Xiaomi 15 wishlist: All the features I want to see

The Xiaomi 14 is still very new, and yet there are already early rumors about its successor. The Xiaomi 14 isn’t a bad phone by any means, but there’s always room for improvement. With that in mind, let’s take a look at my wishlist for the Xiaomi 15.

A better update policy would be nice

The Xiaomi 14 series provides four years of OS updates and five years of security updates. While this isn’t one of the worst update policies by any means, it isn’t as good as what Samsung and Google offer. I would like to see Xiaomi offer at least five years of OS updates and five years of security patches. Even if you’re still satisfied with the performance of a five-year-old flagship, the battery will start to lose its charge, so most users won’t want to go much longer than this before upgrading anyway.

The software could use some refinement, and less bloatware too

The Xiaomi 14 introduced HyperOS as a replacement for MIUI, though it’s more of a rebranding than a truly new skin. Just like Xiaomi’s previous skin, the refreshed experience feels a lot more like iOS than Android. The entire experience can feel a bit overwhelming due to the numerous special settings and extra features. There is definitely a learning curve before you master the UI. It’s obvious that Xiaomi isn’t interested in offering a more stock-like approach to its UI, but I’d like to see a more refined, polished experience that’s easier to navigate and learn. This means simplifying some of its menus and maybe axing some of its more redundant features. At the very least, it could offer built-in tutorials (perhaps using AI) for mastering HyperOS. The point is that Xiaomi has great hardware, but its quirky software continues to be the biggest bottleneck.

If I’m honest, it’s not just the skin that I take issue with. It’s the bloatware. There are way too many pre-installed apps. On top of the usual Google apps, Xiaomi has a few tools, a few app stores, smart home apps, and even many third-party apps like AliExpress, Booking.com, and LinkedIn. I realize these bundling arrangements likely help Xiaomi keep costs down by providing an alternative source of income, but enough is enough. I’m hoping to see a more “clean” version of the Xiaomi 15 next year, even if they opt to make the less bloated version an optional upgrade, similar to how Amazon charges a bit extra to remove ads from some of its Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets. How likely is that? Probably not at all, but one can dream.

Better battery life

There have been a few rumors suggesting the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro will have better battery life than their predecessors, which I’ll get to in more detail a bit later. Unfortunately, nothing has been mentioned about the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s battery life. This is a shame, as the Ultra could use a battery boost. To be fair, it’s not horrible; there are just many other phones with better battery life. While you can easily make it through a full day with relatively casual use on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, pushing the device to its limits can cause the battery to drain pretty quickly and may have you running to the charger sooner than anticipated. I’d love to see the Xiaomi 15 Ultra upgrade its battery size to 5,500mAh. After all, plenty of other phones have batteries in this range, including the ROG Phone 8 Pro, OnePlus 12R, and ZenFone 11 Ultra.

Will there be a Xiaomi 15?

Considering this is the company’s flagship series, yes, there will be a Xiaomi 15. Although the Xiaomi 14 isn’t even a half-year old yet, we’ve already heard a few rumors about what to expect from its successor. Reportedly the next Xiaomi flagship may arrive with a 5,000mAh battery, a notable upgrade from the 4,610mAh battery in the Xioami 14. The same source also claims the phone will have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC, which is corroborated by another report that indicates Xiaomi will be the first to offer this chip.

That’s far from all we’ve heard about the Xiaomi 15 series. On June 18, we covered another report, this time corroborating the earlier 5,000mAh battery rumor while adding a few new details. It seems that the Xiaomi 15 won’t be the only phone with such a large better upgrade, as the Pro will also get a similar boost. This report also claimed there might be variable aperture on the main camera for the base Xiaomi 15, while still retaining the same small footprint the series is known for.

Interestingly, a more recent leak on July 1 indicates the base Xiaomi 15 may have a 1.5K flat screen with a smaller screen size the the Xiaomi 14, a 50MP main camera with wide aperture, and an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Reportedly it will also offer wireless charging and have a lighter design. The same report also says the base Xiaomi 15 model may not have a variable aperture, despite the earlier claim.

As for the Xiaomi 15 Ultra? Back in May we also learned a tiny bit about it. The new phone will reportedly have a similar camera package as its predecessor, though we might see better performance from the telephoto lenses with the images going from 10x to 30x this time around.

So we know the Xiaomi 15 series is coming eventually, but when? Honestly, it’s hard to say. Below we’ve listed the release dates in Europe and globally, but these have always significantly differed from China until this year. Before now the Xiaomi flagship has almost always launched in December, arriving outside of that country anywhere from a few months later to six months or more.

• Xiaomi 14 — February 25, 2024
• Xiaomi 13 — June 12, 2023
• Xiaomi 12 — March 15, 2022

The Xiaomi 14 saw a big change, as the brand announced the phone in October but didn’t release it until February for both the Chinese market and globally. Of course, the United States remained off the list of launch markets, and there’s no reason to expect any difference in 2025 with the Xiaomi 15.

Based on what we know, it seems logical that Xiaomi could target February again, with a reveal of the Xiaomi 15 towards the end of the year. That’s just speculation though, for now.

Should you wait for the Xiaomi 15?

The Xiaomi 14 series has only been out for a few months, so no, there’s no reason to wait for its successor. The Xiaomi 15 is shaping up to be a decent upgrade if rumors hold true, but there’s unlikely to be anything ground-shattering about it compared to the Xiaomi 14. Of course, if you’re looking for an alternative, there are quite a few options, including the ever-reliable Samsung Galaxy S24 ($859.99 at Amazon) and Google Pixel 8 ($699 at Amazon) lines.