At a time when smartphone technology has reached near-stagnant maturation, it’s always a welcome breath of fresh air to receive a next-generation upgrade at no additional cost. The Xiaomi T-series of devices has established a strong foothold in the value department over the years, and its latest 15T Pro looks to deliver more of the same combination of high-end functionality, while maintaining its approachable pricing.
Entering as the next step in the family, the handset introduces incremental upgrades to existing in-betweener features that enhance an already satisfactory user experience, while leaving all of its best parts intact. The body, for starters, oozes elegance in a way that was lacking in its predecessor’s blander design, with a satin-finish aluminium frame and a glass fibre back decked out in three colour options: Black, Grey, and Mocha Gold.
Where the former two are ideal for low-profile preferences, the striking sheen of Mocha Gold livens up the look of the Xiaomi 15T Pro. There’s no need to worry about fingerprints, either – unlike most of its contemporaries, the material does a good job of repelling them, while an accompanying flexible TPU case offers extra protection against scuffs and smudges for users who need it right out of the box.
Elsewhere, echoes of the iPhone aesthetic are woven in. The edges are rounder, softening their angular silhouette from before, as is the squarish camera bump on its rear, which houses three lenses and the Leica branding. The slight protrusion also gives an illusory three-dimensional effect, and the tactile, firm side buttons further enhance the polish. Compare it to the 14T Pro, and the glow-up is nothing short of stark.
Xiaomi’s latest is no less compact, too. Measuring 162.7 x 77.9 x 7.96mm, it’s taller and wider than the previous generation, but weighs around the same at 210 grams (versus 160.4 x 75.1 x 8.39mm and 209 grams, respectively). Although the 15T Pro sits comfortably in the hand, its above-average heft can cause fatigue or strain after prolonged use, especially if held in landscape orientation, and the top-heavy design creates a sense of imbalance.
In exchange, users can expect a larger 6.83-inch AMOLED display, up from 6.67 inches, alongside a similar sharpness of 447 pixels per inch (ppi) at 2,772 x 1,280-pixel resolution, a maximum dynamic refresh rate of 144Hz, and thin bezels on the side. As expected of OLED standards, the viewing experience reveals fluid motion, vibrant colours, and sharp clarity – a clip of dripping honey, for instance, highlights a strong contrast between the black background and the viscous golden liquid, as well as crisp details that go down to the small pockets of air in it.
The visual concoction carries over to various scenarios, be it watching an episode of sci-fi anime series Dandadan! or the official lyric video of “How It’s Done” from KPop Demon Hunters. Screen brightness, however, takes a slight hit, topping out at 3,200 nits compared to 4,000 nits, although real-world usage in hot, sunny Singapore showed little difference. The panel is also outfitted with a fingerprint sensor that works consistently enough, albeit positioned a little too low and with stronger-than-expected haptic feedback.
Under the hood, the Xiaomi 15T Pro boasts the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chip, which performs roughly the same as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Gen 2 on paper, an Immortalis-G925 GPU, and 12GB of RAM. It’s not as fast or powerful as the top-tier Snapdragon Elite, but the hardware proves more than capable of snappy navigation across apps and the general interface, as well as smooth performance with mobile titles like Honkai: Star Rail. In play, the device outputs a consistent frame rate of around 45 frames per second (FPS) without major lag or stutter, and the brand’s proprietary vapour chamber cooling system ensures that it runs warm and not unbearably hot.
Still, its camera system remains the real show-stopper. Like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 15T Pro is the product of an ongoing collaboration with German camera and lens manufacturer Leica, and the combined prowess impresses again. There are the usual two photographic styles, Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant, that complement a rear triple-shooter setup: a 50-megapixel (MP) main camera, a 50MP telephoto camera, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera, with focal lengths of 23mm, 115mm, and 15mm, respectively.
The biggest upgrade here is the addition of a 5x optical zoom lens, a first for the series. While it doesn’t necessarily produce the best result, since details can be murky or smudged depending on the type of subject, shooting at 5x yields less noise than expected, especially under optimal lighting situations. The snapper also supports up to 10x lossless zoom and 100x zoom – if users can overcome the camera shake to take a proper picture in the first place – which leverages generative AI to enhance quality.
As for the main camera, the Leica Authentic profile delivers accurate colour tones (except green and blue, for some reason), satisfactory high dynamic range (HDR) that occasionally goes overboard, turning landscapes into a scene right out of a post-apocalyptic film, and balanced exposure. Conversely, Leica Vibrant makes images appear more vivid and striking, and while the other was the go-to for this review, it’s always nice to have a choice.
Portrait and macro shots can be a mixed bag – while the Xiaomi 15T Pro excels at edge detection and subject separation, the artificial nature of the bokeh is more prominent when compared to its flagship counterparts. At 12MP, the ultra-wide shooter is the weakest link in the chain, with its performance in well-lit and dim environments showing a great disparity. That’s not to say that it’s incompetent, however, as the three cameras work like a well-oiled machine together.
The Chinese company has always been obstinate about its software, and the Xiaomi 15T Pro is no exception. Similar to previous iterations, it comes pre-installed with some duplicate apps and third-party ones that lead to unwanted clutter, requiring additional housekeeping and organisation efforts. The lack of Android 16 (it currently runs Android 15 atop HyperOS 2) right out of the box is also a bummer, considering that most of the competition have already installed it, but if it’s any consolation, Xiaomi plans to roll it out around the end of October.
On the bright side, the handset steers clear of AI marketing – a refreshing change amid a time of AI fabulism – and instead, focuses on its HyperOS features, including writing assist, live transcription, and the new Gallery Search, alongside Google’s Gemini Live and Circle to Search.
Battery capacity is a step-up, coming in at 5,500mAh, the largest for the T-series lineup to date. The 10 per cent size increase, coupled with the efficiency of the Dimensity 9400+ chipset, ensures comfortable all-day use for most, and around six hours on a heavier workload. In real-world tests, the handset tapped out at 60 percent after five hours of listening to music, surfing social media, watching videos, and the occasional gaming, and its fast charging tech certainly helps matters. The downside? Users can only enjoy the best wired and wireless speeds, rated at 90W and 50W, respectively, through Xiaomi’s own charger, which is sold separately.
At S$799 for the base model (256GB of storage) and S$899 for the 512GB variant, the Xiaomi 15T Pro is an easy recommendation. It leaves little to be desired, showing mastery over a blend of value and performance, which has always been, and continues to be, the biggest draw for users. While calling it a flagship killer may be a little presumptuous, the device is as close a mid-range offering can get to ruffling the confidence of the bigger boys on the market.
GEEK REVIEW SCORE
Summary
The T-series never disappoints, and the same goes for the Xiaomi 15T Pro. Between the continued tradition of value and performance, as well as Leica-backed photography prowess, it proves to be one of the best in its class.
Overall
9/10
-
Aesthetics - 8.5/10
8.5/10
-
Build Quality - 9/10
9/10
-
Performance - 9/10
9/10
-
Value - 9.5/10
9.5/10
-
Geek Satisfaction - 9/10
9/10
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Zinho De Costa
HSALS
