- A new rumor suggests the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will sport a main camera with a 1-inch sensor and a 200MP telephoto zoom
- On paper, these specs beat competition from Samsung, Apple, and Google
- The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to launch in global markets in early March
The next high-end flagship phone from Xiaomi could rival the best camera phones, with a cutting-edge array of four high-res cameras, if a new rumor proves to be true.
According to noted tipster Yogesh Brar on X (formerly Twitter), the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will come equipped with a 50MP main camera utilizing the Sony LYT-900 1-inch sensor.
For reference, the main camera found on the iPhone 16 Pro uses a 1/1.14-inch sensor, which is roughly 13% smaller than the LYT-900. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Google Pixel 9 Pro both have an even smaller 1/1.3-inch main sensor.
In camera parlance, the sensor is the surface that light is focused onto by the lens. A larger sensor means more light can be captured, allowing for better low-light performance, improved dynamic range, and less noise (or graininess).
Brar adds that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra also apparently sports a 50MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and a 200MP telephoto camera with 4.3x optical zoom.
On paper, that’s an extremely impressive array of cameras, and I can already imagine that such a mix of high-resolution cameras at multiple zoom lengths would offer users a lot of versatility and flexibility for photography.
The 200MP periscope camera jumps out as an exciting addition to Xiaomi’s highest-spec phone – the equivalent camera on the current-generation Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a 50MP camera offering 5x optical zoom.
A big sensor to go with all those megapixels
While resolution alone isn’t a reliable indicator of quality, Brar notes that this 200MP zoom camera utilizes the 1/1.14-inch Samsung HP9 sensor – that’s the same size as the main camera on the iPhone 16 Pro and even larger than the main sensor found on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Google Pixel 9 Pro.
In theory, that combination of a large sensor and high resolution should offer optically zoomed images that are bright, colorful, and detail-rich.
Our Xiaomi 14 Ultra review found that the phone boasts “the best cameras of any phone, ever”, and with improvements like these rumored to be on the way, it seems like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra could continue this winning streak.
As PhoneArena notes, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to be revealed in China on February 26, with an official reveal sometime during MWC, which spans from March 4 to March 6.
The only problem is availability: Xiaomi doesn’t sell in the US, period – this means the company’s phones are nearly impossible to get ahold of in the States (they’re also ineligible for our list of the best phones). That said, I’m sure the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will easily nab a spot on our list of the best Xiaomi phones instead.
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