Xiaomi 15 series world’s first phones to launch with Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset

Xiaomi has debuted its latest flagship phones in China. The Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 15 Pro are the world’s first smartphones to feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. In fact, Xiaomi also claims that the Xiaomi 15 is going to be the most affordable flagship phone to feature the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip “this year”. At the launch, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun also confirmed that the smartphone will be released in the global markets soon. “What’s more, I’m thrilled to announce that we’re bringing the Xiaomi 15 Series to global markets soon. This new series represents our next frontier, pushing the boundaries of innovation and design. Can’t wait to share it with you all,” the Xiaomi chief wrote in a post on X.
He, however, did not confirm the launch timeline but it is speculated that the global release will be sometime during late 2024 or early 2025. In India, Xiaomi launched the 14 series in the month of March this year.
But here is something else worth paying attention to: In his statement, Lei Jun says that the Xiaomi 15 series will be released in global markets soon. Does it mean that this time Xiaomi will also launch the Pro models in India, along with the standard variant? For the uninitiated, Xiaomi has been skipping the Pro model’s launch in India. Even this year, Xiaomi brought the Xiaomi 14 and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, however the Pro model was not made available in the Indian market.
Coming back to the China launch, the Xiaomi 15 is priced starting Rs 4,499 Chinese yuan (Rs 53,000 approximately). Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 15 Pro starts at 5,299 yuan, which roughly translates to Rs 62,500.
The Xiaomi 15 features a highly customisable design, available with 20 different back panel options and two frame choices, totalling 40 possible configurations. Additionally, a Diamond Edition introduces three exclusive colour options. The Xiaomi 15 Pro comes in four classic colours: Bright Silver, Rock Gray, White, and Spruce Green.
Both models start with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, with configurations reaching up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage.
Retaining a compact size similar to its predecessor, the Xiaomi 15 has a 6.36-inch OLED display with a 1.5K resolution and an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Its flat display has ultra-thin 1.38 mm bezels, housing a robust 5,500 mAh battery that supports 90W wired and 50W wireless fast charging.
The Xiaomi 15 also boasts a Leica-powered 50-megapixel triple camera system with a 32-megapixel front-facing camera, and it debuts with HyperOS 2.0 based on Android 15.
The Xiaomi 15 Pro, while visually similar to the base model, offers a larger 6.73-inch 2K resolution screen with a micro quad-curved display. It packs a 6,100 mAh battery, also supporting 90W wired and 50W wireless charging.
While both models feature a 50-megapixel triple camera array, the Xiaomi 15 Pro’s telephoto lens stands out with a periscope-style zoom offering up to 5x optical zoom, compared to the Xiaomi 15’s 3x optical zoom limit.