There’s still a huge market of people who only need the basics from a smartphone - communication, a bit of social media, and even light work like navigation. Redmi has always been a solid option in this space, and at one of the most affordable tiers, we now have the Redmi 15C. Let’s see if it covers the essentials.
The Redmi 15C comes in these variants and prices:
- 4GB + 128GB – PhP 5,299
- 6GB + 128GB – PhP 5,799
- 8GB + 256GB – PhP 6,599
 |
| Redmi 15C |
Design
The unit I got comes in a striking royal blue finish with a glittery, sand-like shimmer. It has a smooth reflective texture that looks nice, and thankfully, fingerprints don’t stick too easily even with sweaty hands. It’s refreshing to see this kind of design makeover on an entry-level phone.
It’s slim but feels a bit hefty thanks to the large battery. On the right, you get a side-mounted fingerprint scanner with the volume rocker above it.
Like most budget devices, it still includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, but no headset is bundled in the box.
Overall, the design is pretty standard, but definitely among the nicer-looking ones in this price range. The Redmi line has always managed to balance affordability with style, and this one continues that trend.
Display
Right after powering it on, I noticed the quality of the screen. It’s an IPS LCD, so there’s a little shadowing on the edges, but nothing too distracting.
It uses a dew-drop notch design on a big 6.9-inch display with a 1600x720px resolution. The panel is sharp enough, with decent saturation, though it leans slightly bluish.
What stands out is the 90Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling and even light gaming feel smoother than expected at this price. Watching videos is enjoyable too, thanks to the sheer size of the screen.
Performance
The Redmi 15C runs on a MediaTek Helio G81-Ultra chipset and the variant we have has 4GB of RAM. By today’s standards, it’s dated, and you can feel the phone pushing itself to keep things smooth. For basic tasks like messaging, browsing, and social media, it does fine. Compared to other budget phones running Unisoc chipsets, performance feels about the same.
 |
| Redmi 15C Call of Duty: Mobile |
You will, however, encounter lags and stutters with heavier apps. Xiaomi’s HyperOS also isn’t the lightest for budget hardware, which doesn’t help. Apps generally take a second to open, but once you stick to one at a time, the experience is manageable.
On benchmarks, it scored 361,794 on AnTuTu. Not bad, but definitely not for gaming. Casual titles run okay, but don’t expect high settings or consistently smooth frame rates.
 |
| Redmi 15C AnTuTu Score |
It does come with GameTurbo optimization, and under boost mode, I tested a few titles:
Call of Duty: Mobile runs okay, but competitive players will find it sluggish even on low settings.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang runs much better, since MOBA games don’t demand high frame rates. Gameplay here is actually enjoyable.
I think this phone is at the bare minimum that you should get if you still want a decent enough performance. Anything lower might already be too slow even for the basics.
Camera
The Redmi 15C packs a 50MP main camera alongside a 2MP depth sensor. In daylight, shots are surprisingly detailed with decent colors. Dynamic range is limited with HDR off, but switching it on helps balance highlights for better-looking photos.
The images somewhat remind me of older digital cameras and honestly, it isn’t a bad thing considering those are making a comeback.
Low light is a struggle but with a steady hand, you can still get passable results. For its class, it’s serviceable.
The 8MP front camera is fine for video calls and casual selfies, though skin tones appear a little soft and washed out.
Battery and Charging
Battery is a strong point here. The Redmi 15C packs a 6,000mAh cell, which easily lasts a full day and a half on moderate use. Even with heavy social media and video streaming, battery anxiety isn’t an issue. The less power-hungry hardware also helps stretch usage.
Charging is handled by 33W wired charging, which tops it up fairly quickly for its capacity.
Conclusion
The Redmi 15C is built to cover the basics at an affordable price and it does it well. You’re getting a refreshed design, a massive 90Hz display, good-enough cameras, and a big battery.
Performance is decent so long as expectations are realistic. But if you’re after a budget phone for essentials like communication, social media, navigation, and light entertainment - plus a design that looks better than most in its class - the Redmi 15C is a solid option at its price range.