I’m interested in upgrading from my Galaxy A70 to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in Canada.
The CN version is $1299 CAD, while the global version is $1698 CAD, a $399 CAD price difference.
What are potential upsides and downsides for each version? Looking quickly, my carrier seems fine for 3G, 4G LTE and 5G with the CN version.
Is the global version worth the price increase or is there barely any difference between each version and I could save $399 by going with the CN version?
Price isn’t everything.
Also just a small side not Wear OS watches will not work on CN models either.
Good to hear!
I was looking at some posts were some people were saying there are issues with Google Play services, so it’s good to know it works well.
I’ll look more into the apps issues with Chinese OS and camera processing, I have not heard about these before.
Thanks for the information, really appreciated!
Agree but price fluctuates.
I found them to be terrible with emails as well. Only ever responded once. Their chat was okay, but still not great. I also looked into PDA Plaza but almost every person that gave me feedback said they were worse, especially with shipping times. Could be a month before that got their order.
You will only get taxed GST so for Alberta that would be 5% right? Shipping is $20 through DHL Worldwide Express. No tariffs for Canada, at least from what I know. They pay the import duties on behalf of the customer. Total with the current price+tax+shipping would be around $1,785. Payment for me took about 5 business days to process, and then it shipped immediately and arrived a further 2 days later.
The phone is the global Hong Kong model and comes with a clear case (albeit a little cheap feeling but still free) and the 90W charging adapter but it’s the Asian plug. They will provide an adapter for free though but I already use my worldwide travel plug that has voltage protection or even just my previous phone’s adapter. The Xiaomi charges fine on that.
Price difference big. Cn version software updates sooner with more features.
Hey i am ready to order but not sure what website is the best. Could you recommend a good one? Thanks
Are you in Canada? Would easily recommend Mi4Canada. Once the payment was processed, the phone shipped and arrived in basically 2 days. They also have the best pricing for Canada.
Thanks for sharing these links, found some posts about this but these ones have more details!
Yeah, I’m in Northern Alberta, out in the sticks. I was looking at Mi4Canada—only discovered them a few days ago—but I sent them an email on Thursday and still haven’t received a reply, which is a bit concerning. Also looked at PDAPlaza a while back.
Can I ask what the final cost would be to ship the phone to my address in Alberta, including the fastest possible freight option, taxes/fees, and any potential tariffs? Also, does the phone come with a charger and a case? Were you able to track the package? Thanks
If you drive and use Android auto, make sure that the CN rom of your device has it. Most don’t.
If you unlock it let me know, it’ll make my mind up lol. Goodluck
Global warranty for one, and not needing to unlock bootloader for the global os (no bloat)
Is there also a EU version when you buy it in Europe?
I’m still debating this as well.
To add to the rest of the info here, the CN version has no eSIM.
Some people say Android Auto works and some say it doesn’t.
Unlocking bootloader has become a serious issue if you’re considering installing Xiaomi.eu ROM
you need to search, this is asked often
[https://www.reddit.com/r/XiaomiGlobal/comments/1h5h4hr/xiaomi\_15\_chinese\_in\_europe/](https://www.reddit.com/r/XiaomiGlobal/comments/1h5h4hr/xiaomi_15_chinese_in_europe/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/XiaomiGlobal/comments/1gsypyg/chinese\_vs\_global\_rom/](https://www.reddit.com/r/XiaomiGlobal/comments/1gsypyg/chinese_vs_global_rom/)
Honestly, if it was easier to unlock the bootloader, CN version would be a no-brainer for me.
Chinese variant has no Google Play services. You need to install it manually. It works well if you’re concerned that Google won’t work. Battery is larger than global variant (approx 12% larger). OS is more feature packed and gets faster updates. Most features might not be useful for global customers tho. English support is there but not other global languages. Not sure about this but you might not get the highest quality in streaming apps?
Global version is pretty much good to go without any setup. Will not have issues with any apps (Chinese OS might be an issue with apps that are super picky about devices). For example some games (from playstore) do not run in 120fps in the Chinese variant. While cameras are identical, processing will vary slightly (chinese variant will have more skin smoothing & brighter images).
As a fellow Canadian with a global 15 Ultra, you will want to spend the extra money for the global version because it supports every single 4G and 5G band in Canada and that is HUGE. Even the low frequency bands (LTE 12, 13 and 17, 5G 71) are on the global where the China model is missing most. Better reception reliability will always be more worth it (at least for me) compared to lower price.
The Chinese version is also missing Android Auto, and some select Google features like Maps timeline (I think). No clue if they will ever be added in like Vivo is trying with beta OriginOS trials.
Notifications also work normally on the global version. The Chinese models require extensive setting tweaking to get alerts on time as the software prioritizes battery life above all. Even then, it’s not completely reliable.
The only benefit I see of the China model is probably faster firmware updates (China model is already on HyperOS 2.1) and the bigger battery. I paid $1,800 for my 15 Ultra and I don’t regret getting the global version. Left my AMA post below for your info.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/s/c06Zh1LG60
I think it’s only CN or global, so for EU they would be using global.