The Xiaomi 15 series might be the first to get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4

With the buzz surrounding the Xiaomi 14 series having faded away, users’ eyes start to turn 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. However, there’s also some whispers about other potential innovations and enhancements.

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 flagships. However, we expect them to arrive at around the same time of the year as their predecessors.

Here’s when the previous models launched:

Xiaomi 13 – December 2022 (China), March 2023 (global)
Xiaomi 12 – December 2021 (China), March 2022 (global)

The Xiaomi 15 series is therefore likely to be unveiled in December 2024 in China, followed by a global launch in March 2025. However, if the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 launches earlier in the year, the Xiaomi 15 launch could also be brought forward.

Chris Martin / Foundry

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

And as with all Xiaomi phones, don’t expect any of the 15 series phones 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’s been no details regarding what the new models 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. We think it’s likely that Xiaomi will stick to around the same tiers when the Xiaomi 15 range arrives.

However, according to a Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station, the Xiaomi 15, Xiaomi 15 Pro, and Xiaomi 15 Ultra could be pricier than their predecessors. It’s not clear how much more expensive, though.

Chris Martin / Foundry

What specs and features will the Xiaomi 15 have?

At this point, there haven’t been many rumours and leaks about the Xiaomi 15 series.

However, Digital Chat Station claims that the Xiaomi 15 series will enter the next phase of internal testing this month and into mass production in September this year.

This means that we could potentially find out more about these devices soon.

Design

A recent leak (via Notebookcheck) unveiled details about the fingerprint scanner in the 15 series, indicating a shift to Goodix single-point ultrasonic technology from the optical fingerprint technology used in the Xiaomi 14 series.

Ultrasonic fingerprint recognition, functioning through ultrasonic waves beneath the screen, generally delivers better security and reliability, with it usually being faster, more accurate and more resistant to water.

Display

In December 2023, Digital Chat Station stated (via Gizmochina) that the standard Xiaomi 15 would maintain its 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 1400 nits and a power-efficient 120Hz LTPO refresh rate technology.

Chris Martin / Foundry

In the same post, Digital Chat Station has additionally disclosed details about the forthcoming Xiaomi 15 Pro.

It’s rumoured to feature a bigger 2K resolution display with even slimmer bezels compared to the Xiaomi 14 Pro, reducing from 0.9mm to an impressive 0.6mm.

Performance

Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset is anticipated to debut in October, likely powering top-tier mobile devices.

According to Yogesh Brar, a usually reliable source, Xiaomi apparently has an exclusive deal to use the chipset first. That means the Xiaomi 15 series is likely to be the first to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.

Xiaomi still has the exclusive first launch rights for Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
Followed by both OnePlus & iQOO
Lineup includes Xiaomi 15 / 15 Pro, OnePlus 13, iQOO 13
— Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) April 23, 2024

Cameras

Reportedly, Xiaomi plans to employ the Omnivision OV64B in the Xiaomi 15 Pro, a 64Mp sensor seen in various POCO, Redmi, and Xiaomi smartphones, including the Poco X6 Pro.

However, while the Poco X6 Pro. uses this sensor as its primary camera, the Xiaomi 15 Pro is rumored to utilise it for periscope telephoto capabilities instead.

Conversely, speculation suggests the Xiaomi 15 Ultra may feature a 200Mp periscope camera with a variable zoom length of 3x to 5x.

Despite these changes, it’s expected that the primary cameras will remain at 50Mp.

Battery & charging

According to Notebookcheck, the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro are said to be equipped with high-density batteries, but their capacities are not known for now.

As a reminder, the Xiaomi 14 is powered by a 4,610mAh battery, supported by a speedy 90W wired charging option and 50W wireless charging.

Chris Martin / Foundry

On the other hand, the 14 Pro is equipped with a 4,880mAh battery and supports 120W wired charging.

A 5300mAh battery in the 14 Ultra is significantly larger than the 14 Pro’s 4880mAh cell, though 90W wired charging is actually slower. To compensate, there’s 80W Qi wireless charging.