Redmi Note 15 Pro+ Review

I reviewed the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus 5G almost a year ago and thought it was excellent. The Redmi Note series has long been Xiaomi’s bread and butter in the mid-range smartphone market, offering compelling specifications at prices that consistently undercut the competition. With the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ now available, the question is whether this incremental update justifies the asking price or whether last year’s model remains the smarter purchase.

The Note 15 Pro+ arrives with a familiar design language but packs meaningful improvements under the hood. A larger display, bigger battery, and updated chipset headline the changes, whilst the camera system remains largely unchanged from its predecessor. This is evolution rather than revolution, but in the fiercely competitive mid-range segment, even small refinements can make a significant difference to the overall user experience.

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Redmi Note 15 Pro+ vs Redmi Note 14 Pro+ Specification

As you can see from the above specification comparison table, this year’s Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is only an incremental improvement from last year. The main differences are a larger display with slight improvement in resolution and brightness, the newer Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset, a newer version of Android OS with more importantly up to 4 major Android upgrades compared to 3 with the last model, an improved selfie camera, and a much larger 6500 mAh silicon-carbon battery but slightly slower charging at 100W versus 120W.

Design

At first glance, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ does not look much like a rugged device. The body is slim at just under 8.5 millimetres thick, the curves are subtle, and the overall fit and finish lean closer to Xiaomi’s higher-end phones than anything labelled as durable. This is clearly intentional, as Xiaomi wanted this phone to feel premium in hand rather than industrial or utilitarian.

The design retains the signature rounded square-shaped camera island that has become a hallmark of the Redmi Note series. The aluminium frame and curved display give it a polished look, whilst glass or eco-leather finishes keep it from feeling bland. The Mocha Brown variant deserves particular mention for its faux leather back panel, which feels refined and warm to the touch. This finish does not attract fingerprints in the same way that glass backs do, which is a practical benefit for everyday use. The Black and Glacier Blue variants use a more traditional glass back panel instead.

The weight comes in at approximately 207 grams, which is noticeable but feels reassuring rather than cumbersome, particularly once you understand the substantial battery housed inside. The phone measures 163.34 x 78.31 x 8.19 to 8.47 millimetres depending on the colour variant, making it manageable for one-handed use despite the larger display.

Where the design truly separates itself from competitors is in durability. The Note 15 Pro+ carries simultaneous IP66, IP68, and IP69K ratings, which is almost unheard of in this price category. This is not merely splash resistance or brief submersion protection. The IP69K rating means it is built to handle high-pressure, high-temperature water exposure, the sort of certification normally reserved for industrial equipment or specialised rugged phones. For anyone who works outdoors, travels frequently, or simply wants a phone they do not need to baby, this level of protection matters significantly. The phone is also rated for drops from up to 2.5 metres onto smooth granite and includes a high-strength motherboard and strengthened midframe as part of what Xiaomi calls Titan Durability.

The volume rocker and power button with integrated fingerprint scanner sit on the right side of the device, whilst the left side remains clean. The bottom houses the USB-C port, dual SIM card slot, and one of the two loudspeakers, with the second speaker and secondary microphone positioned at the top. The absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack continues to be a minor disappointment for those who prefer wired audio, though this has become standard across most mid-range devices.

Display

The 6.83-inch AMOLED display is one of the phone’s strongest everyday features and represents a meaningful upgrade from the 6.67-inch panel on the previous model. Xiaomi’s choice of a 1.5K resolution at 2772 x 1280 pixels strikes a sensible balance between sharpness and power efficiency, delivering approximately 447 pixels per inch. In daily use, it looks excellent with crisp text, rich colours that avoid oversaturation, and a slightly wider aspect ratio that makes reading and browsing feel more comfortable than many tall narrow phones.

Brightness is another standout feature. The panel peaks at 3200 nits, which means it remains easily readable outdoors even under direct sunlight. This high peak brightness also gives HDR content genuine impact, with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support ensuring that streaming services look their best. The display supports 68.7 billion colours with 12-bit colour depth, which exceeds what most competitors offer at this price point.

The high-frequency PWM dimming at 3840Hz helps reduce eye strain at low brightness levels, and the panel carries TUV Rheinland certifications for flicker-free operation and low blue light emission. For those who spend extended periods looking at their phone, particularly in the evening, these features offer tangible benefits.

The 120Hz refresh rate delivers smooth animations when watching videos, playing games, or simply navigating the interface. The one compromise here is refresh rate control. The panel relies on software switching rather than LTPO hardware, which means it does not scale as efficiently as flagship displays. However, in practice, the impact on battery life appears minimal given the size of the battery, and the viewing experience remains excellent throughout normal use.

Camera

The camera system on the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ centres around a 200-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilisation. This is paired with an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 2-megapixel macro lens. The front-facing camera has been upgraded to 32 megapixels from 20 megapixels on the previous generation, which represents a meaningful improvement for selfies and video calls.

In good lighting conditions, the main camera performs very well. It produces sharp images with plenty of detail and reliable colour reproduction that appears natural rather than overly processed. The 200-megapixel sensor allows for usable digital zoom through in-sensor cropping, with the 2x zoom mode delivering particularly good results for food photography and close-up subjects. The phone’s image processor does a commendable job balancing highlights and shadows, creating photos that accurately represent what you see with your eyes.

Low-light performance is competent for the price bracket, though it does not reach flagship standards. The camera lacks a dedicated night mode toggle and instead relies on automatic detection when shooting in dim conditions. This approach works reasonably well in outdoor night scenes with some ambient lighting, but struggles in indoor environments with artificial light. The resulting images show visible grain when pixel peeping, though they remain acceptable for social media sharing. The ultrawide camera struggles more noticeably in low light, with significantly more noise and reduced detail.

The biggest limitation becomes apparent when using zoom beyond 2x. Without a dedicated telephoto lens, anything beyond 3x relies entirely on digital cropping, and quality drops noticeably. This is expected given the hardware configuration, but buyers who frequently photograph distant subjects should be aware of this limitation.

Video recording tops out at 4K at 30 frames per second from the rear camera, which is acceptable for casual use but falls short of what some competitors offer. There is no stabilisation available at 4K, leading to somewhat shaky footage without careful handling. A Steadyshot mode provides stabilisation but is limited to 1080p resolution. The front camera records at a maximum of 1080p at 30 or 60 frames per second, delivering clean results for video calls and social media content.

Portrait mode works reliably for both human subjects and pets, using software-based processing to separate subjects from backgrounds. The depth of field simulation is convincing in most scenarios, though the aperture adjustment feature can be finicky with inconsistent results and an annoying tendency to reset to default values between sessions.

Performance and Benchmarks

Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ delivers solid and predictable performance. This is not a phone designed to top benchmark charts, but it feels fast and responsive in normal use. Apps open quickly, multitasking is smooth, and animations remain consistent even during longer sessions. The chipset is built on a 4nm process with an octa-core configuration featuring one prime core running at 2.7GHz, three performance cores at 2.4GHz, and four efficiency cores at 1.8GHz.

Depending on the configuration purchased, the phone offers 8GB or 12GB of RAM paired with either 256GB or 512GB of storage. There is no microSD card expansion available, but 512GB should prove sufficient for most users. In benchmark testing, similar to previous Xiaomi models, I was unable to get most test to run. Antutu wouldn’t allow me to upload the result, so I was not able to provide the result. Other publications are reporting the Antutu V10 result as 815,000 points. I was able to get Geekbench running, which achieved 1250 for single-core and 3229 for multi-core performance. This is a fractionally better score than the previous model, which achieved 1174 / 3270.

Gaming performance exceeds expectations for a durability-focused device. Popular titles run comfortably at medium to high settings, and thermal management appears to be a clear priority. On Genshin Impact, the phone runs smoothly on medium graphics at 60 frames per second without issues. Pushing settings to high is possible but invites frame rate drops. Racing games like CarX Drift 2 can run at 120fps on medium settings, though demanding titles like Zenless Zone Zero default to the lowest graphics settings and struggle to maintain smooth gameplay at higher configurations.

The phone does warm up under sustained gaming loads, but it does not appear to throttle aggressively, which helps maintain stable frame rates over time. Xiaomi’s Game Turbo mode pauses background apps and frees up memory for gaming, whilst also offering features like touch sensitivity adjustment, easy screen recording, and voice chat modification.

The biggest performance-related compromise is storage speed. Xiaomi continues to use UFS 2.2 storage, which lags behind the UFS 3.1 or UFS 4.0 offerings from many competitors at similar prices. You will not notice this in everyday tasks, but large app installations, file transfers, and heavy multitasking can feel slightly slower than on devices using newer storage standards. Those coming from older devices may never notice, but users upgrading from more recent mid-range phones might observe the difference.

Software

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ ships with HyperOS 2 built on Android 15, and this represents one of the more meaningful software updates Xiaomi has delivered in recent years. Compared to older MIUI builds, HyperOS feels calmer and more deliberate. Animations are smoother, transitions feel better timed, and the system as a whole comes across as more cohesive rather than a collection of loosely connected features.

Day to day, the software largely stays out of the way. Navigation is fluid, multitasking feels stable, and the interface holds up well even after extended uptime. This pairs nicely with the phone’s strong thermal management and generous memory options. There is a sense that HyperOS is finally tuned with consistency in mind rather than raw feature count.

However, Xiaomi has not fully abandoned its old habits. Out of the box, the phone arrives with a noticeable amount of preinstalled apps and services. Some are genuinely useful, others feel redundant, and a few exist primarily to push recommendations or notifications. The presence of advertisements, including on the lock screen and within system apps like the file manager, remains a frustration. This bloatware infestation requires manual cleanup during initial setup, which detracts from the otherwise polished hardware experience.

Once trimmed back, HyperOS 2 becomes far more pleasant to live with. Battery life improves slightly, background notifications calm down, and the interface feels more aligned with what the hardware promises. Users comfortable spending time adjusting settings will get a much better experience than those who leave everything at default.

AI features are present but not overwhelming. Integration with Google Gemini feels natural rather than forced, and tools like Circle to Search add genuine utility without constantly calling attention to themselves. Xiaomi’s own AI features include AI Writing, AI Speech Recognition, AI Interpreter, AI Search, and AI Dynamic Wallpapers. The Dynamic Wallpapers are particularly enjoyable for personalising the device, though some of these features feel more like rebranding of existing functionality than genuinely new capabilities.

In terms of updates, Xiaomi promises up to 4 major Android version upgrades, which is an improvement over the 3 offered with the previous generation. This means the phone should receive updates through to Android 19, providing reasonable longevity. Security updates have been consistent with Xiaomi’s recent track record, though they typically arrive slower than on Pixel or Samsung devices.

Battery Life and Charging

Battery life is where the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ truly separates itself from competitors. The 6500mAh silicon-carbon battery represents a substantial increase from the 5110mAh cell in the previous generation, and this larger capacity translates to genuinely impressive endurance. The phone can comfortably deliver a day and a half of use with moderate usage patterns, with some users reporting closer to two days depending on their habits.

The silicon-carbon battery technology allows Xiaomi to pack this substantial capacity into a relatively slim body at under 8.5 millimetres thick. Long-term durability is clearly part of the design philosophy, with Xiaomi claiming strong battery health retention over several years. The company’s Surge Battery Management is said to retain at least 80 percent capacity after 1600 charge cycles, which should provide peace of mind for those planning to keep the phone for multiple years.

In benchmark testing using PC Mark’s Battery Benchmark at 50 percent brightness with airplane mode enabled, the phone recorded approximately 16 hours and 40 minutes of screen-on time. Whilst not class-leading for the battery size, this still represents solid endurance for a mid-range device with a 120Hz display.

Gaming naturally consumes battery more aggressively. During testing, downloading resources for approximately 30 minutes consumed around 5 percent, whilst an hour of active gameplay drained approximately 11 percent. Heavy gaming sessions should still leave you with charge to spare at the end of the day, but power users may want to top up before extended gaming sessions.

Charging speeds have been reduced slightly from 120W on the previous model to 100W HyperCharge on this generation, though this remains impressively fast. With boost mode enabled, the phone can charge from empty to full in approximately 63 minutes. Regular charging without boost takes around 77 minutes. The included 100W charger in the box ensures you can take advantage of these speeds immediately, though some markets may ship without the charger included. Standard PPS charging using third-party chargers delivers competitive results at approximately 84 minutes to full charge. The phone also supports 22.5W reverse wired charging, which can be useful for topping up accessories or helping a friend in need.

Price and Alternative Options

In the UK, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G has a starting price of £429 for the 8GB/256GB model. The model below, the Redmi Note 15 Pro, starts from £349. Last year’s Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G was £399 for the 8GB/256GB configuration, and at the time of writing, it is available for just £260.

During the promotional period which ends on the 31st of January, you can get the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ for just £349

This pricing creates an interesting dilemma for potential buyers. The Note 15 Pro+ offers genuine improvements in battery life, display size, software longevity, and durability ratings, but the £169 price difference between the new model and the discounted previous generation is substantial. Those who prioritise having the latest hardware and longest software support will find the Note 15 Pro+ compelling, but budget-conscious buyers might find the Note 14 Pro+ represents better value, accepting that it will receive only a couple more major Android updates.

At the UK price point, the Note 15 Pro+ also faces competition from other mid-range devices including options from Samsung, OnePlus, and Google. The Pixel 8a, for instance, offers superior software support and camera processing, whilst the Samsung Galaxy A55 provides its own durability credentials and reliable update schedule. The Note 15 Pro+ distinguishes itself through its combination of battery capacity, display quality, and exceptional durability ratings, but buyers should consider their priorities carefully before committing.

Overall

As always with Redmi, the Note 15 Pro+ is an excellent affordable mid-range phone that would be a better buy for the vast majority of people than a flagship phone or even an upper mid-range device. The combination of durability, battery life, and everyday usability creates a compelling package for those who want a phone that fades into the background in the best way possible, reliably lasting through long days without demanding constant attention or careful handling.

The extreme durability ratings are not marketing flourishes but meaningful features that change how the phone fits into daily life. Whether you work outdoors, travel frequently, or simply want a device that does not demand constant caution, the Note 15 Pro+ delivers genuine peace of mind. The massive battery ensures you can get through even demanding days without anxiety about finding a charger, and the efficient hardware means the phone should age gracefully rather than peak early.

The trade-offs are real and worth acknowledging. Storage speeds lag behind some competitors, camera versatility is limited by the absence of a telephoto lens, video stabilisation at 4K is missing, and the software experience benefits considerably from manual cleanup to remove bloatware and disable advertisements. These are not deal-breakers, but they do reinforce that this phone rewards users who are willing to spend time tailoring the experience to their preferences.

The main downside is that the incremental upgrade makes the older model look much more appealing at the discounted price of £260. Obviously, with that model, you will only get a couple more major Android updates. Android 15 was rolled out in Spring 2025, so it will only go up to Android 17, whilst the new model should go to Android 19. For those who keep phones for three years or more, the additional software support may justify the premium. For those who upgrade more frequently, the Note 14 Pro+ at its current price represents exceptional value.

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is best suited for people who value reliability over novelty and longevity over flash. It is a phone built for real-world use, long days, and less worry. For the right buyer, that focus makes it one of the most quietly compelling mid-range options available right now.

Last update on 2026-01-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

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