Xiaomi 15 Ultra prototype: Eyewitness reports major changes to Leica camera, potential 1+ inch sensor

Digital Chat Station is certainly one of the most reliable tipsters alongside Ice Universe from China that we currently know of, which is why it is hardly surprising that his latest tip about the Leica camera of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is spreading like wildfire on social networks. According to his post on Weibo (see screenshot below), the leaker recently had the opportunity to get his hands on an early test unit of Xiaomi's next high-end camera flagship. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that the changes will be adopted for the final model.

The leaker did not provide any images, but his description of the changes to the round camera module compared to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra (available here at Amazon) is nevertheless revealing. Although the round shape of the Leica 2025 camera module is unlikely to change, the position and size of the individual cameras appear to have changed more than between the past two generations. The Leica camera flagship, equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, will once again have two telephotos, of which the one with periscope optics and a supposed 200 MP sensor is said to look very large.

Leakers are expecting a 1/1.4-inch sensor for the 4x zoom camera, which matches the leaker's visual impression. However, the reference to a larger-looking 50 MP main camera is also interesting, indicating either an even larger aperture or a larger sensor. Xiaomi currently already uses a sensor in 1-inch format, so a further increase could be a first in the smartphone market. Whether such a sensor upgrade would make sense remains to be seen, but rumors about experiments with Micro Four Thirds sensors in smartphones have been circulating for months.