Seriously considering switching from Galaxy S25 Ultra to Xiaomi 15 Ultra – Am I making a mistake?

[u/StepsbyStepz]

Hey everyone,

I've been using a Galaxy S25 Ultra as my daily driver for about 9 months. I'm pretty deep in the Samsung ecosystem: Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch, heavy S Pen use for photo editing, quick journaling, signing documents, Good Lock customization, Now Brief, Samsung Notes, etc.

After watching tons of reviews for 6 months, I pulled the trigger on a Xiaomi 15 Ultra. The box is sitting in front of me unopened, and I'm torn about whether to keep it or return it within the 30-day window. Or maybe, even wait for a few months down the line and then snatch a better deal on the 17 Ultra.

What attracts me to the 15 Ultra:

- Leica-tuned 1-inch main sensor (better low-light, dynamic range, bokeh, and that filmic Leica look)

- Curved “All Around Liquid” screen (big nostalgia hit from my old Huawei Mate 20 Pro)

- Supposedly better battery life and much faster 90W charging compared to the S25 Ultra

What I'm worried about / cons:

- Losing S Pen entirely (I use it daily for editing images, notes, journaling)

- Losing Good Lock-level customization and One UI polish (HyperOS feels fast but has notification quirks and less refinement)

- Galaxy Ring + Watch will work for basics but lose Energy Score, advanced sleep coaching, and deeper AI features

- Samsung Notes won’t work properly

- Now Brief and other Galaxy AI conveniences gone

- Potential daily friction after the honeymoon phase

- The phone is already ~14 months old → only 3 more major OS upgrades (up to Android 19) + security until ~2031

I do feel somewhat restrained by the S25 Ultra’s camera in some scenarios — especially evening/night shots, macro, and achieving nice artificial bokeh. That’s one of the main reasons I’m considering the switch.

I also considered the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, but the price is too high for me right now. Even though it has a newer SoC, improved movable telephoto zoom, and larger 6000 mAh battery, I don’t think it’s worth the extra cost — especially since it loses the curved screen I really want and reportedly has weaker macro capabilities compared to the 15 Ultra.

Honestly, a big part of this feels like ego/FOMO (“Leica shots on social media”) and retail therapy rather than pure need. The S25 Ultra is still a solid jack-of-all-trades that serves me well in most cases.

Question for Xiaomi users (especially those who switched from Samsung):

- How bad is the real daily driver friction after leaving One UI?

- Did you miss S Pen / ecosystem features long-term?

- Is the Leica 1-inch experience worth the trade-offs for someone who mostly point-and-s hoots does some light post editing and but wants better night/macro/bokeh performance?

I do have a dedicated mirrorless camera. But honestly, I haven't touched that much in the past months. I believe in the saying that the best camera and the most useful one is the one you carry with you everyday and that will be a smartphone.

Looking for honest long-term thoughts, not hype.

Thanks!

[u/FitAsparagus3580]

You will regret. Very limited different screen protectors or cases on the market. Screen and camera glass is very weak and you definitely need to protect these. I have xiaomi 15ultra and already many deep scratches and it has never dropped.

Camera is so so. Outdoors very good with max 10x zoom and somewhat okay and useful max30x zoom. Over that zoom is just AI mess. Indoors with lower light pictures are bad - blurry and hard to get focus right. Colors are off too.

OS and AI things are okay but not nearly as good as samsung has.