Xiaomi 15 Ultra may be this year’s best looking phone as CEO reveals design

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has shared multiple images of the forthcoming Xiaomi 15 Ultra smartphone, and it looks spectacular. In a set of six photos posted by Jun on X, along with another from the official Xiaomi account, we get to see the camera-inspired design, which matches multiple leaked images that have come before.

Xiaomi is partnered with camera experts Leica, and while the pair work together on the camera hardware and software, Xiaomi has never taken direct inspiration from Leica’s camera design until now. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s design looks its best when the phone is in landscape orientation, with the lower two-thirds of the phone covered in a textured black material, and the remaining third appearing like polished metal or silver glass.

It’s a design most would immediately associate with a classic Leica cameras, and a big step forward over the rather staid appearance of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. The rear panel has a large, glass-covered camera module with multiple cameras inside, and finished off with a coin-edge bezel around a metal ring. It’s simple yet eye-catching, nostalgic yet modern. Xiaomi recognizes it won’t be for everyone though, and Jun shared photos of two more subdued versions of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, one in all-black and another in all-white. The white version has an unusual brushed appearance, which may indicate a material other than glass such as ceramic has been used on the back.

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra, along with other devices in the Xiaomi 15 series, will almost certainly be shown at the brand’s big event due to be held at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on March 2. It has teased the event on its X account, and also shared a new version of its SU7 electric car will be at the show. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s called the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, just like the phone. It used the Xiaomi 15 Ultra smartphone shoot a preview video of the car, and has also published this on X.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

We called the Xiaomi 14 Ultra our favorite camera phone of 2024, and have written extensively about why the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is one of our most highly anticipated new phones of 2025. Confirmation of the stunning design only makes us more excited to see it in person. We’ll bring you all the official news from the launch event on March 2.