Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 review: Substance and specs move the needle where it matters

With a newer Snapdragon chip and a calmer HyperOS experience, the Redmi Note 15 focuses on daily useability over spec-sheet theatre.

A year ago, Xiaomi didn’t do much wrong with the Redmi Note 14, because it stayed with the times. Little do we realise that a year later, our expectations from a phone priced in the genuinely sensitive ₹5,000 - ₹20,000 price band, are much more. Good thing Xiaomi realises it too, that the MediaTek Dimensity 7025 simply would cut it anymore. Neither would that specific camera hardware or processing, or the software which underlines the experience. In all these crucial aspects, the Redmi Note 15 is a significant step forward. And if I am to say as much, lengthens that prospect of longevity as well.

Prices start ₹22,999 for the Redmi Note 15, and is only a slight increment over the predecessor. (Vishal Mathur/ HT Photo)

Prices start ₹22,999 for the Redmi Note 15 and that’s only a slight increment, one that’s to be expected, contextualised to the predecessor’s launch prices. There’s definitely more substance for the money you’re parting with, and I have a feeling you’ll particularly love the Redmi Note 15 in the Mist Purple colour. And that’s before you begin to appreciate the slimness, something that’s increasingly becoming a deciding factor for buyers — the Motorola Edge 70, albeit in a different price band, made a strong case too. The Redmi Note 15 is just 7.35mm, and the reality is, feels slimmer still. And almost astounding to hold, or even look at side-on. This series gets a cascading curved display for the first time, and that also helps build the perception of slimness. In essence, this is simply the ticket. Good to see Xiaomi hasn’t added an extra button on the phone (many do, as an action button, convenience button and so on), and keeping things simple sometimes is then way to go.

The Redmi Note 15 gets Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen3 chip, and the variant I’ve tested gets 8GB memory with 256GB storage. At no point did this combination feel inadequate, let alone stutter or feel sluggish when loading new apps, switching between apps or managing multitasking. Xiaomi claims this is 30% faster in terms of app load performance, and the smoothness of transitions as well as overall responsiveness does lend credence to those claims. You could notice a performance ceiling while gaming, at least in terms of frame rates dictated by visual settings of visually intensive games, but for most users who’ll use the Redmi Note 15 as a daily driver, there is absolutely nothing to complain about. A proverbial cherry on the cake is how effortlessly the phone stays cool even when stretched

Another reason why the performance and overall experience is a big step forward, is Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2. Mind you, expect this phone to get the HyperOS 3 sometime in the coming months, but the refinements will only further make things better. HyperOS is incredibly smooth, has a smaller footprint to work with, and visually has a finesse too. What doesn’t change is you’ll still find a number of preloaded apps on the Redmi Note 15, but that’s par for course for most of its competition too — except the Lava Agni 4. Google Gemini and circle to search are very much part of the HyperOS experience, and Xiaomi’s own AI layer that includes AI call noise reduction is focusing on utility than just ticking off a long checklist.

Battery stamina is impressive, and even before we get to that, the fact that Xiaomi has utilised the Silicon carbon or Si/C battery composition to its fullest to pack in 5520mAh capacity in a phone as slim as this. You will easily get through a day and a half of primary phone usage on a single charge, which should give or take a few, return around 6 hours and bit more of screen usage. This is capped at 45-watt charging speed, and there is a charger in the box — in this era, having it as standard accessory adds fair value. Also, the return 18-watt reverse charging should be very handy if you wish to quickly top up your wireless headphones, true wireless earbuds or smartwatch.

The Redmi Note 15 becomes the world’s first phone with Samsung’s ISOCELL HM9 sensor, a 108-megapixel hardware. That’s paired with an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, though you may want to stick to the main sensor as far as possible for photos. This excellent hardware choice allows for 3x in-sensor zoom with something called MasterPixel, the improvement here being that details don’t get lost as much as it may in other phones. What this optical hardware now needs is a series of image processing improvements. At this time, most photos are decidedly rich in colour as well as details, and overall very likeable. Must note that the dynamic range is very much on point. But even at 3x zoom (and certainly beyond), the attempts to rediscover detail lost to either camera shake or pixel realignments, don’t often look precise and sharp.

With the Redmi Note 15 as the starting point to what will certainly be a wider portfolio in the coming months, Xiaomi has kept the constants constant, and I’d include a very likeable 6.7-inch display that’s ticking off 12-bit colour depth and P3 colour gamut on the checklist, wet touch improvements, as well as IP66 rating and the MIL-STD-810H ruggedness rating. With a newer generation chip, software that’s significantly more refined, a large battery that returns great stamina and a solid foundation for the camera experience, the Redmi Note 15 builds on that promise with actual substance. There is still some work to be done, such as the HyperOS updates and improvement to image processing, as I’ve noted. But it is getting there. And that itself should hold the phone in good stead, for a few years at the very least.