Question Upgrading from Redmi Note 9 Pro — Xiaomi 15 vs 15 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro?

[slavi_asenov2002]

I’ve been using a Redmi Note 9 Pro for about 5 years. It’s still functional, but it's time for an upgrade as I have noticed some app crashes, system app crashes etc.

I’m currently deciding between:

Xiaomi 15 (512GB)
Xiaomi 15 Ultra (512GB)
iPhone 16 Pro (512GB) - here the 256 GB one is same price as the xiaomi 15 ultra.
And any other kind of phone in the same caliber. I have had Samsung phones in the past but I don't have very good impressions (had an galaxy S duos and S6).

Here’s what’s important to me:

• I’m not a content creator, but I want to start taking better casual photos when I go every week on a mountain hike with a friend of mine who is a photographer. Want to play around with angles, options etc. that I get taught.
• I use the phone for work - all kind of apps for communication, meetings, I use google docs, sheets and Office 365 apps (depends on the client I work with), use it for watching streams and other stuff. I don't game on it, I do have Wild rift but don't play it.
• I’ve never used iOS before and I’m not in the Apple ecosystem — I’m used to Android and plan to change my 2 old smart TVs with newer Android ones.
• I keep my phones for 4–5 years at least, so longevity and value are key. I don't like constantly upgrading phones every 2 years.
• I want the phone to be able to charge from 10% to 60-70% in like 15-20 minutes. I like that thing the most of my Redmi note 9 pro where I forget to charge it and while preparing to go out I get the phone with a battery level where I would it the whole day and won't have to charge it. The charge speed difference between the androids and iPhone is huge and that is something some friends told me is a burden.
• I like compact phones, but I’m fine going slightly bigger if the benefits are real.
• (Optional) AI - Might be overrated but I like having my Google assistant on and any kind of integration for day to day tasks to save time is good to have. For example instead of using google lens use build in OCR, stuff like that.

Budget - Around the Xiaomi 15 ultra - iPhone 16 pro price is the maximum. Anything above is out.

What I like about the Xiaomi 15 is that it’s compact, powerful, and cheaper.
The Ultra on paper has a very good quad camera but might be overkill. I liked its dual satellite connection as a feature as well, it is good to have but it is not supported in Bulgaria.
For design I like both - have seen them in person and I do not find any of the phones ugly + I do not care as long as it is doing everything I want.
The iPhone 16 Pro is tempting because of its camera mostly, as a lot of my friends who have switched have done it because of the camera. But I am not that keen on familiarizing myself with the Apple ecosystem. The friend of mine who is photographer has full on apple ecosystem, I think he lacks only a laptop. I’m not going to do that to myself.

Anyone with experience using these phones (or similar) — would you say the Ultra is worth the extra, or is the Xiaomi 15 already great.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[COLGeek]

Based on your history, I would recommend sticking with Xiaomi phones. Changing to IOS can be a challenge for some and the premium price for the iPhone is of questionable value.

I would not consider the AI features of any phone as a criteria for purchase.