Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 5G review
Design, build quality, handling
As we said, Xiaomi is not trying to rock the boat in any meaningful way with the Redmi Note 15 series and especially not when it comes to design. In fact, the Redmi Note 15 5G is practically indistinguishable from its 4G sibling.
The design is simple and clean and fits well into any setting. Yet, there are some oddly recognizable aspects here and there. The color-matched camera island is a nice touch and one that makes the whole thing really look like a "redmi" with some recognizability to it. The same goes for the silver accent ring around the camera island.
Frankly, a curvy display no longer looks particularly modern, but we guess that Xiaomi is sticking with what it knows works for the customers. Also, retro or not, a curvy body, on the other hand, feels great and very confident in the hand.
Speaking of in-hand feel, we wouldn't call the Redmi Note 15 5G particularly premium in this department. Both its back and middle frame are made of plastic and look and feel the part. That is not to say, though, that the phone feels cheap or flimsy. On the contrary, it has practically no flex or hollowness.
Xiaomi rates the Redmi Note 15 5G at IP66, which is pretty decent and should allow it to withstand high-pressure water jets as well as drops from up to 1.7 meters. It is also MIL-STD-810H compliant. The front is covered with some undisclosed toughened glass.
The Redmi Note 15 5G is available in Black, Glacier Blue and Mist Purple. All of them feature a color-matched middle frame as well as a camera island.
While the phone's middle frame is very thin, Xiaomi made sure to widen it just enough to house good-sized power and volume buttons. These sit on the right-hand side and are nice and clicky. There is nothing on the left-hand side of the frame.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 5G
The Redmi Note 15 5G has a stereo speaker setup with a top-firing second speaker. This helps with stereo separation and balance. The top frame also houses the secondary noise-canceling microphone and an IR blaster.
The bottom frame is quite busy. The dual Nano-SIM tray is here. One of the slots is hybrid and can alternatively accept a microSD memory card, also on the bottom frame - the main speaker grill and the Type-C port, as well as the main microphone.
The display bezels on the Redmi Note 15 5G are not insignificant in terms of size. Then again, it is a pretty budget device. On the plus side, there are no visible sensors above the display. Everything is nicely hidden away.
The phone uses an under-display fingerprint reader. It is of the standard optical variety and well-positioned height-wise. The reader is both snappy and accurate. We have no complaints about it.
