The Xiaomi 15 Ultra could offer owners an AI bonus

By Tushar Mehta Published February 25, 2025

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra already has us thrilled about its distinct design and top-tier camera skills. While the Ultra won’t come cheap, Xiaomi could be looking to sweeten the deal by offering free access to Google Gemini’s premium tier.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra, along with the other phones in the series, could join other premium Android devices that get complimentary access to Gemini Advanced, the paid tier of Google’s AI chatbot. Android Authority discovered code that references Xiaomi 15 along with the other handful of Android devices that get the subscription, which is otherwise $20 a month, for free.

Currently, the promotional offer is valid for the Google Pixel 9 series, Motorola Razr and Razr Plus (2024), and the Galaxy S25 series. These devices get complimentary access to Gemini Advanced, which unlocks Gemini 2.0 Pro — Google’s more powerful model, deep research functionality, and 2TB of Google One cloud storage.

For those who might be compelled to buy the Xiaomi 15 Ultra for its camera, the freebie would be an added advantage. As part of the Google One storage, owners will be able to access additional AI editing features in the Google Photos app.

Google’s intent behind bundling a premium subscription with a premium phone is clear. It wishes for buyers to be enticed by the richer capabilities of the more capable AI agent, so they can’t return to the free version with relatively limited skills.

Beyond the basic features, we could witness Google partnering with Xiaomi for a deeper AI integration, where Gemini’s features also extend to Xiaomi’s system apps, for upscaling or editing photos and videos.

We wouldn’t have to wait long to learn about the details as the company has already confirmed a global announcement on March 2nd, on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025.

Ahead of the launch, Xiaomi has also confirmed details about the Ultra camera, which is tuned in partnership with camera brand Leica. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is set to feature a 200MP sensor for its telephoto camera along with a 1-inch sensor for the primary shooter.