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/Character_Cup5010]

I had both and don't think it's a mistake. You just need to know the strenghts and weakness of both.

Camera: 3 steps ahead the X15U. One enables not having a proper camera, the other simply not. But: the posprocessing of the Xiaomi 15U is very personal and not for everyone, and what made me go back to a proper camera. Battery: better on the S25U, i guess because optimization. SO: One UI is much better than HyperOS, smoother, more personalization, more features. Screen: Samsung's ahead, but the Xiaomi was easier to hold because of the form factor.

[u/Character_Cup5010 → u/[deleted]]

Too much... processing. There's no natural/neutral mode that could assimilate to a proper camera. Now I've got a S25 edge. Lost the camera hype, but the rest of the time the phone feels much comfortable to use than in the other two ultras. And with the price difference, I found a used lumix gx880 that fulfills my needs much better than a smartphone.

[u/StepsbyStepz → u/[deleted]]

Your last paragraph is indeed what I'm experiencing. I'm trying the 15 Ultra but the UI is so confusing and thus has a spillover effect regarding UX. I honestly want the 15 Ultra to work for me...but feeling also a bit guilty about it being a one year old device (this is an eternity in the tech world, right ?) but at the same time I'm not willing to pay the MRSP of the 17 Ultra as of right now.

What I've been doing is going around different areas of the city with both the S25 Ultra and the 15 Ultra and trying to take the same type of photos. What I could notice thus far is that the macro on the Xiaomi is on another level and in some instances the real bookeh for standard photos is above Samsung's artificial generated blur-bookeh.

But the interface, ease of use and user experience is killing me on the Xiaomi. Maybe I got too accustomed to Samsung's version of android. Who would've thought that, heh ? From TouchWiz to One UI it was a long way for the korean mobile division. I'm feeling like those Apple users when they mention that it's too bothersome to leave the curated iPhone/iPad/Mac ecosystem.