Xiaomi's Redmi Note 15 Pro (4G) isn't trying to be the best mid-ranger out there, just one of the more sensible ones. If you can live withut 5G and the odd moment of sluggishness, you'll be rewarded with a solid display, even better battery, and a competent camera for not a whole lot of cash.
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Design
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Display
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Performance
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Camera
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Battery
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Value
Xiaomi may not feel it is correct to slap a ‘4G’ onto the already bogged-down Redmi Note 15 Pro, but when it sells two phones with identical names — one touting a 5G chip and one not — we feel it’s an important distinction. You’ll struggle to find the Dimensity-laden model in these parts, but still. We spent some time with the Redmi Note 15 Pro (4G) for review, which commands a R8,000 price. Not bad, if all you’re after is a YouTube machine.
Slimming down
Not much thought went into helping the Note 15 series stand out from its predecessor, the Note 14. That’s fine by us. We praised the Note 14 Pro’s large, slim body — something Xiaomi’s managed to shave further — measuring a sleek 7.87mm thick. You’d think that might cut into battery life, but you’d be wrong. It’s retained the all-plastic body, keeping the weight and, importantly, the price down. Fear not, there’s a cover in the box.
While the rest of the competition is slowly backing away from curved displays, Xiaomi has stood firm. If that’s not your thing, the Note 15 Pro is not your thing, either. It adds a premium feel to an otherwise bog-standard offering, complete with plastic edges, power and volume buttons, and a singular USB-C port.
We had no trouble convincing the 6.77in AMOLED FHD+ screen to function as promised. It delivered a 120Hz refresh rate wherever necessary (which, honestly, didn’t get all that much chance to stretch its legs) and stayed bright enough wherever we were. It really shone when presented with Netflix, delivering a peak nit brightness of 3,200 nits. If there’s one thing that the Redmi Note 15 Pro (4G) gets right, it’s that AMOLED display.
Putting the 4 in 4G
Delivering a decent display meant cutting corners elsewhere. Xiaomi has foisted the MediaTek Helio G200 Ultra upon the Note 15 Pro (4G), which struggles under heavier loads. That means anything competitive is out the window, leaving room for the basics like Clash of Clans or Marvel Snap. Even those struggled, however.
It rose to the streaming challenge well enough, mostly riding the coattails of its display. YouTube performed admirably enough, albeit at 1080p, but without issues getting there. The same goes for daily doomscrolls, with the Note 15 Pro (mostly) keeping up with our demanding requests, stuttering a bit when things got a little too crowded. Sacrifice a couple of apps, and it’ll get back to smooth scrolling in no time.
Saffas are confined to only 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There are better models out there that’ll bring that up to 12GB and 512GB, respectively, but you won’t find ’em here. That’s fine. Xiaomi’s banking on the sub-R10k price, particularly in the present climate, and it’d lose out on that with a more capable smartphone.
It’s all worth it, though, if all you care about is making it to the end of the day with juice to spare. The Redmi Note 15 Pro packs a 6,500mAh battery that held on all day, and then some. 45W wired charging seems about right at this price point, and got us back to a comfortable level in roughly 30 minutes.
Not-so hot-shot
Only two cameras adorn the Note 15 Pro’s slight frame. That’s fine by us, and won’t ruffle the feathers of mid-range buyers. One of those is an 8MP ultra-wide shooter that was fast forgotten during our time, thanks to its images lacking detail and vibrant colours. Even Xiaomi appears to have forgotten, instead favouring the 200MP camera that’s smack-dab in the middle of its entire marketing campaign.
It’s no flagship, but the shooter (with a 23mm lens) did what we asked, without complaint. By default, it’ll shoot 20MP images, requiring users to switch to ‘Ultra HD mode’ to unlock the full 200MP benefits. The best images are the ones set to a well-lit backdrop, with quality suffering the darker the scene gets. You’re still foregoing the finer details of a more capable array, and even the colours seemed washed out without the right environment.
Despite our whining, we were happy with the results of this mid-ranger. They’d make it onto the ‘Gram, anyway. The same goes for the 32MP selfie camera, which has seen quite an upgrade compared to the Note 14 Pro that came before it. It’s still too pushy with its AI beautification noise, but ignore it all, and you’ll be happy. We were.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro (4G) verdict
Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 15 Pro (4G) isn’t a phone that tries very hard to impress. And in a lot of ways, that’s the point. It clings to the basics, and occasionally punches above its weight where it counts — that AMOLED display, mostly. It makes just enough compromises to help keep that R8,000 price intact.
Sure, it stumbles when it comes to performance. What mid-ranger doesn’t? You’ll certainly feel the constraints whenever you attempt anything more ambitious than a casual scroll or some light gaming. But keep those expectations rooted firmly in the sub-R10k range, and you’ll come away with a decent smartphone that, if you’re lucky, even ships with a 10,000mAh power bank.
