Xiaomi 15 Challengers: OnePlus 13, Vivo X200 Pro Mini, More
Xiaomi 15 Alternatives: Google Pixel 9, iQoo 13, and more smartphones to choose from.
Xiaomi 15 Challengers: Xiaomi has taken the wraps off its flagship Xiaomi 15 series in China, launching the Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 15 Pro. Both phones come with Leica cameras, which have become a standard feature of Xiaomi's flagships and also run on the recently unveiled Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processors, which are reputed to be among the most powerful around.
While the Xiaomi 15 Pro is the more powerful of the two phones unveiled, there is considerable interest in the Xiaomi 15 as well because of its lower price tag, and the chances of its arriving sooner in India.
Like its predecessor, the Xiaomi 15 also comes with a very compact design, featuring a 6.36-inch AMOLED display with 2670 x 1200 resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. On the camera front, it has three 50-megapixel cameras made in collaboration with Leica on the back - a main sensor, a telephoto with 3x zoom and an ultrawide, and a 32-megapixel selfie camera. As in the past, one of the highlights of the phone is the special shooting modes, especially in portrait mode, that come from Leica, making it a camera beast.
Xiaomi 15 also comes with a new edition of Xiaomi's HyperOS interface, HyperOS 2, which comes with a host of performance improvements and Xiaomi's take on AI, Hyper AI.
In spite of its compact frame, the phone comes with a big 5m400 mAh battery with support for 90W wired and 50W wireless charging, thus ticking all flagship boxes.
All of this is available in China at a starting price of 4499 RMB (about Rs 53,100). If released in India, it is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 65,000 (the Xiaomi 14 was priced at Rs 69,999). Its compact design, Leica cameras and powerful specs will attract many at that price. But it will still face some very tough competition.
Here are five phones that could give the Xiaomi 15 a good run for its money when (and if) it comes to the Indian market:
OnePlus 13: The Big Never Settler
Price: Rs 65,000 - Rs 70,000(expected)
It might have started as the OG flagship killer brand, but OnePlus has moved up the price ladder to the premium zone and its latest flagship, the OnePlus 13 could be one of the biggest headaches for the Xiaomi 15.
The OnePlus 13 also runs on the Qualcomm 8 Elite processor, but there the similarity between the phones ends. The OnePlus 13 is an unabashedly large phone with a large 6.82-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD+ (3168 x 1440) resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, although the Never Settling brand has opted for a flat rather than a curved display this time.
Like the Xiaomi 15, the OnePlus also boasts three 50-megapixel cameras on its back (a main sensor with OIS, a telephoto with 3x zoom and OIS, and an ultrawide). All three have also been designed in association with a legendary name in photography, Hasselblad, and come with special shooting modes.
The phone runs on a large 6,000 mAh battery with support for 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, with a charger in the box, and will come with the new OxygenOS 15 on top of Android 15.
And it starts at CNY 4499 (about Rs 53,000), the same price as the Xiaomi 15, which makes the perfect headache for it.
Vivo X200 Pro mini: The Petite Pro
Price: Rs 65,000 - Rs 70,000 (expected)
The X200 Pro Mini is Vivo's effort to get into the compact flagship market and it packs in enough to be a Xiaomi 15 headache. The phone is a little smaller than even the Xiaomi 15 and comes with a 6.31-inch AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. It runs on MediaTek's answer to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the Dimesity 9400, a flagship chip in every sense of the word.
The phone comes with three 50-megapixel cameras on the back - a main sensor with OIS, a telephoto with 3x optical zoom and OIS and an ultrawide. Selfie photography is handled by a 32-megapixel front-facing camera, which is a bit of a surprise when you consider that Vivo's much more affordable V series boasts 50-megapixel selfie sensors, but you can be assured of great snaps from all cameras on this tiny titan, thanks to the collaboration with Zeiss.
The X200 Pro Mini packs in a surprisingly large 5700 mAh battery and comes with support for fast wired (90W) as well as wireless (30W) charging, with a charger in the box. The phone comes with Origin OS in China but is likely to come with the slightly more cluttered but feature-rich FunTouch OS in India.
At CMY 4,699 (about Rs 55,000), it is more expensive than the Xiaomi 15, but has what it takes to be the darling of the "small is beautiful" crowd.
iQoo 13: Value-For-Money Monster
Price: Rs 55,000 - Rs 60,000 (expected)
iQoo has been a pain in the neck for Android flagships with its staggering value-for-money propositions, and the iQoo 13 is said to be another name in this list. It comes with everything you would want in a premium phone.
It boasts a large 6.82-inch AMOLED display with a 3168x1440 resolution and a 144 Hz refresh rate (the highest in this group). It also runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor that powers the Xiaomi 14. It also comes with the triple 50-megapixel camera set up on its back that seems to be the rage in Chinese flagships this season, comprising a main sensor with OIS, a telephoto with 2x optical zoom and OIS, and an ultrawide, while selfies are entrusted to a 32-megapixel front-facing camera.
Keeping the phone running is the task of one of the largest batteries in the segment - a 6150 mAh battery, which gets charged in a mere half an hour, thanks to support for 120W charging, and a 120W charger in the box, but there is no support for wireless charging. It is likely to come with FunTouch OS in India on top of Android 15, which might be a disappointment for those who love lean, clean interfaces.
What is likely to make it a headache for all flagships in general and the Xiaomi 14, in particular, is its price tag - it starts at CNY 3799 (about Rs 45,000) and is expected to be the most affordable of them all.
Google Pixel 9: Compact AI Wizard
Price: Rs 75,000 (approx)
Google's Pixel series has been known for its photography prowess, and this combined with some AI muscle and a very sleek, compact frame, makes the Google Pixel 9 one of the stumbling blocks in the path of the Xiaomi 15. The Pixel 9 is every bit as compact as the Xiaomi 15 and comes with a 6.3-inch OLED display with 2424 x 1080 resolution and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
It has only two cameras on a redesigned camera bar on its back - a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS and a 48-megapixel ultrawide - but thanks to Google's computational photography, both can deliver stunning results.
The 10.5-megapixel selfie snapper also takes great pictures. The Tensor G4 chip powering the Pixel 9 is not quite in the league of the best from Qualcomm and MediaTek in terms of benchmark scores and gaming but brings a lot of AI smarts to the table. And of course, this being a Pixel, you get access to assured updates for a staggering seven years.
The 4700 mAh battery will see you through a day of heavy usage, although the absence of a charger in the box and the relatively low charging speed of 27W wired and 15W wireless is a bit of a letdown.
Samsung Galaxy S24: Small, Powerful Galaxy
Price: Rs 62,999 onwards
The Samsung Galaxy S24 is one of the best compact Android flagships out there. Its 6.2-inch display might be the smallest in this list but it is in best Samsung tradition, a brilliant Dynamic AMOLED 2x one, with a 2340 x 1080 resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. Some might frown at the Exynos 2400 chip powering it, but it is a very capable performer in its own right. The phone comes with an excellent camera set up on its back, comprising a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x zoom and OIS and a 12-megapixel ultrawide, while a 12-megapixel camera in front handles selfies.
One of the highlights of the Galaxy S24 is Samsung's Galaxy AI, made in collaboration with Google, which adds a number of AI features to the phone, making it a tiny powerhouse in its own right.
The 4000 mAh battery is a bit of a downer, as it struggles to see out a day of use, and also charges rather slowly at 25W (wired) and 15W (wireless). Samsung's OneUI also might not be to everyone's liking, but the brand has a formidable software update record and the Galaxy S24 comes with seven years of assured Android updates, and of course, Samsung's impressive brand equity.
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