Redmi Note 15 Pro+ Review: Built Like a Tank, Runs Like a Marathon

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 15 Pro+ comes with a mission to revive the Note legacy. It is positioned as a feature-packed upper mid-range phone by the company with a promise of premium experience in all areas.

It sits at the top of the Redmi Note 15 lineup and tries to deliver maximum value for the price, going up against Realme’s Pro+ models, iQOO’s performance-centric phones, and Samsung’s Galaxy A-series in the same bracket.

At around ₹37,999 for the base variant in India (often lower with launch offers), it’s one of the most expensive Redmi Notes yet. So the big question is obvious — does it justify the price with real-world performance, camera reliability, and long-term value?

I’ve tried to cover performance, display, camera, battery, build, software, value, and competitor comparisons in the review. Read on to know whether it’s the best bet for you at this price or not.

PROS

Impressive battery life
Super fast charging
Bright AMOLED display
Durable waterproof build
Reliable daylight camera

CONS

Average gaming performance
Average zoom and ultrawide camera
Bloatware pre-installed
No wireless charging
Slower storage speed

Table of Contents

Build and Design

At the first glance, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ feels more premium than most mid-range phones when most of them look alike. The company offers it in both vegan leather and glass-back options depending on what you prefer. The leather variant stands out for its better grip, fingerprint and smudge resistance, and overall comfort in daily use, while the glass version looks more traditional and glossy.

The phone uses a flat metal frame with well-placed, tactile buttons. The flat design improves grip and gives the device a modern, premium feel. Despite its large size and noticeable weight, the phone is well-balanced and doesn’t feel huge in hand. One-handed use is limited, but that’s a norm with any phone with a 6.8-inch display.

Where Xiaomi really takes things a notch up is durability. The front is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and the phone comes with IP66, IP68, and IP69/IP69K ratings. In practical terms, this makes it extra resistant to rain, splashes, and dust than most phones in this price range, which often only have IP54 or just IP68 protection. For Indian users, especially in monsoon conditions or rough daily travel, this is a huge plus if you wish your phone to last longer.

Everyday usability is also promising. You get stereo speakers, good haptics, and even an IR blaster — features that are often overlooked but make a significant difference in daily use. There’s no headphone jack. While not a dealbreaker, you should know in case you care.

Visually, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ keeps things clean and distinct. It’s not flashy, but it looks mature and well-finished. The camera module is noticeable but well-integrated, and overall build quality feels solid.

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ offers a rare combination of premium feel, strong durability, and practical design in the mid-range segment. If you want a phone that looks good, feels sturdy, and doesn’t need constant careful handling, this is one of the better-built options in its class.

Performance

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ runs on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, an incremental upgrade over the previous generation. In normal day-to-day use, the phone feels smooth and stable. App switching, browsing, WhatsApp, Instagram, video calls, and casual multitasking are all handled well.

Where the phone starts showing its positioning is in heavy tasks. The 7s series is not built to chase peak benchmark numbers. It’s tuned for efficiency and consistent performance rather than raw speed. So if you’re the type who pushes your phone with heavy gaming, frequent video editing, or high-frame-rate titles for long sessions, performance-focused alternatives from iQOO or Poco will feel smoother.

Storage is also worth highlighting. Xiaomi is still using UFS 2.2 here, which is slower than what some rivals offer at this price. You won’t feel it constantly, but you may notice slightly slower app installs, file transfers, and heavy processing workflows compared to phones using newer storage standards.

For most people, though, performance is dependable. It’s not exciting, but it’s consistent.

Display

The display is one of its biggest strengths according to me. You get a large 6.83-inch AMOLED panel with a 1.5K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and support for HDR formats including Dolby Vision. In practical usage, I noticed:

Colors look rich without feeling cartoonish
Blacks are deep and contrast is excellent
Scrolling feels smooth and premium
HDR content on supported apps looks impressive

Brightness is also a standout. Xiaomi claims very high peak brightness numbers, and while peak specs are mostly marketing, the real-world results have proven that outdoor visibility is excellent. This is one of those phones where you won’t have to switch angles, or cover a side of the screen with your palm in harsh sunlight.

Xiaomi also chose a flat display that’s very slightly curved on the sides. It looks premium, is easier to use, easier to protect, and just compliments the overall look and feel of the phone.

If your priorities include YouTube, Netflix, sports, scrolling short videos, and general media consumption, I am confident that you’ll enjoy this screen.

Camera

The headline is a 200MP main camera with OIS, paired with an 8MP ultra-wide. There is no dedicated telephoto lens, so zoom is handled by cropping into the high-resolution main sensor.

Daylight photos

In good lighting, the main camera captures sharp, detailed images with an impressive dynamic range. The phone also gives you the option to shoot at full resolution, which can be useful if you like cropping into landscapes or architecture shots, but it comes with much larger file sizes and isn’t necessary for most people.

The zoom shots up to 2x are usable and even 4x in good light because the sensor is high resolution. It’s not the same as optical zoom, but for casual usage it’s just ok. I tried clicking distant animals in a zoo, like the image of the giraffe, but the details were lost when zoomed beyond 2x.

Ultra-wide

The 8MP ultra-wide is clearly the weaker camera. It’s fine in daylight for “I just need the wider frame” moments, but detail drops and quality isn’t as consistent as the main sensor.

Portraits

Portrait shots are decent but not the best in class. The phone can sometimes soften facial details a bit too much, which reduces that crisp “expensive camera” look. Edge detection is mostly fine, but hair and glasses can still trip it up depending on the lighting.

Low light

Low light performance is capable, not class-leading. The main camera can capture usable images with night mode, but results can vary depending on scene lighting and motion. The ultra-wide should be avoided in very dark situations.

Selfies

The selfie camera is 32MP and it does a respectable job in daylight. In indoor lighting, as expected, the colours and details don’t look as natural, but video calls and social-ready selfies are generally fine.

Video

You get up to 4K at 30fps. Stabilization is good for the segment, but there’s no 4K 60fps option. If video quality is a major priority, phones like Pixel A-series or Samsung’s Galaxy A5x typically feel more consistent and natural, especially in mixed lighting.

Battery Life

Battery is a major reason to buy this phone. The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ packs a 6,500mAh battery, and for real-world usage that usually translates to:

One full day easily for heavy users
Around two days for moderate users

And the charging is extremely fast. With 100W wired charging, you can get back to full quickly, and that changes how you use the phone.

Charging Time:
With the 100W fast charger, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ charges from 0 to 100% in about 40–45 minutes, and reaches around 50% in roughly 15 minutes.

Screen-On Time (SOT):
On a full charge, most users can expect 6.5 to 8 hours of screen-on time with mixed usage (browsing, social media, video, camera, some gaming), and more than 8 hours with lighter use.

Wireless charging is not present, but in this segment it’s still uncommon enough that most buyers won’t care.

If battery anxiety is one of your biggest concerns, this phone is among the safest picks in the category.

Software

The phone runs HyperOS based on Android. The experience is smooth and feature-rich, but Xiaomi still includes bloatware and occasional promotional notifications in parts of the UI.

The good part is that most preloaded apps can be removed, and settings can be tweaked to reduce recommendations. Once cleaned up, the experience becomes much better. Software has been a strong suit for Xiaomi and that’s where the experience comes close to its premium counterparts. That layout with a good display and haptics just feels very smooth and light.

Update policy is also impressive for the segment, with multiple Android upgrades and long security support promised. It’s a huge plus for a buyer who plans to keep the phone for 3–4 years.

Value for Money

This is where your “buyer profile” decides the verdict.

At its pricing, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is not trying to be the best performance-per-rupee phone. Instead, it’s trying to be the most complete everyday phone for people who care about:

Big, bright AMOLED display
Reliable main camera in daylight
Very strong battery life
Super fast charging
Better-than-average durability

If you want the fastest chip and the best gaming performance, you’ll find better options from iQOO or Poco. If you want the most consistent camera output in all lighting, Pixel A-series often wins. If you want the cleanest software experience, Samsung and Pixel remain safer.

But if your priorities are display + battery + charging + durability, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is a very strong package.

Final Verdict

The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is a phone for people who want a “no drama” daily driver with two big wins — battery and display. It doesn’t chase benchmark glory, and the ultra-wide camera isn’t impressive, but the overall experience is polished, durable, and built for long usage.

Buy it if you want: