Xiaomi 15 series launches as first phones with Snapdragon 8 Elite

Andrew Romero | Oct 29 2024 - 9:59 am PT

Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro as the first two devices to equip Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite was announced just last week, and Xiaomi is already set to release a new phone with the SoC inside. The chipset is built on a 3nm process and utilizes an Oryon CPU, adding notable performance increases in this year’s flagship chipset.

The Xiaomi 15 series takes on that SoC along with an upgraded cooling system in the 15 Pro. The new system adds a 14% increase in cooling areas. On top of that, the Xiaomi 15 Pro has a 6,100mAh battery, while the less expensive variant has a 5,400mAh unit. In either case, battery life is expected to be reliable.

Both editions of the Xiaomi 15 will pair either 12Gb or 16GB of RAM with the latest Snapdragon chipset.

The Xiaomi 15 Pro takes on a sleek look. The display is slightly curved, and the body rails are made from aluminum. The back houses a square Leica-branded camera array with three large-aperture lenses. Xiaomi notes the 15 Pro uses the same Sony IMX858 sensor as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra does for its telephoto lens. The Xiaomi 15 takes on a similar design with slightly curved edges.

The base model comes in several pastel and greyscale colors – White, Black, Green, and Purple – while the Pro takes on some deeper colors with Gray, Green, and White. Xiaomi is also offering a special “Liquid Silver” edition that carries a ripple effect in the right light. It’s available for both editions.

The Xiaomi 15 Pro will start at 5,299 RMB, while the Xiaomi 15 will begin at 4,499 RMB in China.