When it comes to photography, I’m one of those rare oddballs you’ll still see pointing a bulky mirrorless at things in a vain attempt to capture a snap that my smartphone still can’t. As much as I love them, the iPhone, Galaxy, and even the critically acclaimed Pixel can’t convince me to leave my Fuji at home for two key reasons — tasty natural bokeh and emotive color palettes. Still, the Pixel 9 Pro XL‘s reliable exposure and inoffensive color palette has earned it a place as my go-to when there’s simply no room on my hip for the mirrorless.
However, with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in my pocket for the past couple of weeks, the Pixel has been relegated to my shelf, and a small layer of dust has started collecting on my overpriced lenses. Is this the smartphone that finally convinces me to ditch my mirrorless? Let’s find out.