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Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G can be conditionally called the “flagship” of the same name line. This model heads a series of five Note 15 smartphones, united by the Redmi Titan Durability concept, in which the manufacturer relies on the reliability of the case and battery life. In particular, the Note 15 Pro+ 5G received a 6500 mAh battery with 100 W fast charging, a strength certificate from the Swiss company SGS, protection according to the IP68 standard and passed the TÜV Smartphone Water-resistant Endurance certification. That is, in general, a calculation for the niche of relatively affordable “workhorses” in the middle segment, in which Redmi models once represented formidable competition. However, whether this model will be able to offer users something more than a large battery, a protected case and a long name, we will analyze in this review.

The editorial team would like to express its gratitude to the Allo company for kindly providing the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G smartphone for review.

Specifications of Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G

Package contents

In the box with Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G you can find the smartphone itself, a USB-C cable, a SIM ejector clip, a silicone case, and standard documentation. Despite the 100W charging speed indicated on the box, the corresponding power adapter is not part of the package and will have to be purchased separately.

Design and materials

Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G has a typical monoblock design. The smartphone received a protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front, but a plastic frame. Still, in this segment the manufacturer had to save on something.

The back panel can be made of different materials depending on the color: the Black and Glacier Blue versions are equipped with a fiberglass cover.

Instead, the signature Mocha Brown shade received a textured faux leather cover. Given the difference in materials, the “leather” version turned out to be slightly thicker (8.47 mm) and slightly heavier (208 grams) than the other colors.

It is worth noting that the model with a fiberglass back, as a test specimen, already feels quite massive, yet the device has dimensions of 163.34×78.31 mm and weighs 207 grams. However, the thickness of only 8.2 mm is surprising for a device with such a battery, and the smartphone looks thinner than you might expect. Thanks to the balanced weight distribution and slightly curved edges, the Note 15 Pro+ 5G fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, although controlling the interface with one hand is still not always convenient, which is expected with a large 6.83-inch diagonal.

The smartphone meets several protection classes at once: it is dustproof and water-resistant according to the IP68 standard and has the TÜV Smartphone Water-resistant Endurance certification. So the device should successfully withstand complete immersion in water to a depth of up to 2 meters for 24 hours. However, as always, water ingress into the case is not covered by the warranty, so you should not fully rely on the stated certification.

The manufacturer also says that the smartphone’s design is reinforced with metal ribs and additional protection inside the case for the board and battery from damage during falls. According to Xiaomi, the smartphone withstood test drops from a height of 2.5 meters onto a smooth granite surface without loss of performance and received a 5-star SGS durability certificate for total resistance to shocks, bends and pressure. In general, the reinforced design of the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G is good, but the device is unlikely to be suitable for extreme use. The glass on the front panel and fiberglass on the back can be damaged when falling, as can the lenses of the protruding camera unit. So I would still advise using the smartphone in a case.

Display

Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G has a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2772×1280 pixels, which at this diagonal gives a density of 447 ppi. The matrix supports peak brightness up to 3200 nits and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz for smooth interface operation and animations, and the sensor polling frequency reaches 480 Hz (in game mode – up to 2560 Hz). Current HDR standards are supported, compatibility with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision is declared, so the smartphone can view content with a wide dynamic range.

Overall, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G display can be called one of the model’s strengths. The large diagonal combined with high resolution, brightness, and the ability to display 100% of the DCI-P3 color space makes it comfortable for content consumption.

Platform and performance

Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor, an 8-core mid-range platform built on a 4nm process. The chip has a maximum clock speed of up to 2.7 GHz and an Adreno 810 graphics core. The RAM is 8 GB LPDDR4X, and there is a software-based RAM expansion function thanks to the storage (+8 GB) – a total of up to 16 GB of RAM can be obtained. There is also a 12 GB version.

Permanent memory is provided by 256 GB or 512 GB UFS 2.2. It should be noted here that Xiaomi has not used the fastest type of flash memory: UFS 2.2 is twice as fast in read/write speed as UFS 3.1 or UFS 4.0 standards. Because of this, the speed of the drive lags behind, which is especially noticeable when taking photos, because the pictures in the gallery do not appear instantly. However, in general, the smartphone demonstrates a normal level of performance in everyday tasks. The proprietary HyperOS interface works without noticeable lags, applications launch quickly, and in general, the hardware is enough for most everyday tasks.

In synthetic tests, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 shows typical results for its class. According to Geekbench 6, the processor scores 1239 points in single-core mode and 3180 points in multi-core mode. This is the level of the Exynos 2100 from the Galaxy S21 line.

In the 3DMark (Wild Life Extreme) graphics benchmark, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G scores about 1,100 points, which indicates that playing demanding games on the smartphone will not be as comfortable as on more powerful models. However, this does not mean that playing games on the Note 15 Pro+ 5G will not work at all, the same mobile Diablo Immortal launches and runs on the device without any problems, albeit with minimal graphics settings.

On the other hand, a not-so-efficient processor and graphics have their advantages, because under load the smartphone almost does not heat up and does not drop frequencies.

In the 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme stress test, it demonstrates impressive stability at 99.6%.

As befits a modern smartphone, Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is equipped with a wide range of communication modules. The device supports two SIM cards (nanoSIM format) and, importantly, eSIM – a virtual SIM for connecting to networks without a physical card. This is convenient for traveling or using multiple operators.

The set of wireless modules includes Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 and NFC. And for navigation, a GPS module with support for GPS, Galileo and BeiDou is used.

Traditionally, Xiaomi smartphones have an IR port located in the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G camera unit. Thanks to it, the device can be used as a universal remote control for a TV, air conditioner, and other appliances.

For security, an optical fingerprint scanner is used in the screen. There are zero complaints about it, it recognizes the touch of a thumb quite quickly and accurately, unlocking is almost instantaneous. In addition, there is a face unlock function via the front camera (AI Face Unlock), but it is less reliable and requires good lighting to work.

Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G is equipped with quite loud stereo speakers, even on a noisy street or in a large room, calls and multimedia will be heard well. Of course, there is very little bass here, but overall it is very good for this segment. The smartphone also supports Dolby Atmos technology, which allows you to slightly improve the quality thanks to software presets.

The implementation of vibration feedback is also commendable. Xiaomi has installed a linear motion drive in the Note 15 Pro+ 5G, which provides a clear and tactile vibration. This kind of tactile feedback is usually inherent in more expensive models.

Cameras

One of the main “chips” of the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G is the new camera system, primarily the main 200-megapixel module with a physical size of 1/1.4″, a lens with an aperture of ƒ/1.7 and 7-element optics and optical stabilization. By default, the camera combines pixels 16-in-1, creating images with a resolution of 12.5 megapixels. This improves the photos’ light sensitivity and dynamic range. With sufficient lighting, you can manually enable shooting at a full 200 megapixels to capture a maximum of fine details, but such images weigh 20-50 MB, versus 3-6 MB in standard mode.

In addition, the main camera module actually has to “suck” for a telephoto lens, which is not available in the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G. The manufacturer has saved money here, but the 200-megapixel matrix allows you to crop, and the smartphone offers several zoom modes at once: 1x (equivalent to 23 mm), 2x (46 mm) and even 4x (92 mm). Thus, the main camera plays the role of a wide-angle module, a portrait lens, and a kind of “telephoto lens”, albeit without an optical change in focal length.

For example, at 2x zoom, the central area of the sensor (50 megapixels) is used to obtain a frame without interpolation, which gives a quality close to a true 2x telephoto lens. Even at 4x zoom, it can produce a normal result in good lighting.

However, in low light conditions, it is better not to exceed 2x zoom, as excessive cropping reduces the pixel size and increases noise. Fortunately, optical stabilization and night mode help when shooting at night, but they cannot compensate for the lack of optical zoom and insufficient light.

The second lens on the back is an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with an aperture of ƒ/2.2. It provides a wider field of view (120°) for group shots or landscapes. Unfortunately, this is far from the best module. Xiaomi has been using a matrix with this resolution since the Redmi Note 8, and it has hardly been updated in so many years. Obviously, the “ultra-wide” is here “for show”.

During the day, it takes acceptable photos, albeit with mediocre sharpness in the corners, but at dusk or indoors, the quality drops noticeably. There is no autofocus in the ultra-wide-angle camera, as well as optical stabilization, so there is no question of using it for macro photography or at night.

For selfies, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ features a 32-megapixel front camera with a 1/3.6″ sensor and an ƒ/2.2 aperture. It is capable of 4-in-1 pixel binning to improve light sensitivity, so standard selfies come out with a resolution of 8 megapixels.

The quality of the front camera is good in sufficient lighting: detail is high, colors are natural. However, it is worth noting that there is no autofocus here (the focus is fixed at an arm’s length), like in most analogues, so for perfectly sharp shots you need to hold the phone at the right distance.

Battery life and charging

What Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G can really be proud of is its battery life. The built-in 6500 mAh “silicon-carbon” (Si-C) battery is noticeably larger than the batteries of most competitors in this price range. The combination of such a volume with an energy-efficient 4-nm processor gives excellent results in real life. Xiaomi claims up to 2 days of work on a single charge with moderate use, and this is true.

Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G in typical mixed mode really lasts about two days without recharging. This is confirmed by the PCMark battery life test, in which the smartphone lasted 16 hours and 23 minutes with an active screen. So you can count on 1.5-2 days of battery life in mixed mode.

Redmi Note 15 Pro+ also supports HyperCharge fast charging with a capacity of up to 100 W. However, the charger for its operation is not included in the kit in our country and must be purchased separately. Such an adapter will fully charge the battery in about 40 minutes.

As for wireless charging, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G unfortunately does not support it. This option is not yet offered in the Redmi Note series at all, and remains the prerogative of flagships. Instead, the device can offer reversible wired charging up to 22.5 W to charge accessories or another smartphone.

The editorial team would like to express its gratitude to the Allo company for kindly providing the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G smartphone for review.