Xiaomi 15 and Galaxy S25 are both big compact flagships of 2025. People want to know which phone is better for them. I put both phones through a day of real-life tests – from morning to night, checking everything from camera to battery. Let’s see which phone wins where and where it lags a little behind!
Xiaomi 15 vs Galaxy S25:
Design and Display: Which is better?
Xiaomi 15 is a little longer than Galaxy S25, but both fit perfectly in the hand. The 12-bit AMOLED panel of the Xiaomi is quite bright, and I did a white colour test in the global variant – a very clean look! There is a triple camera setup at the back. The 8-bit Dynamic AMOLED 2X display of the Galaxy S25 is also quite bright, and looks quite different in red colour – it also has three cameras. The camera sensor size of the Xiaomi is bigger, which takes in more light, but due to this the camera bump is also a bit bigger.
Talking about the battery, the Xiaomi 15 has a 5240mAh battery, while the Galaxy S25 has a 4000mAh one. Despite this, the Xiaomi is only 27g heavier as it uses new battery technology. I played YouTube in the background on both phones at 9 am and when I went out, both had 96% battery left. Both are IP68 certified, meaning no tension from water and dust!
Camera Test: From day to night
Video Camera
I shot videos in 4K@30fps with the main camera of both phones, in LOG mode. Galaxy S25 has one advantage – you can shoot LOG in normal mode only, no need for Pro mode. In Xiaomi 15, one has to use movie mode. Shot a video in the centre of Vienna and once the video quality of Xiaomi dropped a bit – don’t know why, but it happened only once.
After that, both phones gave clean and sharp videos. The zoom transition felt a little smoother on the Galaxy S25. Xiaomi has two colour modes – Leica Authentic (natural, slightly dark) and Leica Vibrant (popping colours). I used Vibrant mode as the colours look more zingy in it.
Main and Ultra-Wide Lens
With the main lens, both phones give quite similar photos during the day. Xiaomi’s blue colour is a little deeper, while Galaxy’s is a little lighter. Both are neck-to-neck in the ultra-wide lens as well – both give sharp and vibrant results. With the telephoto lens (at 3.2x zoom), both have similar quality during the day, but Xiaomi’s shots look a little soft and more exposed, while Galaxy’s are more sharp and a little dark. For macro shots, the telephoto lenses of both are useful, and here too the quality is similar, only Xiaomi’s Leica Vibrant is more colorful.
Selfie Camera and Mic
In the selfie camera test, Xiaomi’s 32MP lens is slightly wider, which is better for group selfies. Galaxy’s 12MP selfie gives a slightly tighter frame. Talking about colors, Xiaomi gives a slightly greyish tone, while Galaxy’s white looks more natural. Mic quality is top-notch in both – clear sound even in loud environments. Galaxy is slightly ahead in dynamic range, especially in low-light.
Low-Light and Night Shots
In night shots, Xiaomi’s bigger sensor gives an advantage – details are good even in low light. But Galaxy S25 doesn’t fall behind – both are quite close due to computational photography. In video, Xiaomi’s white balance seems a bit unstable, there is sometimes a colour shift. Galaxy’s footage is a bit noisy in darker conditions, but overall both are good. In Xiaomi’s shots, the highlights get blown out a bit more, while Galaxy’s HDR processing is slightly better.
Portrait and Zoom
In Portrait mode, both phones do a good job with artificial background blur. Xiaomi’s shots are more contrasty, but Galaxy’s skin tone seemed more accurate in indoor shots. From telephoto to 5x zoom, both phones give detailed shots, but at 20x zoom, Xiaomi’s bigger sensor gives slightly better images. But here too, Xiaomi’s vibrant mode is more colorful, while Galaxy’s color accuracy is slightly better.
Battery Test: Which one worked better?
Starting in the morning, I did the same tasks on both phones – YouTube, GPS (Komoot), Google Maps navigation, and camera use. I turned off auto-brightness and set both to the same brightness level (using lux meter). After the train journey and city roaming, Xiaomi 15 was at 79% and Galaxy S25 at 76%.
After YouTube and 5G usage in the cafe, Xiaomi was at 68% and Galaxy at 60%. By night, after night shots in the morning amusement park, Xiaomi was at 42% and Galaxy at 25%. Coming home, Xiaomi was at 36% and Galaxy at 19%. In the final test, both phones gave ~4 hours screen-on time, but Xiaomi was at 30% and Galaxy at 13%.
Xiaomi’s 90W HyperCharge is also a big plus – full charge in 30-40 minutes, while Galaxy’s 25W charging is a bit slow (50% in ~30 minutes). Xiaomi also has 50W wireless charging, and charger is provided in the box – not in Galaxy.
Performance and Software
Both phones have Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, so there is no difference in performance. Internet speed test and GPS tracking were quite similar in both. Both give smooth 90fps in gaming (BGMI) and heating was also under control. Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2.0 (Android 15) is fluid but has a bit of bloatware. Galaxy’s One UI 7 is more polished and gets 7 years of updates (compared to Xiaomi’s 4 years). Features like Circle to Search are present in Galaxy, which are missed in Xiaomi.
Specifications
| Features | Xiaomi 15 | Galaxy S25 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.36-inch 12-bit AMOLED, 1.5K, 120Hz | 6.2-inch 8-bit Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Camera | 50MP Wide + 50MP Telephoto (3.2x) + 50MP Ultra-wide, 32MP Selfie | 50MP Wide + 10MP Telephoto (3x) + 12MP Ultra-wide, 12MP Selfie |
| Battery | 5240mAh, 90W wired, 50W wireless | 4000mAh, 25W wired, 15W wireless |
| Weight | 189g | 162g |
| Software | HyperOS 2.0 (Android 15), 4 years updates | One UI 7 (Android 15), 7 years updates |
| Other | IP68, Leica optics, IR blaster | IP68, S Pen (Ultra model), Circle to Search |
Conclusion
The Xiaomi 15 is a great compact phone – big battery, fast charging, and Leica’s colorful camera make it stand out. The Galaxy S25 is small and lightweight, and offers 7 years of updates with One UI, but lags a bit in battery and charging. If you prioritize camera and battery life, then the Xiaomi 15 is a good fit. But if you want software polish and long-term updates, then the Galaxy S25 is better. Check the offers on Flipkart or Amazon, and tell me in the comments – which one will you take and why?