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The Xiaomi 15 could start a new generation of Android phones

The back of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It seems like there’s always a new chip being introduced for smartphones. Qualcomm is preparing to release its next Snapdragon mobile chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, and there is a report that it could be featured in a new smartphone before the year ends.

According to Digital Chat Station’s latest Weibo post, the Xiaomi 15 will perhaps be the first phone to launch with Qualcomm’s next chip. It’s the same chip that almost certainly will launch with the Samsung Galaxy S25 series early next year.

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According to Digital Chat Station, the Xiaomi 15 is expected to sport a 1.5K LTP display and come in two stylish finishes: pure white glass or pure vegan “patchwork” leather. The real star, however, is the camera system, which is rumored to include a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP vertical telephoto macro with 3X zoom.

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On the performance front, the Xiaomi 15 is rumored to pack a punch with up to 16GB of RAM and a whopping 1TB of internal storage, offering ample space for all your files and apps. In addition, it could feature an enhanced stereo speaker setup, promising an immersive audio experience and a larger battery capacity, ensuring you stay connected for longer.

Circling back to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, the incoming chip will almost certainly see improvements over its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Qualcomm’s current flagship chip is on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and OnePlus 12, among other devices.

The forthcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s enhanced features may cost you more, however. A recent post on Weibo suggested that inflation might substantially raise the production expenses for the new chip. Consequently, consumers could potentially face a higher retail price.

If the Xiaomi 15 launches around the same time that the Xiaomi 14 did, we can expect the phone to debut in China in October or November and to be released globally early next year.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
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