We live in strange times – prices of old hardware are going up instead of down. This puts affordable devices in a tough spot as hitting their price points becomes quite a challenge.
The Redmi 15 series is a good example of that – in last week’s poll we asked you whether you had an interest in any of the three models and the responses are less than positive. The predominant opinion is that these are too low end and that you can get more for your money with other models.
Starting with the Redmi 15 5G, this one has the best chance – some would get it for themselves, others would recommend it to a friend or family member. Having 5G connectivity helps it keep its head above water, though. Stay tuned – we have a Redmi 15 5G in for review and will give you our detailed thoughts on it soon.
The Redmi 15 4G got an ancient chipset (not that the 5G chip is particularly fresh). Some would still recommend it as a cheap, basic phone, but about as many people would point to a different Redmi model as a better option.
Cutting the 3.5mm headphone jack from the 4G and 5G phones was a mistake – people shopping in this price range are sensitive to losing basic features like this. The downgraded cameras made matters even worse.
The Redmi 15C 4G is a phone that is tough to recommend – the conclusion from the poll is that you should either save up a bit and get a 15 4G or 15 5G or that you should look outside of the Redmi 15 series altogether.
Xiaomi’s budget models have historically done well, offering good value for modest prices. This is not the case with the Redmi 15 series, which feels too compromised – old hardware and missing features don’t exactly scream “buy a new phone”.