The Xiaomi 15 Ultra has been on the radar for photography lovers since its announcement at MWC 2025, especially in terms of what it’s bringing to the table for cameras. Despite all this hype, however, with the new DXOMARK scores it emerges that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra was not up to expectations in terms of the camera department.
DXOMARK :: The fixed and variable lenses explained
This award puts the Xiaomi 15 Ultra 13th in the DXOMARK global rankings for phones with old models such as the Google Pixel 8 Pro and the Oppo Find X6 Pro, with 153 points. That being said, our initial ranking for Xiaomi’s latest flagship isn’t spectacular — especially in light of the phone’s predecessors and contemporaries.
Comparison with Competitors
The surprising part is, its direct competitor, Galaxy S25 Ultra was also properly tested and unfortunately (for some), placed lower than the Xiaomi. The first place is notes Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, followed to second place Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and then Honor Magic 6 Pro in third.
Strengths of Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s Camera
Despite not topping the charts, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s camera boasts several impressive features:
- Excellent Exposure and Dynamic Range: Both photos and videos display accurate exposure with a wide dynamic range.
- Vivid Colors and White Balance: The color reproduction is vivid and accurate, particularly in bright environments.
- Detail Across Zoom Range: High detail is maintained throughout the zoom range.
- Effective Noise Reduction: Noise is well-controlled in bright conditions.
Areas for Improvement
However, the camera also exhibits several drawbacks that might have impacted its ranking:
- Color Bias: There is a noticeable color bias towards warm tones in photos and videos.
- Depth of Field Limitations: The processing of background blur results in a narrow depth of field, affecting group shots.
- Backlighting Issues: Photos taken against the light show strong contrasting problems.
- Artifacts: Common issues include ghosts and flares.
- Low Light Performance: There is a loss of detail in darker settings.
- Autofocus Reliability: The autofocus system sometimes shows instability, known as the stepping phenomenon.
- Video Stabilization: Stabilization during video recording is not as effective as some competitors.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Camera Innovation
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra and its impressive camera goodness also prove that even the latest flagships can miss the mark. S25 Ultra is no exception even if other manufacturers aren’t doing as well as the South Korean one.
With the advancement in technology, it will be worth keeping an eye on how Xiaomi and its competitors push the boundaries of camera performance and potentially shift the rankings in upcoming devices. We can only wish for exciting developments in smartphone cameras, given the constant competition in that space.