The world's best camera phone could get even more powerful with next year's update, if the new Xiaomi 15 Ultra rumor is to be believed.
As GSMArena reports, a Weibo thread opened by prominent tipster Digital Chat Station includes new hints about the specifications of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra's rumored 200MP periscope camera.
Several users corroborate rumors that the camera will feature a 4.3x optical zoom and have an f/2.6 lens with a 100mm equivalent focal length.
Just like on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, we expect the 15 Ultra's new 200MP camera to be placed alongside a smaller telephoto camera, which will likely again be a 50MP 3x telephoto camera. The existence of a 200MP periscope camera was first suggested by leaker Ice Universe in a short X post in August.
As PhoneArena suggests, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will also ship with the next generation of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 chipset, giving the phone greater image processing capabilities.
Improving the best
In our review of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, we said that the company's ultra-premium flagship phone “features the best cameras of any phone”; It's no surprise that it tops our list of the best Xiaomi phones.
It's frustrating that we're forced to exclude the Xiaomi 14 Ultra from our list of the best camera phones due to its lack of availability in the US, but the phone is nonetheless an example of what can be achieved with modern mobile photography (the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is, at least, available to buy in the UK).
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra relies on its quad-camera array, with four 50MP cameras: a wide-angle (or main), an ultra-wide angle, a 3x telephoto lens, and a 5x periscope. The company even sells a photography kit that gives the Ultra the ergonomics of a small point-and-shoot camera (we hope to have a button similar to Camera Control on next year's model).
As expected, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra aced our photography tests, with its 1-inch sensor capturing more light and detail than we've ever seen from a smartphone camera; The phone earned a 5/5 rating for its camera capabilities.
While we'll likely hear about software and image processing improvements when the Xioami 15 Ultra is officially announced (rumors suggest in January), a 200MP periscope camera would demonstrate a tangible physical improvement to the phone's camera system.
Additionally, a new 200MP camera seems like a realistic upgrade given the typical caliber of annual updates to Xiaomi's Ultra camera system: the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, for example, added a variable aperture to the main camera, while the Xiaomi 13 Ultra improved all four cameras. at 50 megapixels.
For now, though, we only have rumors to work with – we're expecting official announcements about this one-of-a-kind phone, so be sure to stay up to date with our Xiaomi phone coverage for the latest updates.