Redmi 15C review: Affordable, functional, and mostly sensible

This device gets a fingerprint scanner on the right side of the phone. (Image: The Indian Express/ Ajay hanje)

It is up to par since the refresh rate of 120 Hz allowed for seamless reel scrolling. The phone is undoubtedly heavy, weighing about 211 gm.

A fingerprint sensor is integrated into the lock button on the phone’s side. And many may not find this feature sensible, but it is good to see a headphone jack of 3.5mm, which is uncommon these days and a personal preference to have.  When we move on to the back glass, the glitter and blue really hit you with a premium feel, making it look like none out there. However, with the glossy finish, the device does attract too many fingerprints.

Performance

Under the hood, the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 5G chipset efficiently handles daily tasks and multitasking. With 8GB of RAM, the device is suitable for smooth operation and day-to-day tasks supported by Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2. It also offers options of 4GB and 6GB RAM, with a single 128GB storage variant expandable up to 1TB via microSD.

With a 6,000 mAh battery, this device can last more than a day on light usage. (Image: The Indian Express/ Ajay Hanje)

You can’t expect to go berserk playing video games on this device by Redmi. It works well for light-hearted games like Pac-Man or 8-ball pool, slow to medium-setting BGMI also works fine, but when the CPU is overloaded, it begins to struggle. Nevertheless, the connectivity speeds are decent and reliable for anyone switching from 4G to 5G. So, you can’t really burn the midnight oil gaming on this device, but use it for light-hearted games to take your mind off the cruel world.

If we talk about its software, the built-in HyperOS 2, based on Android 15, comes with lots of customisation options alongside some nifty AI features. Redmi promises two years of OS updates and four years of security patches, which means the phone will get multiple updates in the near future.

Battery

This part of the Redmi 15C most certainly impressed me; this model begins just from Rs 12,499, and still, it has decent battery life. Even after decent use and constant calling, this device lasted almost the whole day. The 6,000 mAh battery lasts more than a day with minimal usage, and the 33W charger works at a very good pace.

This device can redmie can charge upto 0 percent to 80 percent within an hour. (Image: The Indian Express/ Ajay Hanje)

Camera

The camera is, at best, okay for the segment it is in; the pictures in daylight are still a tad grainy, yet Redmi has done a very good job at capturing the colour spectrum with the 50MP camera. This device captures colours very well, yet lacks the clarity to click great images.

Image sample 1 (Image: The Indian Express/ Ajay hanje)

Image sample 2 (Image: The Indian Express/ Ajay hanje)

Image sample 3 (Image: The Indian Express/ Ajay hanje)

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Night/ low-light photography is certainly not one of its strong suits, as it gets hazy and grainy easily. The night photography mode just increases the brightness and doesn’t show a significant change in the image. The front camera images are also equally grainy.

Verdict 

The Redmi 15C 5G offers everyday usability with decently packed features. To list the pros of this device: a huge display, a long-lasting battery with quick charging, and an eye-candy design. Plus, brownie points for headphone jack.

The shortcomings of the device are an average screen and an unexceptional camera.

This device seems like a great purchase if you wish to upgrade from 4G to 5G, or if you are a first timer trying to get into the world of smartphones. I think the Redmi 15C will also serve as a good secondary device. The alternatives to this device could be IQoo Z10x 5G, Samsung M17 and Motorola G45.