Two Ultra phone models sit at the top of their respective lineups as benchmarks for what Android hardware can achieve in 2025. Both are from the Asian market, with over 1.3 billion smartphone users under their wings. Xiaomi 15 Ultra is a regional powerhouse facing off against Samsung’s most refined S25 Ultra. If you were forced to choose between them, here’s the best choice and why.
Specs overview: Xiaomi 15 Ultra Vs Galaxy S25
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| Components | Xiaomi 15 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.73″ LTPO AMOLED, 3200 x 1440, 120Hz, 3200 nits peak | 6.9″ Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 3120 x 1440, 120Hz, 2600 nits peak |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| RAM & Storage | 12/16GB RAM; 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (UFS 4.1) | 12/16GB RAM; 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (UFS 4.0) |
| Main Camera | 50MP wide + 200MP periscope + 50MP tele + 50MP ultrawide | 200MP wide + 50MP periscope + 10MP tele + 50MP ultrawide |
| Front Camera | 32MP, 4K video | 12MP, 4K video |
| Battery | 5410mAh, 90W wired, 80W wireless | 5000mAh, 45W wired, 15W wireless |
| Software | Android 15, HyperOS 2, 4 major updates | Android 15, One UI 7, 7 major updates |
| Build & Extras | Xiaomi Shield Glass, IP68, IR port | Gorilla Armor 2, IP68, S Pen, UWB, DeX |
| Price | From $1,630 | From $1,300 |
Design
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is unapologetically camera-centric. There’s a giant circular module on the back that’s positioned dead center near the top. It houses four sensors alongside the Leica branding that lets you know what it’s capable of and signalling Xiaomi’s ongoing partnership with the German legend.
The phone even has a camera kit you can buy separately if you really want to tap into your photography skills. The back material depends on the version you get. Some models come with eco leather, while others blend that material with aerospace-grade glass fiber that’s more durable than your average slab. You can also get the phone in colors of black, white, and silver chrome.
The frame is aluminum, with slightly curved edges defining it. You’ll find the power and volume buttons on the right, and an IR blaster at top, which is something you don’t see often on most flagships. It’s a welcome throwback. Most brands assume users now have smart TVs, Wi-Fi remotes, or voice assistants, so IR control isn’t necessary.
Meanwhile, the front side holds a glass screen with bezels that are razor-thin and almost disappearing into the frame. The panel gently curves at the edges and there’s a small punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera.
On the other hand, Samsung’s design language is the result of subtle refinement over time. The emphasis is on subtlety, because not much feels new unless you didn’t start with past Galaxy Ultras. Each iteration of the Ultra series continues to trim excess. The S25 Ultra retains the brand’s familiar design, but more refined. They have rounded the edges and made the cameras visibly thicker with black rings.
The materials are still high-end and the front has protection from Corning’s Gorilla Armor 2 glass. There’s a punch-hole camera there as well. On the back is the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and the entire body is framed by Grade 5 titanium. It has a built-in S Pen at the bottom corner. It’s available in four titanium colors of silverblue, gray, black, and whitesilver.
Side-by-side, both phones are large. The S25 Ultra weighs 218g, but is slimmer than its predecessors. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra, on the other hand, is shorter and narrower than the Samsung, but still heavier at 226 to 229g.
Both phones support dual SIMs with eSIM configurations, though Xiaomi’s arrangement is a bit more versatile in certain regions. Samsung splits up its SIM configuration by region where China gets dual Nano-SIMs. The US mostly uses Nano + eSIM, although eSIM users may have issues activating the phone with select carriers. They both offer IP68 water and dust resistance against rain, spills, and brief submersion.
Display
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra uses a 6.73-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with a 1440 x 3200 resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. It uses 522 pixels per inch, 120Hz refresh rate, and peak brightness of 3200 nits. That’s one of the brightest displays ever shipped on a phone. It also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HDR Vivid, so the best contrast is guaranteed. The entire display is covered in Xiaomi Shield Glass 2.0 technology, which is their in-house solution for display protection.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a larger 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, also LTPO, with a slightly wider 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It has a 1440 x 3120 resolution and a still-impressive 498 PPI. The screen stretches further to the edges and gives it a 92.5% screen-to-body ratio. Peak brightness hits 2600 nits, which is lower than Xiaomi’s number, but Samsung complements it with Corning Gorilla Armor 2 that’s paired with a DX anti-reflective coating.
Obviously, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has the better display and supports more HDR formats. But Samsung does have the anti-reflective coating going for them, and that’s something that really matters in real use cases. When you’re outside or near strong lighting, you don’t want those harsh glares bouncing off the screen and washing everything out. The Galaxy S25 Ultra handles those moments better. It may not hit Xiaomi’s peak brightness, but it’s more readable when it counts.
Related: OnePlus 13R Vs Galaxy S25: What Is The Difference?
Performance and memory
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s CPU, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, hits a top speed of 4.32 GHz on its two big cores. Samsung takes that same processor with its Oryon V2 Phoenix L architecture and raises it up to 4.47 GHz. The difference might not sound huge, but Samsung is squeezing every bit of performance from Qualcomm’s chip, and that’s worth the consideration.
It most likely has an optimized thermal solution or tighter voltage tuning to let all the big cores reach peak performance without throttling too quickly. As for the six medium-performance Phoenix M cores, both phones run them at 3.53 GHz. As for GPU, both use the Adreno 830.
S25 Ultra still ships with UFS 4.0, even in 2025. That’s fast, no doubt, but Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra uses UFS 4.1, which is the latest storage speed currently. It has faster sequential reads and writes and better sustained performance under heavy I/O.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra offers 16GB of RAM not only at the 1TB tier, but also at 512GB. Samsung, on the other hand, only provides the 16GB RAM exclusively to the top-tier 1TB model. All other variants stick to 12GB. No card slots are available on both phones.
Battery
Xiaomi’s using silicon-carbon (Si/C) battery tech, which holds more energy than traditional graphite in the battery’s anode. Globally, the 15 Ultra phone packs 5410mAh, and even 6000mAh in the Chinese variant without making the phone noticeably thicker or heavier. Meanwhile, the S25 Ultra sticks with the lithium-ion battery at 5000mAh.
Again, 5000mAh in a flagship feels like the baseline in 2025 when other phones are targeting higher numbers. Also, with all the AI running in the background, pushing a high-refresh-rate QHD+ display, and editing 4K video on the go, that extra 1000mAh on the Xiaomi matters.
As for charging speed, Xiaomi supports 90W over a wire. It’s basically laptop-level charging speed and reverse wireless charging at 10W. Samsung supports 45W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging speeds. It can’t compete with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in this category.
Related: What’s The Difference Between The S24 And S25?
Cameras
Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra phone has a 1-inch type, 50MP wide lens with a massive 1.6μm binner pixel size. It’s paired with Leica optics and a ton of manual controls. It’s basically a compact camera in a phone body, and it even looks like a portable camera if you hold it sideways.
Samsung has a 200MP main lens that technically has a higher resolution. But it also has a smaller sensor size of 1/1.3 inches. It bins down to 12.5MP by default and uses software to sharpen and brighten shots. Yet it doesn’t match Xiaomi’s natural bokeh or low-light depth.
Xiaomi also has the wilder Dual zoom setup where there is support for 3x optical with a 50MP sensor and a 4.3x periscope lens at 200MP. Samsung, on the other hand, uses a combo of 10MP 3x lens and a 50MP 5x periscope.
Both of them use 50MP ultrawide sensors with dual pixel autofocus. Samsung’s version is wider at 120°, while Xiaomi’s is at 115°. But its Leica lens leans toward more cinematic distortion control. Both handle macro well, though Xiaomi has more control with, again, Leica’s image tuning and even filter attachments for pro workflows.
The two shoot 8K and offer 4K resolutions up to 120fps. Xiaomi offers Dolby Vision HDR and full 10-bit recording at 4K60, even at 1080p, which is rare. Samsung shoots HDR10+, has great stabilization, and does better audio with stereo sound recording. If you vlog or shoot handheld, Samsung’s stabilization and HDR are going to look clean. Xiaomi’s will have more contrast and deeper editing flexibility.
On the front, Xiaomi has a 32 MP camera with 4K 60fps video support. Samsung’s is a 12MP selfie camera, also with 4K 60fps. At this point, it’s pretty obvious which phone you should go with. If it isn’t, the S25 Ultra is the smartphone camera for everyone. But the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is the camera that happens to be a smartphone.
Software
Software is one aspect of phones that doesn’t always grab buyer attention compared to technical specs. But it can quietly make or break your experience over time. Four years after purchase, you’ll stop receiving Xiaomi’s updates per the official provision of support. You’ll start with Android 15 based on HyperOS 2 and end with Android 19.
Meanwhile, Samsung will keep rolling out new features, security fixes, and fresh Android versions until Android 22. It has seven years of OS support. Support aside, Samsung’s One UI is one of the fastest, most consistent update pipelines outside of Google.
Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 is improving, but it’s still slower and more region-dependent. Some features roll out late while others get tweaked heavily or trimmed depending on where you are. One UI is also tightly integrated with Samsung’s ecosystem, including Samsung Notes, SmartThings, Galaxy Buds, Dex, and now Galaxy AI. You also get deep customization Good Lock. HyperOS is Xiaomi’s new software that replaced MIUI.
It’s more efficient than its predecessor and has tighter cross-device integration for Xiaomi’s ecosystem. Like One UI, it offers deep customization options and dynamic widgets. But since it varies between regions, the software is pretty inconsistent.
The verdict
We’ve looked at two of the most advanced Android phones money can buy in 2025. In all that we’ve seen, it’s clear that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is built for creators, power users, and camera nerds. It gives you raw imaging power with its massive 1-inch sensor, Leica glass, pro-level zoom flexibility, and video tools. Its battery lasts longer, charges faster, and its display is one of the brightest and richest on the market.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is refined and reliable. The software experience is also better supported, and One UI’s ecosystem integration makes it more complete. With seven years of updates, you know it’ll still be relevant when other flagships are fading out. If you’re someone who’s always living in the moment, the 15 Ultra will be ready to capture it all. But if you want the phone that just works, the S25 Ultra will do just that and grow with you over the years.
