This week at MWC, Xiaomi launched the 15 and 15 Ultra in Europe, with the latter praised as a potential best camera flagship for 2025. Apple also announced new iPads and MacBooks featuring upgraded chipsets, with pre-orders available until March 12. Xiaomi’s 15 is a capable camera phone, but lacks some features of the Ultra model. Nothing introduced its more affordable (3a) phones, with pre-orders already available for the base model. Apple upgraded its iPad Air and MacBook Air models with new chips and features, aiming to entice previous model owners to upgrade.
As MWC commenced, it was a thrilling week. Xiaomi introduced the 15 and 15 Ultra models to the European market. Concurrently, Nothing launched its (3a) series of smartphones.
Over in Cupertino, it was “Air” week as Apple rolled out new iPads and MacBooks featuring enhanced chipsets. Note that the latest Apple devices are available for pre-order and will launch on March 12 (Wednesday).
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra made a remarkable impression in our review (be sure to check out the video review) and is strongly positioned as the leading camera flagship of 2025. However, it’s on the pricier side. Fortunately, Amazon is offering a £130 discount voucher along with a complimentary Redmi Watch 5.
The Xiaomi 15 may not feature the 1” main sensor or the stunning 200MP periscope, but it stands out as one of the more competent camera phones in its category (it’s slightly larger than a Galaxy S25 and comparable in size to a Pixel 9 Pro). We also have a video review for this model. The deal is tempting – a £180 voucher plus the free Redmi Watch 5.
Nothing opted to release the more budget-friendly a-phones first, prior to unveiling its 2025 flagship. In fact, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro won’t be launched for a few more days, so we’ll defer that for next week.
Interestingly, Amazon has the Nothing Phone (3a) marked as pre-order, despite it being available for sale already. You can grab the base 8/128GB version for £330 or opt for the 12/256GB variant for an additional £50.
The outgoing Nothing Phone (2a) is making its final appearance and is cheaper than the (3a) – up to £100 less for the 256GB models. The (3a) introduces valuable enhancements like a 50MP 50mm (2x) portrait lens. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset is quicker, albeit not significantly.
Shifting focus to Apple, the basic iPad 2025 has been upgraded to the Apple A16 chip, making it the only new iPad without Apple Intelligence support (the 2024 mini utilizes the A17 Pro chipset).
At the very least, Apple has increased the base storage to 128GB, which is more reasonable (64GB was limiting, and upgrading meant opting for the pricey 256GB model). It’s been three years since the vanilla iPad received an upgrade, and while we welcome the added performance and storage, we were expecting something more – AI capabilities, a 120Hz display, or something similar.
If you’re willing to forgo Apple Intelligence, you might consider the 2022 iPad. We wouldn’t advise the 64GB model, but the 256GB option is £50 cheaper than the new variant. There’s not much differentiating the 2022 and 2025 models besides the chipset, but the £50 savings aren’t substantial either – it might be wiser to opt for the new version.
The iPad Air received its last upgrade last year with the M2 chip, and now it has transitioned to the M3 chip. Essentially, that’s the sole enhancement of the 2025 iPad Air 11” and 13”. Apple asserts these are twice as powerful as the older M1-based Airs, so the company is attempting to entice holders of 2022 models to consider upgrading.
Additionally, new 13” and 15.3” MacBook Air models featuring the new M4 chip have been introduced, along with a $100 price reduction. The new chip accommodates up to two 6K 60Hz displays (an upgrade from just one in the previous generation). The new Airs also include upgraded 12MP Center Stage cameras (not entirely new – it’s the same as on the MacBook Pro). Plus, there’s a fresh color option called Sky Blue.
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