Xiaomi Redmi Note 15

At Rs. 68,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 is a sensible buy only if your priorities match its strengths.

Where it earns its price:

• A curved AMOLED screen that is bright enough for Pakistani summers
• A 6000 mAh battery with a 33W charger in the box
• A slim, well-built body with IP64 splash resistance, stereo speakers and an IR blaster
• GSMArena lists up to four major Android upgrades, which is long for this segment

Where it falls short:

• It is 4G only, and the Helio G100 Ultra performs almost exactly like the chips in last year's Redmi Note 14
• There is no ultrawide camera, video stops at 1080p and there is no optical stabilisation
• Pakistani units are reported to ship without NFC, and the SIM tray is hybrid, so a second SIM and a memory card cannot be used together

Against the alternatives: the Infinix Hot 60 Pro costs Rs. 66,999 and offers a Helio G200, a 144Hz AMOLED, 45W charging, NFC and a dedicated card slot, but a smaller 5160 mAh battery. The Itel Super 26 Ultra at Rs. 47,499 matches the 6000 mAh battery and adds a 144Hz AMOLED for far less money, with slower 18W charging.

Verdict: opinions differ on the price. Next to Infinix, Tecno and Itel it feels expensive for the hardware; next to Oppo, Vivo and Samsung phones at the same money it looks like better value. Buy it for the screen, battery life, build and update promise. Skip it if you want gaming power, 5G, NFC or better video.

Official specs: a 6.77-inch curved AMOLED panel at 1080 x 2392 pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, 3840Hz PWM dimming and a quoted peak of 3200 nits.

Real-world use: this is the phone's strongest feature. Outdoor visibility is very good, colours look rich for videos and social media, and viewing angles hold up well. Widevine L1 support means streaming apps can play in full HD, and the touch screen keeps working with wet fingers. A reading mode warms the screen for night-time use, which helps with long reading sessions.

Limitations:

• The always-on display only stays on for about ten seconds after a tap; it is not a true always-on screen
• At this price, the Infinix Hot 60 Pro and Itel Super 26 Ultra both offer a 144Hz refresh rate
• Curved glass makes screen protectors and replacements harder to find and usually costlier than on a flat panel

The in-display fingerprint reader is fast and reliable, though it sits quite low on the screen.

Official specs: a MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra (6 nm) with two Cortex-A76 cores at 2.2 GHz, six Cortex-A55 cores and a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, paired with 6GB or 8GB of RAM.

Real-world use: everyday tasks feel quick. Apps open smoothly with fluid animations, switching between social media, WhatsApp and the browser is handled well, and small stutters appear only now and then. After five to six months of use the phone is reported to have stayed free of slowdowns or serious bugs.

Gaming: casual and mid-level games run fine, but this is not a phone for heavy gaming at high settings. The G100 Ultra is essentially a renamed member of the same chip family as the G99 used before it, so Redmi Note 14 owners will notice no real speed gain.

Limitations:

• No sustained gaming or heat test results were available, so long sessions are unverified
• Storage is UFS 2.2, which is slower than the UFS 3.1 found in some rivals
• The Infinix Hot 60 Pro's Helio G200 is a newer chip for slightly less money

Official specs: a 108 MP main camera (f/1.7, with a large 1/1.67" sensor) with an auxiliary lens on the back and a 20 MP selfie camera. Both record at up to 1080p; the rear camera manages 1080p at 60fps and the front 1080p at 30fps.

Daylight: the main camera produces sharp, punchy photos with pleasing colours and balanced dynamic range. Portraits can be taken at 1x and 2x, and post-processing has improved over earlier Redmi phones.

Low light: opinions differ. Some find detail is held with little noise, while others say quality drops off clearly at night. Edge detection can slip in dim scenes, and HDR is sometimes over- or under-processed.

Selfies: daytime selfies are very good and low-light selfies remain usable.

Limitations:

• There is no ultrawide or macro camera; the Redmi Note 14 had three rear cameras, this model has two
• Video tops out at 1080p, and there is no optical image stabilisation, so a steady hand or a gimbal helps
• Front video is fine for calls but not for serious content creation

Overall it is a capable daytime camera rather than an all-round one.

Official specs: a 6000 mAh battery (up from 5500 mAh on the Redmi Note 14) with 33W wired charging and 18W reverse wired charging. A 33W charger and cable come in the box.

Real-world use: battery life is one of the phone's biggest strengths. Screen-on time reports differ slightly, ranging from about seven to eight hours to around eight to nine hours with medium to heavy use on Wi-Fi. Either way, most users will get through a full day with charge to spare.

Charging: a full charge takes about an hour and a half with the included charger. That is acceptable, but slower than the 45W Infinix Hot 60 Pro.

Reverse charging: the 18W reverse wired output is unusually fast, so earbuds, a smartwatch or another phone can be topped up quickly through a cable.

The main compromise is charging speed, not endurance.

Official specs: Android 15 with Xiaomi HyperOS 2 out of the box. GSMArena lists up to four major Android upgrades; a Pakistan-specific update policy from Xiaomi could not be confirmed, so treat the exact number as unconfirmed until Xiaomi publishes it.

Useful features:

• Deep lock screen and control centre customisation
• AI tools in the gallery, including an AI editor, AI beautify, AI erase, AI sky and bokeh effects
• A software volume boost on top of the stereo speakers, and strong haptics that are among the best at this price
• Fast face unlock alongside the fingerprint reader, plus an IR blaster app for TVs and air conditioners

Ads and bloatware: there are far fewer ads than in older Xiaomi software, but a games folder, a couple of app folders and a recommendations feed still promote third-party apps. These apps can be uninstalled.

Limitations:

• The phone uses the Google dialer, so Xiaomi's own call recording option is not available
• A HyperOS 3 update with Android 16 is expected but had not been confirmed for this model at launch