REDMI 15C Review: Solid budget phone with eye-pleasing design

Xiaomi earlier this month, launched the new budget phone, Redmi 15C 5G, in India.

It is available in three configurations-- 4GB RAM + 128GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage-- with prices starting at Rs 12,499.

The new Android phone comes with big upgrades over the predecessor and is also priced reasonably under the Rs 13,000 range. But, does it deliver the goods? Let's check it out.

Design, build quality and display

The new budget phone, particularly this moonlight blue variant, looks gorgeous. The cover panel on the back sports visually pleasing shiny concentric curves with a glossy glass-like finish.

Besides the blue model, it is available in two other colours--dusk purple and midnight black.

REDMI 15C 5G.

The device also comes with a slim design form factor. It measures just 7.99mm and weighs 211g. It is very easy to hold and thanks to the smooth cover, it can slip into the pocket without any hassle.

It is not just a pretty-looking phone, but also built to survive water splashes and light rain. It comes with an IP64 rating, a big improvement over the Redmi 14C, which featured an IP53 rating.

On the front, the company has pre-fitted a screen guard to ensure the display is protected from getting scratched when put in close confines of a pocket or in the backpack with keys, coins, a pen or any metallic article.

Further, the Redmi 15C comes with a free cover case. It is a sturdy transparent silicone case and is capable of limiting the damage to the device during an accidental fall on a hard surface.

Also, it has thick raised lips on the four corners on the front, which ensures the display from cracking when it falls face down on a floor.

Redmi 15C sports a massive 6.9-inch HD+ (1600 x 720p) display with a 20:9 aspect ratio, support 120Hz refresh rate, offers up to peak brightness of 810 nits and pixel density of 254 ppi (pixels per inch).

It is really good for binge-watching video blogs on YouTube or catching favourite TV series on OTT apps indoors.

It comes with TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light (Software Solution) and Flicker Free certifications, which promise protection to the eyes, particularly when consuming content or reading long-form news articles or e-books at night. It reduces the risk of stress to the eyes during low-light conditions.

REDMI 15C 5G.

The budget phone also supports triple slots (for two nano SIMs and a microSD card), a Type-C port, FM radio and a 3.5mm audio jack, which has become very rare in modern phones.

It also boasts of a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which, by the way, is really fast in recognising the finger impression and instantly unlocks the home screen.

Performance

Under the hood, it comes with a 6nm class MediaTek Dimensity 6300 octa-core with Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, 4GB / 6GB / 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB UFS2.2 internal storage (expandable memory up to 1TB).

The device handles everyday tasks pretty well and even popular battle royale games available on the Google Play Store.

It also supports generative Artificial Intelligence features such as Gemini, Circle to Search and even apps like OpenAI ChatGPT, Perplexity AI and more.

However, like any other budget phone, it is not made for graphics-heavy AAA gaming titles.

It runs Android 15-based Xiaomi HyperOS 2. Though it comes with many pre-installed third-party apps, the user interface is simple and easy to navigate through the Settings.

REDMI 15C 5G.

Also, the company has promised to offer at least two years of Android OS updates up to 2027 and four years of security updates against new emerging cyber threats up to 2029.

The device comes with a 6,000mAh battery. It can easily last more than a day under normal usage. The retail box comes with a 33W charger free of cost.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample.

Photography

Redmi 15C features dual-cameras--main 50MP (with f/1.8) with 2MP secondary depth sensor) with an LED flash on the back.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample.

It takes pretty nice photos in the sunlight with good details captured well.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample.

At night mode, the photo quality is decent at best.

Indoors with controlled light conditions, the phone does a fine job.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample.

Though it doesn't support ultra-wide-angle mode. It can cover a wide area with 1X zoom.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample with 1X.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample with 2X Zoom.

It can digitally zoom up to 20X, but it works well up to 5X, maintaining sharpness. But, beyond that, it begins to accumulate noise, and the photo becomes grainy.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample with 5X Zoom.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample with 10X Zoom.

In close range, too, it does a fine job of capturing minute details of the subject.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample.

On the front, it houses an 8MP (f/2.0) front camera for selfies and video calling. It takes decent photos in natural sunlight.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample.

Both the front and the back cameras of the device can record full HD (1080p) video at 30 frames per second. It is good on par with any budget phone in the Rs 15,000 price range.

REDMI 15C 5G's camera sample.

Final thoughts

Redmi 15C comes packed with the right features to deliver a good user experience. It excels with top-class build quality, delivers good performance and long battery life.

REDMI 15C 5G.

Also, the big display is great for multimedia consumption indoors, and the camera is decent for its asking price.

The Redmi 15C comes in three colours--Dusk Purple, Moonlight Blue and Midnight Black.

It is available in three configurations-- 4GB RAM + 128GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for Rs 12,499, Rs 13,999, and Rs 15,499, respectively.

Xiaomi Redmi 15C vs competitors

The new Redmi 15C will be competing with iQOO Z10 (review), Samsung Galaxy A17 (review), and CMF Phone 2 Pro, among others.

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