As Black Friday deals flood the market, finding the best flagship phone offers can be overwhelming. In today’s spotlight, we’re zeroing in on three standout models that combine cutting-edge technology and excellent value, with a particular focus on the impressive Xiaomi 15 Ultra.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra, one of the top camera flagships for 2025 that we’ve tested, is currently available at an unbeatable price, significantly below its £1,300 MSRP. Despite newer models arriving, this phone remains a compelling choice for photography enthusiasts and power users alike.
When stacked against the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, both devices offer fantastic displays—6.73” on the Xiaomi and 6.9” on the Samsung—each using vibrant 1440p+ OLED panels powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Samsung leads slightly in productivity features, including DeX and advanced AI capabilities, and guarantees a longer software update runway with seven OS updates compared to Xiaomi’s four.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra boasts a massive 1-inch 50MP main sensor, delivering outstanding photo quality. The Galaxy S25 Ultra counters with a 200MP main sensor (1/1.3”), focusing on sheer resolution. Both phones share 50MP ultra-wide cameras and dual telephoto lenses, but Xiaomi's setup includes a 50MP 3x/70mm and a 200MP 4.3x/100mm lens, whereas Samsung offers a 10MP 3x/67mm and a 50MP 5x/111mm configuration. According to our head-to-head tests, Xiaomi tends to produce superior images.
Battery performance further tips the scale toward Xiaomi, with a 5,410mAh capacity yielding an impressive 16:13h Active use score, compared to Samsung’s 14:49h from a smaller 5,000mAh pack. Though Xiaomi’s 90W fast charging and Samsung’s 45W system are close in speed—reaching roughly 42% and 41% in 15 minutes, and matching 72% at 30 minutes—Xiaomi edges out with a full charge in 51 minutes versus Samsung's 59.
Adding another option, the Poco F7 Ultra offers excellent value with the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a 6.67” 1440p+ OLED display, albeit smaller. Its 5,300mAh battery delivers 13:32h Active use score, slightly behind its pricier counterparts. The standout feature here is ultra-fast 120W charging, hitting 60% in 15 minutes and 100% in 30, outpacing both Xiaomi and Samsung in charging speed.
While its camera system is less advanced than the other Ultras, featuring a 50MP 1/1.55” main, 50MP 2.5x telephoto, and 32MP ultra-wide lenses, the Poco F7 Ultra still produces solid photos for its price – which is less than half that of the Xiaomi and Samsung models.
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