Our current favorite camera phone is about to get a successor

By Bryan M. Wolfe Published January 21, 2025

One of our favorite camera phones of 2024 is about to receive a successor, and the launch could happen sooner than expected. In a post on Weibo (via Gizmochina), Lu Weibing, Xiaomi’s president and general manager, said the Xiaomi 15 Ultra would launch shortly after the Chinese Spring Festival, which begins next week.  This suggests we’ll be seeing an announcement sometime in February. A previous rumor about the Xiaomi 14 Ultra successor said the new flagship wouldn’t launch until March.

One of the standout features of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has been its impressive camera system, and the new model shows great promise in this area as well. The rear camera system of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to include a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 50-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera, and a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera.

The upcoming Xiaomi phone is expected to feature Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which is also likely to be found in the Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 15 Pro. As with previous Xiaomi phones, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will likely include a circular camera module on the back, a quad micro-curved display, and an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.

The Xiaomi phone is rumored to come with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage, promising improved performance. Additionally, it may feature an enhanced stereo speaker setup and a larger battery capacity compared to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Three weeks into the year, it has already been a busy time for new smartphones. Earlier this month, the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R were launched worldwide. Tomorrow, January 22, Samsung will announce the Galaxy S25 series.