate technology.

Chinese leaker Zou Jiachen agrees that the Xiaomi 15 will have 6.36-inch “1.5K” touchscreen, with a 120Hz refresh rate and will offer 1,400-nit brightness in High Brightness Mode (which differs from peak brightness).