I’ve seen and heard of the Xiaomi brand over many years, seen them at the biggest tech shows like Mobile World Congress and for a while there they had a little presence here in Australia but for the first time really, they are going all-in on smartphones for Australians.
Now many people might say you’ve been able to get Xiaomi phones here in Australia before, and that may be true, but likely they were grey imports or a select distribution – this is an all-in play for the Chinese brand with a retail presence you’ll see the orange logo “Xi” out front of.
Their first phone is being labelled a flagship – probably because it’s going to be their top level for now – and I’ve been carrying it around for a couple of weeks and when I sat down to write my thoughts, I looked up the price and nearly fell off my chair.
Not because of a high price, but because for the first time in a very, very long time – a company trying to crack into our market is coming in with klout that’s affordable. $1,099 – that’s low to mid-tier pricing for the flagships from Apple and Samsung, and even Oppo would price their flagships into the $1500+ mark.
Now as I said, the brand has phones with better specs available in other markets, so it’s a tread lightly kind of approach here, but I respect that, and at face value – this is a great start.
In the hand this feels heavy and big – reminds me almost exactly of the feeling an iPhone Pro Max would have in both size and weight. Which is because it weighs 210g – which is 22 odd grams less than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The 6.83 inch screen is super clear and bright and the Xiaomi “HyperOS” Android layer is familiar enough to anyone coming from literally any phone, perhaps most similar to Oppo in the look and style to be honest.
The Xiaomi 15T Pro has all the “things” you might look for and expect in a plus $1000 phone. IP68 water and dust resistance, a strong aluminium alloy frame, and Gorilla Glass 7i which I certainly didn’t test, but if it’s listed then we know there’s at least a level of durability expectation.
It’s side profiles and even front profile have strong Apple familiarity which isn’t to say it’s at all a copy, it’s more a comment on the overall neutrality of the smartphone market today when it comes to design.
Where Xiaomi sets the 15T apart from the rest though is the camera. A big island with four circles you’d think four cameras – but no, there’s three very good cameras and a set of impressive sensors also in the fourth.
The standout here is the Leica partnership – to throw the Leica brand on a camera isn’t something you get without credential, so that was where I did most of my testing.
Generally you’ve got an ultrawide option, right through to a hybrid/digital periscopic 100x zoom.
The main and 5x telephoto cameras are both 50MP while the ultrawide is 12MP, but put to the test in San Francisco and Sydney – this is a beautiful camera.
I’ll let the photos do the talking.
How’s that for a night shot! Honestly, it’s a spectacular representation of what I was seeing.
Not sure too many bad photos are taken from this spot, but check the detail in the bridge roadway steel, and the depth in the distance compared to foreground.
There’s even some impressive Leica photographic modes to choose from too:
In terms of Zoom – it’s Optical Zoom is stunning, through 5x, and 10x too is great, but like anything, the 100x is a gimmick at best but still – boggles the mind what a little camera like this can see!
Back home in Sydney, it’s the same deal – outstanding colour and situational reproduction, and a fun zoom experiment
The portrait photography too came up a tread, there’s even a Leica mode with that which I think did add a little more kinda depth to the colouring, and in post you can adjust the F stop level for depth of field adjustments.
Honestly, in using this – I was sure this was a $1600 phone.
Is the MediaTek processor up to scratch – surely some benchmarker will tell me why a Qualcomm Snapdragon is better, but did I notice? Not at all.
This may be one of the best value smartphones available at the $1099 price area.
A staggering 5,500mAh battery powers it for days, and the 50W wireless capability paired with 90W Wired ability means you’ll always have power.
I love the look of it – It’s familiar in the hand and easy to adapt to, the screen is vibrant and bright and nothing I asked it to do seemed a problem.
There’s also a bunch of things I’ve barely touched too, like it’s AI capabilities, IR Blaster! and even some sort of Offline calling mode coming soon. They seem to be throwing everything at this phone.
Impossible to not recommend it for consideration if you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone
Check it out: Xiaomi
Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.
He produces and hosts two popular podcasts, EFTM and Two Blokes Talking Tech. He also appears on over 50 radio stations across Australia weekly, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show each day and appears regularly on A Current Affair.
Father of three, he is often found down in his Man Cave.
