The Xiaomi 15 and the Xiaomi 15 Pro will allegedly be the first two phones to use Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC chipset, according to rumors.
Founded in 2010 in Beijing, Xiaomi is the second largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world, behind Samsung.
Its two new phones are apparently due to arrive in October, and according to a new leak from Digital Chat Station and reported on by GSM Arena, they will both feature a customized OmniVision 50 MP main camera with a 1/1.3” sensor size and a large, but currently undisclosed, aperture.
The phones will have a new multi-layer anti-reflection coating on their lenses, which will be made by Leica, and is supposed to enhance light transmittance, and reduce glare and ghosting.
There is also talk of the possibility of the Xiaomi 15 Pro having a periscope telephoto lens, a feature previously reserved for its Ultra devices only.
If these two phones are anything like their predecessor, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, it will be an exciting unveiling, as its camera technology made the 14 as much of a premium connected camera, as a smartphone.
While it’s likely that Xiaomi phones will be the first to receive the new Snapdragon high-performance chip, it’s very unlikely that they will drop in the US, according to Tom’s Guide.
Like several other major Chinese technology companies, Xiaomi was accused by Donald Trump’s administration of threatening national security in the U.S.
It was blacklisted by the US Department of Defense in early 2021 over claims it had links with the Chinese military. However, in May of the same year a judge in the US blocked the enforcement of an investment ban on Xiaomi, calling the decision to blacklist it “extremely flawed.”
Had the ban not been blocked, it would have removed Xiaomi from US stock exchanges and global benchmark shares indexes.
US shoppers will need to wait for Samsung to use the new technology with the Galaxy S25 series.
Next to be released with the new chip after Xiaomi will almost certainly be the OnePlus 13 and the iQOO 13, based on previous releases.
Qualcomm usually shows off its latest silicon at its annual Snapdragon Summit, and Chief Marketing Officer Don McGuire has already confirmed that this will happen at its event in October.
If you're looking for the best camera phones for photography, take a look at our handy guide.
We've also put together our list of the best iPhones for photography, and the best lenses for both iPhone and Android.
