Xiaomi 15 Ultra vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Sample photos comparison!

The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is here to put the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s top spot in our NewYorker Camera Score tier list!

As we just explored in our dedicated Xiaomi 15 Ultra Camera Score article, the two phones are currently tied for the top spot in our rankings. That’s because the newcomer packs a pretty impressive camera setup with a 50MP main camera featuring a large 1-inch sensor as well as a massive 200MP periscope with 4.3X optical zoom.

Samsung’s Galaxies have held the top spots on our custom camera test for a while now, striking the perfect balance between high still photography and video-recording capabilities. However, as it usually happens, an adept challenger appears, and this year, the Galaxy S25 Ultra undisputed reign was ended fairly quickly by this here major rival. 

Here are the camera specs of these two, summarized for brevity:

Main camera

< Xiaomi 15 UltraGalaxy S25 Ultra >

< Xiaomi 15 UltraGalaxy S25 Ultra >

< Xiaomi 15 UltraGalaxy S25 Ultra >

Main camera – Low light

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 1XGalaxy S25 Ultra 1X >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 1XGalaxy S25 Ultra 1X >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra ultrawideGalaxy S25 Ultra ultrawide >

Portraits

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 2XGalaxy S25 Ultra 2X >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 4.3XGalaxy S25 Ultra 5X >

Ultrawide

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra ultrawideGalaxy S25 Ultra ultrawide >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra ultrawideGalaxy S25 Ultra ultrawide >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra ultrawideGalaxy S25 Ultra ultrawide >

Zoom

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 3XGalaxy S25 Ultra 3X >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 3XGalaxy S25 Ultra 3X >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 3XGalaxy S25 Ultra 3X >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 4.3XGalaxy S25 Ultra 5X >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 4.3XGalaxy S25 Ultra 5X >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 4.3XGalaxy S25 Ultra 5X >

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra 10XGalaxy S25 Ultra 10X >

Selfies

< Xiaomi 15 Ultra portraitGalaxy S25 Ultra portrait >

< Xiaomi 15 UltraGalaxy S25 Ultra >

Conclusion

Well, as a conclusion, we’d say that the Galaxy S25 Ultra might have the upper hand in some scenarios, while the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is stronger in zooming. Both are excellent cameraphones though, and you can’t go wrong with either. 

The main reason why the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is so impressive is the large 1-inch sensor behind the main camera. You still can’t beat physics with any software or AI trickeries, and the benefits of a large sensor greatly outweigh most post-processing algorithms. A larger sensor, for example, is very useful in low-light conditions, where it simply soaks in more light. It also can deliver superior dynamic range. 

Another area in which the Xiaomi triumphs is in the zoom department. The phone boasts a 200MP sensor with 4.3X optical zoom in front of it, which might sound not that impressive when compared to phones with longer optical zooms. 

However, this higher-res sensor can greatly help with cropping: as soon as you step away from the optical zoom range, you get superiour lossless image quality that utilizes the resolution of the sensor. So, essentially you’re digitally zooming past a certain point.