Redmi 15 5G review: Big screen smartphone with strong battery life

3.5/5Redmi, known for its affordable and value-packed smartphones, has launched the Redmi 15 5G in India. The phone’s price starts at Rs 14,999 for the 6GB + 128GB variant and is aimed at users who want reliable performance with long battery life. It comes with a 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, one of the largest in its segment, and supports 33W fast charging.With this launch, Redmi is hoping to strengthen its position in the budget 5G space, where competition from Realme, iQOO, and Motorola has grown fierce. We spent some time testing the Redmi 15 5G to see if it truly brings back the brand’s “value-first” appeal or if it struggles to stand out in a crowded market.

Design and display

Redmi 15 5G has received a complete design refresh this year instead of just a colour update. The smartphone measures 168.4 x 80.4 x 8.4 mm and weighs 217 grams, making it one of the larger devices in the segment. It is available in three colours — Frosted White, Midnight Black, and Sandy Purple.The back panel now features a new rectangular camera module with three circular rings on the top-right corner. Only two of these are actual cameras, while the third is decorative. The module uses what Redmi calls an aerospace-grade metal design, giving it a slightly more refined look.We used the Frosted White variant, which reflects light nicely and gives the phone a subtle textured finish. Despite the visual upgrade, the large footprint means users with smaller hands may find it difficult to use the device one-handed. The flat edges, however, help with grip.

Redmi has also included an IP64 rating, which means the phone is dust-tight and resistant to light splashes — a useful addition, though not meant for heavy water exposure.Redmi 15 5G features a 6.9-inch Full HD+ LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and a 144Hz refresh rate. It’s one of the biggest screens in the category, making it ideal for media consumption and casual gaming.The display produces decent colour accuracy and contrast for an LCD panel, though it lacks the deeper blacks you’d get with AMOLED screens. The high refresh rate makes scrolling and animations smooth, but the panel usually operates at 120Hz, with 144Hz kicking in only for select apps.At 850 nits of peak brightness, the screen performs well indoors but struggles in direct sunlight. The thick bezels — particularly at the bottom — and minor backlight bleeding around the edges slightly affect the viewing experience, but these trade-offs are expected at this price point.

Performance

Powering the Redmi 15 5G is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 processor, paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. This combination delivers decent day-to-day performance, handling regular tasks like messaging, browsing, and streaming without issues.

During testing, the phone managed multitasking smoothly, with minimal lag when switching between apps. Casual games such as BGMI and Asphalt 9 ran fairly well on medium settings, though the chipset isn’t designed for heavy gaming. The phone tends to warm up slightly after extended gaming sessions, but not to an uncomfortable level.App loading times are acceptable, and storage speeds are in line with what we expect from UFS 2.2. The overall experience feels consistent and reliable for an entry-level 5G phone in this price range.Redmi 15 5G runs HyperOS 2, built on Android 15, out of the box. The interface looks cleaner than before, with smoother animations and more stable system behaviour compared to previous MIUI versions.Redmi has promised two years of Android updates and four years of security patches, which gives some confidence in long-term support. While the phone comes with a few preinstalled apps, most of them can be uninstalled easily.HyperOS 2 brings several small improvements such as better privacy controls, an updated control centre, and smoother transitions. The phone also benefits from tighter integration with Xiaomi’s ecosystem devices, allowing easier syncing across phones, TVs, and laptops.

Camera

Redmi 15 5G features a dual rear camera setup, led by a 50-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.75 aperture, accompanied by an unspecified secondary sensor that mainly assists with depth information. On the front, there’s an 8-megapixel camera for selfies and video calls.In good daylight, the main camera captures detailed and vibrant photos with natural colours. Dynamic range is decent, and focusing is quick in most conditions. Close-up shots come out well, with enough background blur to make subjects stand out.

However, as lighting conditions drop, so does the quality. In low light, photos tend to lose detail and show visible noise. The Night mode helps brighten scenes, but it often adds a slight softness to the images. The secondary sensor doesn’t add much to the overall imaging experience, and it’s clear that the phone relies heavily on the main 50MP camera for most of its output.Selfies from the 8MP front camera are serviceable for social media, though skin tones can appear slightly washed out under indoor lighting.

Battery

The 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery is easily one of the biggest highlights of the Redmi 15 5G. It’s rare to see such a large battery in this price segment, and it truly shows in day-to-day use. With moderate use — involving social media, streaming, and light gaming — the phone comfortably lasts two full days on a single charge. Even with heavier use, it easily stretches beyond a day and a half.That said, charging this massive cell takes a bit of patience. The handset supports 33W wired charging, and Redmi includes the charger in the box, which is a nice touch. However, filling up the battery from 0 to 100% takes roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes, which feels a bit long by today’s standards, especially when rivals offer faster 67W or even 100W charging.

Verdict

At Rs 14,999, Redmi 15 5G offers a refreshed design, a massive 7,000mAh battery, a large 144Hz display, and reliable day-to-day performance, making it a solid option for those seeking an all-rounder in the affordable 5G segment.That said, it’s not without flaws. The phone feels a bit bulky, and its LCD screen could’ve been brighter. The cameras, while decent in daylight, are fairly average in low light. Still, when we look at the complete package — modern design, solid battery life, clean software, and smooth performance — the Redmi 15 5G delivers good value for its asking price.