Xiaomi 15T Pro review: mid-range camera excellence

The Xiaomi 15T Pro arrives as the next step in the company’s mid-range to flagship-crossover lineup, taking the foundation laid by the 14T Pro and expanding it with a host of hardware and design upgrades – most significantly, the first periscope zoom camera on a T Series phone.

The T Series has always been a compelling mid-range option, but with rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, Google Pixel 10, iPhone 17, and OnePlus 13 crowding the same price bracket, the question is: does the 15T Pro do enough to truly stand out?

Xiaomi 15T Pro: Specifications

Xiaomi 15T Pro: Price

The 15T Pro starts at £649 (~$699) for the 12GB+256GB model, going up to £699 (~$750) for 12GB+512GB, and £799 (~$850) for the 12GB+1TB version. It's exceptional value for the specs on offer – and also, as we’ll find out in this review, for the camera performance, this might just be the best value mid-range performer right now.

The closest rival comes from Google, with the Pixel 10 offering a very good triple camera system, but it starts at $/£799, and with only 128GB of storage. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is another good alternative; it starts for the same $/£649 as the 15T Pro, but again, it comes with lower specs, with just 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

Xiaomi 15T Pro: Design

The design of the 15T continues the family resemblance to last year's model. Available in Black, Grey, or Mocha Gold, the phone is slightly more metallic-looking than last year's. There is also a larger camera bump that comes up to meet and house all the lenses, rather than each lens protruding individually.

Like the previous model, the cameras continue to be grouped in the upper left-hand side, which is my preferred location, rather than the large centre camera island preferred on phones recently, including the 15 Ultra, which always ends up covered in fingerprints. The bump is about average in depth, although with the corner location, there is some minor wobble on a flat surface.

The sides of the phone have also become sharper, but it is reassuringly comfortable to hold. It’s a classy-looking phone. I don’t think it looks particularly distinct or exciting compared to a lot of what else is out there, but I do think it looks and feels premium beyond its price tag.

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The 15T Pro is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance, so you can drop this in the bath, or accidentally put it through the laundry – and with Corning Gorilla Glass i7, it might just survive. The 15T Pro also comes with a factory-applied screen protector, which is barely noticeable, and there is a soft silicone case in the box in a deep blue color, which complements all three color variations of the phone, and is a really appreciated little touch.

Xiaomi 15T Pro: Screen

The 15T Pro sports a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a decent 2772x1280 resolution and a 447ppi. The display is large, bright, colorful, and crisp, and thanks to a 144Hz refresh rate, I found motion for scrolling and animations to be very smooth. The display is also pretty bright, and can reach a peak brightness of 3200nits, which I found easily readable outside, even in the rare moments of sunshine in rainy Munich, where I was testing the device.

Sometimes reviews are cursed by the phones that landed on my desk just before, and the screen noticeably can’t match up to the displays in the latest iPhone 17 or Pixel 10 Pro phones, but for the price you’re paying for the 15T Pro, it is a very nice display.

Xiaomi has also incorporated several of the latest eye care features into the 15T Pro, including DC dimming, and is backed up by TÜV Rheinland certifications for Low Blue Light, Flicker Free, and Circadian Friendly credentials.

Xiaomi 15T Pro: Camera Performance

Main camera: 50MP Light Fusion 900 image sensor, 2.4μm 4-in-1 Super Pixel, f/1.62, OIS, 23mm equivalent focal length

Telephoto camera: 50MP, f/3.0, OIS, 115mm equivalent focal length

Ultra-wide camera:12MP, f/2.2,15mm equivalent focal length, FOV 120°

Front camera: 32MP, 0.64um, 1.28um 4-in-1, f/2.2, 21mm equivalent focal length

Images from the 15T Pro took me by surprise. From using the Xiaomi 15 Ultra a lot over the last year, I know how good Xiaomi/Leica’s colors and quality can be, but I didn’t expect that to be distilled down so effectively in a phone that costs around half the price.

There is a distinct look to the tones and colors in photos from the 15T Pro. You can clearly see the influence of Lieca’s color science, and I find it the most “camera-like” of all the phones I test. This might not be for everyone – the iPhone, Pixel, or Samsung images are safer bets for more accurate, balanced, but less characterful results – but I am a big fan of the processing in the 15T Pro.

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The new telephoto is the star of the show – it's the first periscope used in a T Series phone, and it's a standout performer with sharp, detailed images, and accurate consistency with the main camera.

In the 3x versus 5x debate, Xiaomi has decided to go with a 5x (115mm equivalent) telephoto, which is slightly long for portraits, but it's great for punching in closer to far away or smaller subjects, and thanks to the paired 50MP sensor, it can produce 10x (230mm) lossless images.

The 15T Pro can also use Xiaomi’s 100x AI-assisted zoom, which is decent. It is very good up until around 30x, usable until 60x, but after that, results do start to drop off a little.

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The main camera is also very good, and the best camera to use at night, with both the largest sensor and aperture. And the 15T Pro did quite well at night, capturing some decent detail without overbrightening an image.

The ultra-wide camera, however, is the weakest of the bunch; the lower resolution means that it captures less detail than the other two in good light, and really struggles when the light level dips.

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The 15T Pro lacks a telephoto macro, which is a shame, although the telephoto lens has a reasonably close focus distance and the 115mm/230mm compression can produce some professional-looking shots – it just lacks the fine close-up details of a true macro camera.

Video can be shot at up to 8K30p, a very impressive feat for this tier of phone. There is also 4K120p for slo-mo shots. You can even shoot in LOG and apply LUTs if you want to get creative in editing, or want to get videos in your style up online quickly. Video quality is very good in daylight, although it falls off a little in low light, but the OIS/EIS works really well for very steady footage on both the main and telephoto cameras.

Xiaomi 15T Pro: Phone Performance

Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+, day-to-day performance is excellent. I noticed no slowdowns when using the phone, with it flying through tasks like browsing, streaming, and photo/video editing with no bother.

At the time of testing, my 15T Pro was still running Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2, based on Android 15. An updated HyperOS 3 is tantalisingly close and rolling out to devices in just a few weeks, but I wish Xiaomi had managed to push it forward for the 15T Series launch. Xiaomi’s Android skin though, is pretty good; menus make sense, the OS looks good, and there are tons of customization options. There is a little bloatware preinstalled that you can remove, and Xiaomi includes its own versions of major apps, but you can set all the default apps to whichever you like.

The 15T features a 5500mAh Xiaomi Surge battery supported by Xiaomi’s 90W wired and 50W wireless HyperCharge tech. After a hard day's use, mostly taking photos and video, I was still getting back in the evening with 10-20% power remaining, although the battery saver mode had kicked in by this point to keep it going a little longer – but for most people, this should easily see you through a day of use if you charge overnight.

Although with these charging speeds, I found that even a quick 15-minute top-up was enough – in my testing, a 30-minute charge got me from empty to 72%, while the phone reached 100% in less than 60 minutes.

Xiaomi 15T Pro: Verdict

I didn’t expect a lot from the 15T Pro before going into this review. I expected it to be a dependable mid-range performer with a solid camera system – but the 15T Pro has surprised me with probably the best mid-range camera system on the market right now.

Images are really good, I think the Xiaomi/Leica default color science and rendering is the closest you can get to looking like a “proper” camera – but the Leica profiles like film negative and classic monochrome also give images a really nice feel to them. Images aren’t quite as sharp as you’d get with larger sensors in more premium phones, but unless you pixel peep, you’re unlikely to notice.

Outside of the cameras, there are no real marks against the 15T Pro – it’s a good-looking, if slightly dull, with a premium feel, great screen, and excellent performance. The battery easily lasts a full day, and charging is lightning quick.

Alternatives

The OnePlus 13 might be due for a replacement soon, but that means it can often be found at around the same price as the 15T Pro. The OnePlus 13 has a better screen and a faster processor – although the 15T Pro gives its cameras a run for their money.

Read our full OnePlus 13 review

The Google Pixel 10 this year has been upgraded to a triple camera system with a new telephoto lens. It's not the excellent telephoto the Pixel 10 Pro uses, but it's a solid performer. There are also built-in magnets for charging, and Google’s “stock” Android with faster access to new updates.