Review Summary
Expert Rating
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Yes, you read that right. The Redmi 15 5G is a phablet, thanks to its super-large 6.9-inch display, which feels like a mini tablet in my hands. It takes you back to the 2010s and reminds one of the older LeEco phones with over 6.9-inch displays. This isn’t an exaggeration in any way, but if you’re using the Redmi 15, it will stand out in the crowd. Is that a bad thing, though? That’s debatable, as some might prefer a large screen to watch content from their phone, while others may think it’s too much.
The screen isn’t the only thing that’s big (no pun intended) with the Redmi 15; the battery is also impressive. It features a massive 7,000mAh battery, making it the only phone, other than the POCO M7 Plus, to offer this battery capacity under Rs 15,000. This price segment is for budget users, with phones mostly aimed at offering a balanced and well-rounded performance. You don’t expect much from phones at this price segment, but brands have been pushing it, offering premium designs, the latest chipsets, and big batteries. We take a look at the Redmi 15, the latest entrant in this price category, to see what value it offers for users.
Table of Contents
Verdict
The Redmi 15 stands out with its premium design, massive battery, immersive content experience, and optimised performance. It’s ideal for users who value entertainment and long-lasting endurance over raw performance power.
Phone or phablet?
Let’s start with the elephant in the room, its size. The Redmi 15 packs a massive 6.9-inch display, easily one of the largest you’ll find on a smartphone today outside of foldables. The bezels are on the thicker side and do feel a bit dated, but with a screen this big, they’re not a deal-breaker. You get a FHD+ (2340 × 1080 pixels) LCD panel that supports 144Hz refresh rate and 700 nits of peak brightness. The refresh rate can be set at 60Hz or pushed all the way to 144Hz, with adaptive adjustment based on usage. The specs are fairly standard for this segment, but the panel is bright enough for everyday use. Even with peak brightness capped at 850 nits, outdoor visibility remains comfortable.
I might have bickered a lot about the screen size, but I should still give credit where it’s due. The Redmi 15 is great for watching videos. You just place the phone on a kickstand, and you’re set to watch your favourite movie or TV show on a mini tablet. So, if you’re someone who regularly consumes content on your phone, the Redmi 15 will be a great choice. The phone also gets plenty loud despite housing a single bottom speaker, thanks to its 200 percent volume feature. As loud as it gets, the single-directional sound can get a bit annoying. It’s also not great for video calls on speaker as the audio can easily get blocked if you’re pressing on the bottom of the phone.
The Redmi 15 is also proof that brands are starting to take design seriously, even in the budget segment. Our review unit in the Frosted White finish stands out with a marble-like texture on the back and a metal camera frame that adds a premium touch. The phone is also available in Midnight Black and Sandy Purple colour options.
In terms of durability, the Redmi 15 carries an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance. Competing phones like the Realme P3x and Realme 14x go a step further with IP69 protection, currently the highest available. Still, Redmi adds some handy extras, including the tried-and-tested IR blaster for use as a virtual remote and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for quick access.
Two-day battery life
The Redmi 15 stands out for its massive 7,000mAh battery, which is the max you’ll get under Rs 15,000. In our PCMark battery test, which gives you an idea about how long the phone can last under typical usage, the Redmi 15 lasted for 14 hours and 54 minutes. This is much higher than most of the phones in this price segment. Realistically, the phone’s battery at 100 percent can go for around two days on typical usage. This includes taking calls, using WhatsApp, a bit of gaming, and watching videos as well. I didn’t need to charge the phone during these two days. Even with extensive usage, you should easily get a full day’s backup.
You get a 33W charger with the phone, which takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes to charge from 20 to 100 percent. This is less than some phones with a smaller battery, so the charging time is fine. The Redmi 15 also supports 18W reverse charging, doubling as a power bank for other devices.
Reliable performance
The Redmi 15 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, a year-old chipset built on the 6nm process. In comparison, rivals like the Vivo T4x use the more efficient 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7300, and the difference shows. The T4x, priced at Rs 13,999, leads comfortably in benchmarks with an AnTuTu score of 6,85,052, while the Redmi 15 manages 4,63,289.
The Redmi 15 may not have the raw performance, but the phone has been well optimised to deliver a stable performance for everyday use. Furthermore, the handset has impressive thermal efficiency, managing demanding activities such as gaming without getting uncomfortably warm. This ensures a smooth performance even after 30 minutes of continuous gaming. Speaking of which, the handset can handle demanding titles such as COD Mobile and BGMI; however, not without occasional stutters.
So if you are a heavy gamer, you might want to look elsewhere. But, for anything casual, the handset should be an ideal match.
Decent cameras at best
The Redmi 15 has a 50MP AI dual camera with an unspecified sensor, and an 8MP front camera. You’ll typically find this camera setup in this segment, but there are a few options that offer an additional 2MP depth sensor, like the OPPO K13x, which is currently our top choice for cameras under Rs 15,000. We compared the Redmi 15’s cameras with the OPPO K13x in different scenarios like daylight, portrait, selfies, and low-light.
We would say the Redmi 15 produces decent daylight shots, but in comparison to the K13x, it falls short in details, sharpness, colours, and contrast. If you don’t get too much into technicalities, the Redmi 15 still does a good job.
Portrait shots are better, though, as the Redmi 15 does well with edge detection, details, and clarity. It, however, fails to get the correct skin tone.
That’s different when it comes to selfies, as the Redmi 15 gets closer to your natural skin tone, compared to the OPPO K13x.
Low light is an area the Redmi 15 could seriously do with some improvement, as images turn out overexposed and with too much noise. The OPPO K13x, on the other hand, does a great job with low-light photos, and that too without night mode. The Redmi 15’s night mode does make things much better, but it still tends to over-brighten the image.
Long-term software support for the win
The Redmi 15 runs HyperOS 2.0 with Android 15 out of the box. You also get 66 pre-installed apps, one of the highest on a phone. There are also 19 third-party apps. This can be particularly annoying, especially when setting up the device for the first time. Otherwise, the UI is smooth, and you get AI features like Circle to Search and Gemini Live. There are native AI features like ‘Sky’ that let you add different kinds of sky filters to your photos, but the results seem very dramatic, and the feature still requires some fine-tuning.
If you’re into customisation, there are several cute free themes available for the Redmi 15. Xiaomi is offering two OS upgrades (up to Android 17) and four years of security updates, which is standard for this price point. It’s worth mentioning, though, that Redmi is offering an extra year of security updates, which is usually 3 for most phones.
Final verdict
So, should you buy the Redmi 15? If you spend hours binge-watching shows or movies, the massive 7,000mAh battery will keep you going without worry. The phone handles everyday tasks and casual gaming comfortably, but power users may find its performance a bit limiting. Additionally, its large size might not appeal to everyone. Still, the Redmi 15 stands out with its premium design, decent cameras, solid battery life, and dependable overall experience.
Editor’s rating: 8.1/10
Reasons to buy:
- 7,000mAh battery that can easily last over a day.
- Design looks and feels premium for this price range.
- Large 6.9-inch screen is great for watching videos.
Reasons not to buy:
- Thick bezels seem dated.
- Phone’s size is quite big and not comfortable to hold.
