Xiaomi has refreshed its Redmi line in India with the release of the Redmi 15 5G. The new smartphone has a massive 7,000 mAh battery and a 144 Hz display under Rs 15,000. Will these specifications and pricing entice customers, given the market’s abundance of affordable smartphone competitors? Let’s find in the Redmi 15 5G Review.
In This Article
Design and Display
The phone seems large when you first hold it. Incredibly, incredibly large. It is so thick and heavy that it reminds us of Samsung’s earlier flagship smartphones. However, the camera bump is minimal. The Redmi 15, like the majority of low-cost phones in this price range, is made of polycarbonate. We were sent the frosted white version for review, which we found to be quite appealing. Given that its pattern varies greatly depending on how light shines on it, it appears to be rather attractive. Additionally, there are two colour variations available: Sandy Purple and Midnight Black.
Although the back and frame of the phone are constructed of polycarbonate, the camera module is made of metal. Consequently, it has a very high-end appearance and feel, thanks to this unusual combination of metal and polycarbonate, especially in the budget segment. Additionally, the weight distribution is done rather effectively. As a result, it feels light in the hand. In addition, the display has panda glass on top, and it is rated IP64 for water protection. So that it can withstand those unintentional dips into the pool or water spillage.
Regarding the rest of the ports and buttons, you do receive a single mono speaker grill and a Type-C 2.0 connector at the bottom. Close to the port is a microphone as well. You get a fingerprint scanner on the side, which doubles as the power button. Additionally, there is a volume rocker located just above the power button, and an infrared blaster at the top that you can use to control your TV, air conditioner, and other home appliances.
Also Read: Realme 15 Pro 5G Review: Beauty with brains
The 6.9-inch FHD+ screen of the 5G smartphone has a resolution of 2,340×1,080 pixels. It is a TÜV Rheinland display that supports adaptive refresh rates of up to 144 Hz and touch sampling rates of up to 288 Hz. The maximum brightness of the phone is set at 850 nits.
There are bezels surrounding the display on all three sides, at the top, and on the left and right. They are somewhat slim, which is acceptable for an LCD panel. The chin is a little thicker than average, but not excessively so.
Now, only a select few apps may use the 144 Hz refresh rate. In fact, the system user interface operates at 120 Hz, with 144 Hz accessible when specific applications or games require it.
In addition, the display quality is excellent for an LCD. Overall, the quality of the video we ran was good. It’s clear, however, that this isn’t an AMOLED. The black here seems a little grey. In addition, its maximum brightness of about 850 nits makes it suitable for outdoor use. By default, the Redmi 15 is set to vivid mode, which Redmi recommends. However, we would prefer the standard mode. It somewhat enhances the display, but it does bring the hues back to a neutral tone. For basic content consumption, the display is rather acceptable.
Also, if you’re viewing YouTube or Netflix, you receive wide L1 certification; nevertheless, neither platform supports HDR. Redmi needs to have included support for YouTube HDR at the very least. But regrettably, the processor is to blame.
Speaking of the speaker setup, it is a mono speaker. Without a doubt, stereo speakers would have been preferable. However, there is a 200% volume mode and, more significantly, Dolby certification. That indicates that the mono speaker does sound clean and rich, at least according to our tests.
In addition, the Redmi 15 has support for LHDC, which is a further essential attribute. Therefore, the Redmi 15 can be a fantastic choice for you if you’re looking for an affordable mobile device to use with Bluetooth earphones or an audio file.
Performance and Cameras
Okay, let’s go over the performance. The Redmi 15 is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 CPU (2x Cortex A78 @ 2.3GHz and 6x Cortex A55 at 1.95GHz), 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage, and up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM (which can be expanded to 16GB RAM with up to 8GB virtual).
You receive reasonably good numbers on AnTuTu and Geekbench. In terms of performance, it’s not the best, but it’s also not the worst.
AnTuTu Benchmark Scores- 4,64,542
It is capable of easily doing routine operations like reading posts and scrolling through feeds. Furthermore, you cannot play games at 60 frames per second with BGMI; it only supports 40 frames per second. However, the gameplay is incredibly fluid at 40 frames per second. The sensitivity function is not supported by the device because it does not have a gyroscope.
Overall, the processor is suitable for decent workloads, daily use, or casual gaming.
It comes pre-installed with Android 15 and runs on HyperOS 2. It has user-friendly AI features like Circle to Search, AI Erase, AI Sky, and Gemini Live.
Redmi is also guaranteeing updates for two plus four years, which is excellent for a low-cost smartphone. Having stated that, the software actually is a solid experience. You can uninstall some of the pre-installed apps, and there is no animation when the application launches or shuts down. In contrast to the majority of smartphones in this price bracket, it is genuinely swift and smooth, which is a welcome change.
Additionally, you get a decent number of customising options for both the home screen and lock screen. It’s fine for a low-cost phone, but not quite as nice as the company’s premium offerings. We are certain that many users would be concerned by Redmi’s usage of its own call recording dialler app. All things considered, the HyperOS 2 experience is surprisingly dependable for a budget-friendly phone.
When it comes to the camera configuration, you get a dual rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary sensor and a huge aperture of f/1.75. A front-facing 8-megapixel camera is included for video calls and selfies.
Also Read: Realme 15 Review: How good is this ‘AI Party’ phone at everyday tasks?
With the 50MP primary camera, you can anticipate a respectable level of detail with just a little enhancement in the daylight hours. However, the skin tones are what we found appealing about the Redmi 15’s camera settings. In our opinion, they are rather excellent for a low-cost phone, despite being a bit warmer. Additionally, the image is more lifelike overall.
According to us, the portraits appear to be okay. It goes without saying that excellent portrait photos are not possible with low-cost phones. There’s nothing wrong with the 8-megapixel selfie camera. Not that stands out, but if you have enough light, it is good enough. For the price, everything is fantastic, even the background blur. It only supports portrait mode at 1x now. It can’t be cropped to 2x. Therefore, in order to shoot close-up portraits, you will actually need to move towards the subject.
Of course, the HDR mode should have performed better, and the low-light performance isn’t the best. Though it crushes the shadows, it really does a great job controlling the highlights.
You can only capture videos at 1080p 30 frames per second using the primary camera and the selfie camera. Thus, in general, the Redmi 15 5G’s cameras are just functional if not great.
The Redmi 15 super excels in one area, which is the battery. It comes with a sizable 7,000 mAh battery, which is likely the biggest in the market at the moment. It is also a silicon-carbon battery. EV-grade silicon carbon battery is what Xiaomi now refers to it as. As a result, it also makes use of modern technologies. Although comprehensive battery testing has not yet been conducted, the Snapdragon 6S Gen 3 is a chipset that consumes minimal power. This means that with moderate use, it should last at least two days or even more. Thus, it is reasonable to estimate that you will receive 9 to 10 hours of screen time. A 33-watt charger is included in the box, and it takes around one and a half hours to charge from 0% to 100%.
It can also reverse charge up to 18 watts.
Verdict
When people ask us for a decent budget-friendly phone, we always suggest the Redmi Note series because it’s affordable. With the release of the Redmi 15, we believe Xiaomi has the best idea for the low-budget market because of what people desire. The Redmi 15 here satisfies their needs for a large display and a large battery in addition to the latest silicon carbon technology. However, the experience with HyperOS 2 is also rather positive. You are also covered for four years of security updates and two years of software updates.
In addition, the design is visually appealing. So, yes, that is unquestionably great. Therefore, the Redmi 15 does become a viable choice when all of that is taken into consideration.
The basic model of the Redmi 15 5G now costs Rs 14,998. And we think the phone is really good for that price range.
Redmi 15 5G Pros
- Incredibly long battery life thanks to the 7,000mAh battery
- An enjoyable software experience
- Excellent design
- A massive screen
- Comes with a 33W charger
- Supports 18W reverse charging
Redmi 15 5G Cons
- Recommended for casual gaming
- Gyroscope is missing
- Loaded with unwanted apps
