Xiaomi 15 Ultra launches in India, makes the Galaxy S25 Ultra look hilariously overpriced

Xiaomi is onto a winner with the 15 Ultra; I used the phone for well over a month, and it is absolutely fantastic. There's a new design that makes it easier to hold and use, a bigger battery, the same great 1-inch main camera as last year but with a new 200MP tele lens that takes outstanding portraits alongside 4.3x zoom, and the latest available hardware.

Xiaomi debuted the device globally at Mobile World Congress, and the 15 Ultra is now making its way to India, where it is sold in a single 16GB/512GB model that costs ₹109,999 ($1,259). As always, Xiaomi India is incentivizing the launch by providing freebies — including the excellent photography kit that's bundled with all pre-orders. The phone is ₹10,000 costlier than the 14 Ultra in India, and that's understandable when you look at all the upgrades.

Even then, it is a considerable bargain when you consider the same phone is sold in the U.K. for £1,499 ($1,932), and other countries in the region for €1,499 ($1,627). Xiaomi has always been aggressive when it comes to India, and that's the case with the 15 Ultra as well, and if you're interested in the phone, India is the best country to pick it up. I'd argue that it's better to buy the 15 Ultra in India than China — even though it's more affordable in Xiaomi's home market — because the Indian model comes with the Play Store and all Google services out of the box.

Best of all, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra undercuts the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL in India. The Galaxy S25 Ultra costs ₹141,999 ($1,626) in the country for the 16GB/512GB edition, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL is ₹139,999 ($1,603) for the 512GB option. Although the 15 Ultra costs more than last year, it is still the best value (as it were) if you want a high-end phone in India, and there's also the fact that it has the absolute best camera package of any device today.

As I noted in my Xiaomi 15 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra post, Xiaomi managed to deliver a better overall product than Samsung this year, and the icing on the cake is that the phone costs less in India. In every other region, the 15 Ultra is being sold at a premium over the S25 Ultra, so it's clear that Xiaomi is intent on gaining a foothold in the premium segment in India.

Xiaomi also debuted the regular Xiaomi 15 in India, and like last year, it does a good job going up against the likes of the OnePlus 13. Although Xiaomi does really well in the budget and now mid-range categories, it hasn't really made a dent in the high-end, and it will be aiming to change that with the 15 Ultra and Xiaomi 15.