Redmi, a brand once synonymous with offering exceptional value, has recently faced challenges in the affordable and mid-range smartphone market. This decline can be attributed to both its own strategic decisions and the aggressive rise of competitors. Factors like retailer dissatisfaction, suboptimal product positioning, and rivals gaining ground have led to a noticeable decrease in shipments, painting a rather grim picture. The launch of the Redmi 15 5G in India last month marks another attempt to reverse this trend.
This new handset introduces several segment-leading features, most notably a colossal 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery. Crucially, the Redmi 15 5G enters the market with a competitive starting price of Rs. 14,999 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. The big question is: does it possess enough substance to turn Redmi’s fortunes around? This review will delve into that.
Redmi 15 5G Design: A Refreshing Change
- Dimensions – 168.4×80.4×8.40mm
- Weight – 217 grams
- Colours – Frosted White, Midnight Black and Sandy Purple
- Ingress rating – IP64
The Redmi 15 5G stands out in the lower mid-range segment for sporting a completely new design, rather than just a cosmetic refresh of its predecessor. The camera module, a rectangular accent positioned at the top-right corner of the back cover, is a notable new addition. It houses three rings, which, while appearing premium, cleverly conceal that only two are actual sensors, with the third being purely decorative. Nonetheless, this redesigned camera island successfully gives the phone a more upscale look.
The Redmi 15 5G is available in three striking color options, including the Frosted White shade reviewed here. This variant beautifully catches the light, giving it a sophisticated, marble-like texture. It’s a welcome sight to see affordable phones prioritizing attractive aesthetics over a simple, industrial appearance.
The Redmi 15 5G features a redesigned camera island, setting it apart from its predecessor.
Weighing 217g and measuring 8.40mm thick, Redmi’s latest offering is far from a compact device. In fact, it’s one of the largest and widest phones we’ve encountered. While its flat frame offers decent ergonomics and grip, users with smaller hands might find it challenging to comfortably reach the top corners. Additionally, the Redmi 15 5G carries an IP64 rating, signifying it’s dust-tight but only splash-resistant. So, caution is advised around significant water exposure.
Redmi 15 5G Display: Almost a Phablet
- Size and resolution – 6.9-inch Full HD+ LCD, 1,080 x 2,340 pixels
- Refresh rate – 144Hz
The Redmi 15 5G’s enormous screen almost pushes it into the ‘phablet’ category. Even by 2025 standards, where smartphones are continuously growing in size, this is a particularly large handset. It boasts a 6.9-inch Full HD+ LCD display with a 144Hz refresh rate, up to 850 nits of peak brightness, a 288Hz touch sampling rate, and 374ppi pixel density.
The display performance is generally acceptable. The panel provides a sufficiently high resolution and delivers good colors with adequate contrast. As it’s an LCD screen, you won’t experience the deep blacks found on AMOLED displays, especially when watching content on platforms like Netflix or YouTube. However, this isn’t a major drawback. The inclusion of a 144Hz panel largely compensates, making everyday usage incredibly smooth.
The Redmi 15 5G offers a 144Hz refresh rate, though it’s primarily active in specific applications.
Navigating the user interface feels fluid, and most third-party applications also benefit from the high refresh rates. It’s worth noting, however, that the 144Hz refresh rate can be somewhat of a marketing trick, with the screen typically operating at 120Hz. The peak 144Hz refresh rate is only occasionally reached in specific apps like Calculator or Recorder.
However, two aspects truly detract from the overall viewing experience: bezels and brightness. Even considering its price point, the Redmi 15 5G features noticeably thick bezels, particularly along the bottom chin. Furthermore, we observed some backlight bleeding from the top and bottom edges, along with slight vignetting in the screen’s corners.
Regarding brightness, the handset’s 850 nits of peak brightness, while adequate for indoor use, struggles significantly outdoors. Using the phone under direct harsh sunlight made reading emails and messages quite difficult.
Redmi 15 5G Software: A Typical Xiaomi Experience
- Software – HyperOS 2
- Version – Android 15
- Updates Promised – 2 Years (OS Updates), 4 Years (Security Patches)
The Redmi 15 5G operates on HyperOS 2, Xiaomi’s Android 15-based custom skin. Users transitioning from other Xiaomi devices will find a familiar experience, though it might feel a bit uninspired. Animations, app switching, and transitions within the UI are generally smooth, though we did encounter a few occasional lags on the software side.
What’s impressive is the inclusion of features like Circle to Search and Gemini on a smartphone priced under Rs. 15,000. You’ll also find a wealth of customization options. However, the overall experience is marred by the pervasive presence of bloatware. The phone comes pre-loaded with numerous applications, with titles like Block Blast, Bubble Shooter, and TileFun being common offenders. While it’s understandable that brands need to offset manufacturing and R&D costs, it’s crucial to remember that a subpar software experience can deter consumers.
The handset operates on Android 15-based HyperOS 2.
It’s also worth noting that Xiaomi’s proprietary app store has been supplanted by the Indus App Store, an Indian alternative to the Google Play Store developed by PhonePe. However, the Indus App Store isn’t quite up to par, and we highly recommend sticking with Google’s more robust platform for your app needs.
The Redmi 15 5G promises two years of OS updates and four years of security patches, which is a commendable offering for its price category.
Redmi 15 5G Performance: Suitable for Daily Usage
- Processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3
- Memory – Up to 8GB LPDDR4X
- Storage – Up to 256GB UFS 2.2
The Redmi 15 5G isn’t designed as a performance powerhouse. However, this doesn’t mean it underperforms. Our daily usage primarily involved routine tasks like calling, messaging, and scrolling through social media, all of which the phone handled capably. We experienced no significant issues with responsiveness or speed in these everyday activities.
Gaming, however, is an area where the handset shows some limitations. For instance, games like Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) can only be played at a maximum of 40-45 frames per second (fps). Pushing beyond this leads to inconsistent performance.
The Redmi 15 5G’s marble-like back texture exudes a premium feel.
Furthermore, the absence of a gyroscope means less precision in gaming, making aiming more challenging and actions slower. Therefore, if you’re an avid mobile gamer, you might find more suitable alternatives to the Redmi 15 5G. A silver lining, though, is that you’ll rarely encounter heating or throttling issues; the phone remains cool during most tasks.
Beyond gaming, the Redmi 15 5G features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that offers snappy and reliable operation. There’s a single bottom-firing speaker, but its audio quality isn’t up to par. At higher volume levels, the sound tends to become slightly shrill, rendering the 200 percent volume boost feature largely ineffective.
Redmi 15 5G Cameras: Could Be Better
- Rear – 50-megapixel primary (f/1.75) + unspecified secondary sensor
- Front – 8-megapixel (f/2.2)
The cameras on the Redmi 15 5G leave considerable room for improvement, even for a device priced under Rs. 15,000. The 50-megapixel primary shooter is arguably the only truly usable camera, as the secondary sensor appears to be merely a complementary addition. The primary lens generally captures images with good colors, dynamic range, and exposure.
Daylight camera samples at 1X and 2X magnification.
However, on a few occasions, we noticed over-exposed highlights or slightly inaccurate white balance. While these aren’t critical concerns, the lack of detail is. Images sometimes appear as if they’ve undergone sensor cropping or digital zooming, resulting in a noticeable loss of detail even when captured in good daylight. Unsurprisingly, images shot at 2X magnification appear even softer.
Redmi 15 5G portrait camera sample.
The Redmi 15 5G also struggles significantly with low-light performance. The camera often has difficulty focusing, and the scarcity of detail is even more pronounced here. Furthermore, the handset takes quite a while to process images, which means you might miss fleeting moments for the perfect shot.
Low-light camera samples.
The 8-megapixel selfie camera performs marginally better, capturing selfies with a decent amount of detail, although the colors can appear a bit off.
Daylight versus low-light selfie camera samples.
For video recording, the Redmi 15 5G can shoot at up to 1080p 30fps. However, it completely lacks any form of stabilization, meaning clips captured while moving will be noticeably shaky and largely unusable. It is genuinely disappointing to see an essential feature like stabilization absent in a 2025 handset.
Redmi 15 5G Battery: Sets it Apart
- Battery Capacity – 7,000mAh
- Wired Charging – 33W
- Charger – 3W (Included in Box)
Battery life is undeniably one of the Redmi 15 5G’s most compelling strengths. It’s equipped with a colossal 7,000mAh battery, utilizing advanced silicon-carbon technology, which represents a significant upgrade from the 5,030mAh Li-Po cell found in its predecessor, the Redmi 13 5G. Unsurprisingly, it truly excels in this department.
During our moderate usage, the phone consistently delivered nearly two full days of battery life on a single charge. Lighter users could easily stretch this beyond two days. In our demanding HD video loop test, the Redmi 15 5G impressively lasted for 29 hours and 37 minutes.
Despite its 7,000mAh battery, the Redmi 15 5G maintains a relatively slim profile.
While battery longevity has vastly improved over its predecessor, charging speed remains unchanged, as it ships with the same 33W charger. It takes approximately one hour and 45 minutes to charge the Redmi 15 5G from empty to full. However, the extended battery life means you won’t need to charge it as frequently.
Redmi 15 5G Verdict
The Redmi 15 5G carves a clear niche for itself in the market: it’s a handset defined by its extraordinary battery life. Its standout feature is undoubtedly the 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, providing an impressive two days of usage. It also makes for an excellent entertainment device for binge-watchers, thanks to its expansive, almost phablet-sized display.
However, these strengths come with notable compromises. The cameras on the Redmi 15 5G are rather underwhelming, and its gaming performance is hindered by the processor choice and the absence of a gyroscope. While the software offers a rich set of features, it’s unfortunately burdened with bloatware, which detracts from the overall user experience.
So, who is the Redmi 15 5G designed for? It’s a compelling option for users who prioritize a long-lasting battery or a large display for media consumption above all else. For other users, devices like the iQOO Z10x 5G and Poco M7 Pro might offer better overall value.