Xiaomi 15T Pro review: Flagship killer but at a flagship price
The Xiaomi 15T series is here! The latest models from a series meant to be a trimmed-down version of Xiaomi's flagships include the Xiaomi 15T Pro and the vanilla Xiaomi 15T.
Today we'll be focusing on the Pro model, and it indeed comes with some pro features, such as the 6.83-inch 144 Hz display with 3,200 nits of peak brightness, the 5x periscope telephoto camera, and the 5,500 mAh battery supporting 90 W fast charging.
This all sounds pretty exciting, but along with the pro specs, the Xiaomi 15T Pro carries a pro price tag as well. The base 12/256GB version starts at 799 euros (north of $900), and for that kind of money you can buy some "real" flagships, and at this price point the Xiaomi 15T Pro loses the "affordable" label.
Still, the phone features an interesting package worth exploring in depth (spoiler: it dominated not one but two major benchmark categories), so off to the exploring bit.
Table of Contents:
Xiaomi 15T Pro Specs
Pricey
Let's start with an overview of the Xiaomi 15T Pro specs:
| Xiaomi 15T Pro | Xiaomi 15T |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight 162.7 x 77.9 x 8 mm 210 g | Size and Weight 163.2 x 78 x 7.5 mm 194 g |
| Display 6.83 inches, 1280 x 2772 pixels 144 Hz, 3200 nits peak brightness | Display 6.83 inches, 1280 x 2772 pixels 120 Hz, 3200 nits peak brightness |
| Processor Mediatek Dimensity 9400+ (3 nm) | Processor Mediatek Dimensity 8400 Ultra (4 nm) |
| Software Android 15, HyperOS 2 | Software Android 15, HyperOS 2 |
| Cameras 50MP wide 50MP telephoto, 5x 12MP ultrawide 32MP selfie | Cameras 50MP wide 50MP telephoto, 2x 12MP ultrawide 32MP selfie |
| Battery Size 5,500 mAh | Battery Size 5,500 mAh |
| Charging Speeds 90W wired 50W wireless | Charging Speeds 67W wired No wireless |
| Prices €799 for the 12/256GB version | Prices €649 for the 12/256GB version |
Xiaomi 15T Pro Design and Display
Bright, brighter, brightest
The Xiaomi 15T Pro follows the same design path as the core Xiaomi 15 series and the Xiaomi 14T before that. However, there are some slight variations. The camera housing is still square, but there's chamfering and rounding going on. It's also made of aluminum in the same color as the body of the phone, which gives a different overall vibe.
Speaking of aluminum, the frame of the Xiaomi 15T Pro is made using 6M13 aluminum alloy, which is a hardened version of the metal containing magnesium, silicon, copper, manganese, iron, zinc, chromium, and titanium. It still feels like aluminum to the touch, though.
The back is made of glass fiber, and there's Gorilla Glass 7i protecting the display. In terms of size and weight, the phone is on the bigger side with its 6.83-inch screen, and it's also quite hefty, weighing north of 200 grams.
Speaking of aluminum, the frame of the Xiaomi 15T Pro is made using 6M13 aluminum alloy, which is a hardened version of the metal containing magnesium, silicon, copper, manganese, iron, zinc, chromium, and titanium. It still feels like aluminum to the touch, though.
The back is made of glass fiber, and there's Gorilla Glass 7i protecting the display. In terms of size and weight, the phone is on the bigger side with its 6.83-inch screen, and it's also quite hefty, weighing north of 200 grams.
The Xiaomi 15T Pro comes in three color variants: Black, Gray, and Mocha Gold. The third one is arguably the most interesting one, as it resembles bronze metal. The overall quality of the build is great, but we expect no less at that price point.
Xiaomi was still doing proper retail boxes, while other brands (including Chinese ones) have transitioned to quite modest packages, with just a USB cable and paperwork inside. However, things have started to drift toward the "eco-friendly" direction, and there's no charger included in the Xiaomi 15T Pro retail package.
You still get a pre-installed screen protector and a silicon back cover, along with the USB-C cable, but in order to take full advantage of the 90W fast charging, you will need to buy the necessary charging brick.
Moving to the display department, there is a lot of good news here. It seems that we've cracked smartphone screens, and not in the permanent, damaging way, but metaphorically speaking. Even the vanilla iPhone 17 now comes with a 120 Hz display, so no more 60 Hz choppiness.
The Xiaomi 15T Pro features a big 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1280 x 2772 pixels, resulting in a pretty decent pixel density of around 477 PPI. According to Xiaomi, this panel can output up to 3,200 nits of brightness, and we're about to test this. Off to the benchmark table.
Well, the brightness claims turned out to be true, after all. The Xiaomi 15T Pro managed 3,194 nits at 20% APL, which is impressive. The phone outshined the regular Xiaomi 15 and currently sits in fourth place overall (slightly behind the Xiaomi 15T, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and the Xiaomi Poco F7). It's pretty clear that Xiaomi knows how to make bright screens.
These are not just numbers, either. Under direct sunlight the Xiaomi 15T Pro stays very bright, one of the subjectively brightest phones we've ever tested. The other metrics are also up there, though the minimum brightness of around 2 nits is not that impressive.
These are not just numbers, either. Under direct sunlight the Xiaomi 15T Pro stays very bright, one of the subjectively brightest phones we've ever tested. The other metrics are also up there, though the minimum brightness of around 2 nits is not that impressive.
There's an optical fingerprint scanner under the display, and even though it's not ultrasonic like the one in the Xiaomi 15, this one still gets the job done. Facial recognition is also available, but it relies on a single front-facing camera, so it's not the most secure of things.
Xiaomi 15T Pro Camera
[SUBHEADING]
The camera system of the Xiaomi 15T Pro is the usual triple affair. There's one 50MP main camera (actually the same as the one in the Xiaomi 15), one 50MP periscope telephoto with 5X optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide.
The main camera features a big 1/1.31" sensor sitting under a lens with an f/1.6 aperture, and there's also OIS and PDAF on board. The periscope zoom is quite interesting, as it's rather new. The equivalent focal length is 115 mm, and the aperture is f/3.0.
The ultrawide is pretty standard, and it is the only area in the camera department where the Xiaomi 15T Pro lags behind its big flagship brother. But then again, the regular Xiaomi 15 lacks a periscope telephoto and can only do 2.6x optical zoom. Enough specs, time for some samples.
Unsurprisingly, the main camera takes quite decent photos, with good exposure, a nice level of detail, and a wide dynamic range. Colors also look pretty realistic; no oversaturation or strange hues are present.
The ultrawide shots are also decent, but you can see the difference in quality—details are getting a bit lost (especially in dark scenes), the shadows are lifted, and the dynamic range is not as good as with the main camera.
Video Quality
Here's a quick video sample shot in 4K. The phone supports a wide range of resolutions and frame rates, and it can go up to 8K at 30 frames per second. You also get 4K at 120 fps, but we found the 4K/60fps offering the best balance of detail and image stabilization.
Xiaomi 15T Pro Performance & Benchmarks
Not quite there
There's a MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chipset inside the Xiaomi 15T Pro. This octa-core setup aims to take the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and some benchmarks suggested it's pretty close. The phone also features 12GB of RAM, and you can get it with 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of onboard storage.
In real life the phone runs smoothly, although it gets quite hot during demanding tasks and benchmarks. Speaking of benchmarks, it's time to check out the performance and those Snapdragon claims.
GPU Performance
Well, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ is not quite there in terms of raw performance, even though it managed to impress in the first couple of runs during the 3DMark stress test. The Xiaomi 15T Pro gets close to the Snapdragon 8 Elite-equipped Xiaomi 15 but quickly drops off due to thermal throttling.
The CPU score is also quite good but not even close to what the Xiaomi 15 managed and actually closer to last year's Dimensity 9300+ and the Xiaomi 14T Pro.
The CPU score is also quite good but not even close to what the Xiaomi 15 managed and actually closer to last year's Dimensity 9300+ and the Xiaomi 14T Pro.
Xiaomi 15T Pro Software
The phone is running Xiaomi's HyperOS 2.0 out of the box, based on Android 15. It's a fairly standard port with not a lot of bloatware. The experience is very similar (almost identical) to Xiaomi's flagship series, and you also get some AI features sprinkled here and there.
Xiaomi tried to develop its own AI system, and it's there, but you also get Gemini on the power button, so that speaks volumes. In terms of AI tools, they're pretty similar to last year—you get AI writing aids, AI editing in the gallery, and AI translation services with real-time AI Interpreter mode.
The Xiaomi 15T Pro comes with four years of major OS updates and six years of security patches, which is fine, but at this price point we expected longer support. Samsung is offering six years on its A-series midrangers, and you get seven years with the $499 Pixel 9a, so there's that.
Xiaomi 15T Pro Battery
All hail our new battery champion
The phone managed an overall result of 9 h 37 m, which means it's number 1 among phones tested in the past 2 years, and even if we include older entries, it's second only to the quite old Asus Zenfone 10 and the budget Xperia 10 IV.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
The browsing time of over 24 hours is downright impressive, and even though you shouldn't stay on your phone for so long, with the Xiaomi 15T Pro you absolutely can browse for a full day, nonstop.
The video playback and gaming scores are also very impressive, and overall, we could say it's a two-day battery phone. The other interesting thing is that the battery cell inside is not listed as a silicon-carbon (like the one inside the flagship Xiaomi 15) but a regular lithium-ion.
The video playback and gaming scores are also very impressive, and overall, we could say it's a two-day battery phone. The other interesting thing is that the battery cell inside is not listed as a silicon-carbon (like the one inside the flagship Xiaomi 15) but a regular lithium-ion.
In terms of charging, there's a little downgrade in power, compared to the Xiaomi 14T Pro (which features 120W wired charging). The 15T Pro supports up to 90W of wired juice, but as we mentioned earlier, you need to buy a charger to get up to those speeds.
There's also wireless charging support with up to 50W of power, but again, it requires a proprietary Xiaomi charger to get to those numbers. Still, the Xiaomi 15T Pro charges much faster than most of the competition, especially your iPhones and Galaxies, and a full charge takes only 40 minutes.
Xiaomi 15T Pro Audio Quality and Haptics
There's a stereo speaker setup on the Xiaomi 15T Pro, it's the usual earpiece plus loudspeaker combo. The sound gets pretty loud (not as loud as other audio champions such as ROG phones or the Honor Magic 6 Pro), and you won't be missing calls or notifications.
The quality tends to degrade at max volume, with some unwanted distortion in the high-frequency range, or "hissing" if we're to use layman's terms. It's nothing to worry about, but if you're up to those 12 hours of nonstop video playback, better use headphones.
The haptics are decent, strong enough, and also tight and precise.
The haptics are decent, strong enough, and also tight and precise.
Should you buy it?
We're a bit confused with the Xiaomi 15T Pro. The "T" series started as a trimmed-down, affordable version of the main flagship models, but in the past couple of iterations, the Xiaomi xxT devices became almost as expensive as the regular flagships.
The Xiaomi 15T Pro starts at 799 euros, which is a flagship price, no matter how you look at it. Granted, it's cheaper than the 999-euro Xiaomi 15, but still more expensive than the Pixel 10, or the Galaxy S25, or the iPhone 17. Which makes it a tough sell.
Don't get us wrong, the phone shines (literally) in more than one department—the screen is one of the brightest out there, the battery life is second to none, and the camera system is quite flexible as well. The trouble is at this price point, those things are expected and not that surprising.
The Xiaomi 15T Pro starts at 799 euros, which is a flagship price, no matter how you look at it. Granted, it's cheaper than the 999-euro Xiaomi 15, but still more expensive than the Pixel 10, or the Galaxy S25, or the iPhone 17. Which makes it a tough sell.
Don't get us wrong, the phone shines (literally) in more than one department—the screen is one of the brightest out there, the battery life is second to none, and the camera system is quite flexible as well. The trouble is at this price point, those things are expected and not that surprising.
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