Xiaomi is working on its next flagship series, which may be announced in October. The Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro models have a high chance of becoming the first smartphones on the market with the most powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor. However, no less attention is paid to their cameras.
Many details here have been revealed over the past week by Chinese insiders Digital Chat Station and Smart Pikachu.
The main of the three rear cameras of the Xiaomi 15 will again receive a sensor from OmniVision with a resolution of 50 MP and a size of about 1/1.3”. It will be complemented by optical stabilization and laser autofocus. However, the main "highlight" should become a lens with an extremely wide aperture.
Insiders do not name the specific value, but let us remind you that the current Xiaomi 14 has a fixed aperture width of f/1.6, while the Xiaomi 14 Pro uses a much more advanced mechanism with a variable aperture of f/1.4-f/4.0.
If the company decided to use an aperture wider than f/1.6 for the basic version of the Xiaomi 15, then with a high probability this model will get the one mentioned above variable mechanism. That is, what was previously in the Pro, will now also be in the standard model. Moreover, according to insiders, the Xiaomi 15 may get a lens with an aperture of f/1.2-f/5.0. In other words, the borders will become wider.
Smartphones with a variable aperture today are still few and far between, and no device provides such a wide range. The variable aperture f/1.2-f/5.0 will not only increase the variability of shooting, but will also give the device a noticeable advantage in conditions of both severe lack of light and, conversely, its excess.
The Digital Chat Station insider also mentions a new specialized coating on the lenses in the lens. It will be anti-reflective and multi-layered, which should have a positive effect on the quality of the shooting, eliminating some types of artifacts and distortions.
In turn, the Smart Pikachu insider mentions significantly improved portrait and macro photography, as well as ultra-high light sensitivity. The latter may hint at a particularly wide aperture of the lens, which will reach f/1.2.
Xiaomi also wants to replace the usual telephoto cameras of the Xiaomi 15 with a telephoto periscope, which will allow for a significantly stronger zoom. According to insiders, the company intends to do this in the Pro version, but the basic model is still in question.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra. This model features a huge 1″ matrix of the main camera. If we believe insiders, even the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro will not have this.
In addition to the new processor and camera, other changes are also expected. In particular, insiders mention the possibility of using ultrasonic fingerprint scanners instead of optical ones. Moisture and dirt are not scary like that. Another improvement should be larger batteries. Now in the Xiaomi 14 line, they do not reach 5000 mAh. However, according to various sources, future batteries will have a capacity of 5,000 to 5,300 mAh.
Finally, the design of the rear panel will remain unchanged, and the bezels on the front panel will become a little more.
As before, the basic model will offer a flat display with a diagonal of 6.3-6.4”, and the Pro version – curved screen 6.7” or more At the same time, the release of the Pro model on the global market is still in question. In the 14th generation of Xiaomi, the company launched only the basic model and the Ultra version for global sale outside of China.
On unfortunately, there is not the most positive news about future Xiaomi 15 models. Yes, the price of the devices may become even higher due to the fact that the new SoC Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will cost the manufacturer much more than the previous processor from Qualcomm. In turn, the release of the Ultra version will again take place much later than other models of the line, and it is not worth waiting for it this year.