Redmi Note 15 Pro+ review: flagship features for £399 (aff)
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Xiaomi’s latest Redmi phone brings premium specs into the mid-range, raising serious questions about whether flagships are worth it anymore
Shopping for a decent mid-range smartphone is becoming a bewildering experience. It's a crowded segment, and the usual big names aren't always the obvious choice. In this end of the market the Chinese tech really is starting to shine through.
Unveiled just before Christmas, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is one of Xiaomi's entries into the sub-flagship category. Its features are impressive, it's surprisingly durable, and it has attributes you'd usually expect to find on a £1,000 handset.
Except this certainly isn't a £1,000 handset. In fact, if you can catch a deal on Amazon, it's currently £399.
And that's seriously impressive for a phone that has a 200 megapixel camera, a 6.83 AMOLED display, IP68 water resistance, a Snapdragon processor, and a 6,500mAh battery with 100w charging.
Xiaomi also offers a two-year warranty, so this feels like a very future-proof product. It's a phone you can happily live with for a two-year contract period and still have all-day battery life and a solid, powerful handset at the end.
Performance-wise, it’s refreshingly drama-free. Apps open quickly, multitasking is smooth, and everyday use never feels like you’re pushing the phone beyond its comfort zone.
This isn’t a device built for bragging rights or benchmark charts, but for real-world use it just gets on with the job. A trick cooling system helps a lot with heavy lifting, but for general use like social apps, navigation, streaming, and light gaming you really won't find it breaking a sweat.
The battery life certainly lives up to its promise, too. Getting a full day isn't a problem, and some users might manage two days. The charging speed might be impressive, but bear in mind you don't get a charger with the phone. And a 100w charging block could be a pricey addition.
The camera is better than you might expect and exactly as good as you hope, given the flagship-level pixel count.
In good light, it produces sharp, vibrant shots that are more than good enough for social media, family photos and everyday moments.
Night shots are solid rather than spectacular, but still very usable, and the 32mp selfie camera performs admirably.
Perhaps the most notable omission is wireless charging. It's forgivable at this price, but part of you feels that there are so many high-end features crammed into the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ that one more wouldn't have hurt. But who are we to say?
If you’re shopping in this segment and wondering whether you really need to spend flagship money anymore, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ makes a very strong case that you don’t.
It’s sensible, polished, keenly-priced and seriously impressive - and that’s often the best kind of phone to live with.