REVIEW: Redmi Note 15 5G (2026 Smartphone)

Photo courtesy of Xiaomi 

Review by Jon Donnis

The Redmi Note 15 5G arrives as a confident mid range smartphone that feels far more considered than its price suggests. Xiaomi has spent years refining the Note series and this model shows a brand comfortable with its strengths. It is not chasing gimmicks or headline grabbing specs for the sake of it. Instead, it focuses on balance, practicality, and day to day usability.

The first thing that strikes you is how slim and light the phone feels. At just 7.35mm thick, it slips easily into a pocket and never feels cumbersome in the hand. Even with the supplied protective case fitted, it remains impressively manageable. The dual curved front and back help here, creating a shape that feels smooth and natural to hold over long periods. It looks smart too. The camera housing is familiar territory for recent Redmi devices and while it does protrude slightly, it never became uncomfortable or distracting during use.

Photo taken with the Redmi Note 15 5G

Battery life is one of the Note 15 5G's strongest selling points. The 5520mAh silicon carbon battery comfortably lasts through heavy daily use, often pushing into a second day without anxiety. Xiaomi claims up to 1.58 days of endurance and that feels realistic rather than optimistic. Video playback figures of around 21 hours stack up well in real world testing. When it does need topping up, 45W turbo charging gets you back on your feet quickly. The inclusion of 18W reverse charging is a genuinely useful extra, especially if you ever find yourself rescuing a friend's dying phone.

Durability is another quiet strength. The display glass is rated to survive face down drops from 1.7 metres, and the aluminium alloy mid frame gives the whole device a reassuring rigidity. Add IP65 dust and water resistance and this is a phone that feels built for everyday life rather than careful handling. Wet Touch Technology 2.0 works exactly as advertised, keeping the screen responsive even with damp fingers or in light rain.

The 6.77 inch AMOLED display is a highlight. Full HD plus resolution keeps everything sharp, while peak brightness of up to 3200 nits makes outdoor use a non issue. PWM dimming at 3840Hz helps reduce eye strain during long viewing sessions, which is easy to appreciate after an evening of scrolling or streaming. Dual speakers with 300 percent volume boost give audio real presence, making this a solid device for video and casual gaming.

Photo taken with the Redmi Note 15 5G

Performance is handled by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, which keeps the phone feeling brisk and responsive. Apps open quickly, multitasking is smooth, and everyday navigation never feels laboured. It is not aimed at power users chasing flagship benchmarks, but for a mid range device it strikes the right balance between speed and efficiency.

Photography is where the Redmi Note 15 5G really separates itself from cheaper models. The 108MP main camera now includes optical image stabilisation, which makes a noticeable difference in low light shots and video. Detail is excellent, though the large file sizes mean you may want to drop the resolution for everyday snaps. This is the first model in the standard lineup to add an ultra wide camera, giving genuine versatility without stepping up to a Pro device. The 20MP front camera performs well for video calls and selfies, while AI features such as reflection removal and object erasing are useful without feeling overbearing.

Photo courtesy of Xiaomi 

There are compromises, and they are worth acknowledging. The lack of a 3.5mm headphone socket will disappoint anyone who still prefers wired audio, particularly when connecting to older non Bluetooth equipment. Storage expansion is also a familiar frustration. You can use a second SIM or a memory card, but not both at the same time. These are not deal breakers, but they are worth bearing in mind depending on how you use your phone.

Taken as a whole, the Redmi Note 15 5G feels like a well judged mid range smartphone rather than a flashy one. At around £199, it delivers strong battery life, a capable camera system, solid performance, and a design that feels more premium than expected. Xiaomi continues to cement its reputation for offering good quality phones across every price bracket, and this model sits comfortably among its best value efforts.

If you are shopping for a reliable, modern replacement without paying flagship money, the Redmi Note 15 5G deserves a serious look. It does exactly what you expect, and in a few areas, it does rather more.

I score the Redmi Note 15 5G a solid 8.5 out of 10.

Pre-orders will be available on mi.com/uk from 5 January 2026 

Thank you to Xiaomi for providing the phone for review.

The full range.
Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G

8+256: £429

12+512: £479

Redmi Note 15 Pro 5G

8+256: £349

8+512:  £379

12+512: £399

Redmi Note 15 Pro

Available in 8+256 and 12+512

Prices start from £249

Redmi Note 15 5G

Available in 6+128 and 8+256

Prices start from £199

Redmi Note 15

Available in 6+128 and 8+256

Prices start from £179

REVIEW: Screaming Loaf on Android

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Screaming Loaf is a 2D puzzle-platform game, made by Ashley Spencer-Phiilips, Ashley got in contact with me through Twitter and asked me to review the game. So, I have.

Now just because someone asks nicely, does not mean I will go nicely in response, my reviews are always honest and fair.

Clearly this is a game that does not take itself too seriously, the name alone should tell you that, so from the name can you guess what the game is about? Yes, you guessed right, it is about a loaf of bread, that can scream. That is a sentence I have never written before!

The basic idea of the game is that various items from the fridge want to become part of a sandwich, and they need some bread to succeed, however the loaf of bread has no interest in becoming a sandwich, so it wants to resist all attempts, this is where you the player come in, your job is to control the loaf of bread, and avoid being smeared by all manner of fridge based foods. From jars of jam, to butter and even cheese. You can run, but you can't hide, luckily your bread has an amazing and unique skill, it can scream, and when it does so, it allows it to fight back. The scream will shatter glass jam jars, melt butter and explode cheese.

The game is separated into simple levels. To beat the level, you just need to destroy all of your fridge-based enemies.

You can move left and right, jump, scream, but you can also drop a slice of bread behind, this allows for some interesting tactics, as the lone slice can also scream, it can be re-added to the loaf too. If you lose all of your slices you will die, and every time an enemy touches you, a slice leaves you. You can also use the scream to move levers, blow up balloons, move across water as well as attacking your enemies.

You can also leave slices of bread, to help weigh down a balance, which you can then use to get to out of reach places.

With 129 levels spread across 3 stories, and an online leaderboard, the game is certainly unqiue.

With all that said, is the game actually any good?

The platforming elements will take some time to get used to, remember you are controlling a loaf of bread, so things have to be a bit different. The levels are "tight" in their construction, and not a lot of room to move, or make mistakes, luckily you can replay them as much as you want, all the way trying to improve your score.

There is a slight lack of instruction at times, for example the first time I came face to face with butter, I screamed at it, and seemingly nothing happened, other than slowing it down. I later realised that it needed a lot of screaming, to finally melt.

Once you get the hang of the game, it is fun, yes, it is silly, the idea for the game is bizarre, but put everything together, and it just kind of works.

The Good

Fun, silly gameplay. The game is FREE, so literally will cost you nothing outside of your sanity. And although it is ad supported, the ads are not too bad, 5 second wait, click on the X, and that's it.

The Bad

There is a lack of instruction at times, something I have brought up with the game maker, and hopefully this will be fixed in future updates. I also think that larger levels and a way to zoom out the perspective would also be good.

Overall

The game is free, so you have nothing to lose, download it, play it, and make your own mind up.

I score Screaming Loaf, a toasty 7/10

Out Now on the Play Store for Android.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ashumbesher.screamingloaf

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