Realme 15 Pro 5G mobile review: Decent mid-ranger with smart AI flair
The Realme 15 Pro 5G, launched in India in July 2025, positions itself as the brand’s “AI Party Phone”, a well-priced, stylish mid-range smartphone that combines robust hardware with creative software tools. While it excels in battery life and display, a few compromises hold it back from standing out.
Design and display: Bright, large, and eye-catching
Realme delivers a generous 6.8-inch 144 Hz AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution, curved contours, and a peak brightness of up to 6,500 nits, making it strikingly vibrant even under bright indoor lighting. A curved AMOLED panel adds a dash of elegance in the flowing silver, velvet green, and silk purple finishes. Ergonomics remain solid too, at around 187 g and under 8 mm thick, it feels well-balanced in hand.
Performance and Battery: Reliable endurance with modest muscle
Powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 SoC, the Realme 15 Pro handles daily usage, multitasking, and moderate gaming with relative ease. It offers dependable thermal performance, although not necessarily top of its class in raw benchmarks. The star here is the 7,000 mAh battery, which delivers over a day of real-world use, even with mixed tasks like social media, browsing, and gaming. The bundled 80W fast charger fills the battery in just over an hour, a welcome treat that not all rivals in the ₹25-35k band still include.
Cameras and AI features: Creative, sometimes polarising
Realme’s marketing leans heavily into AI capabilities, and its camera specs reflect that: a dual 50 MP setup (main with OIS and ultra-wide), plus a 50 MP selfie camera. Daytime shots are reliably sharp and colour-true, although daylight hues sometimes shift slightly; the ultra-wide camera and portraits maintain good separation, despite minor inconsistencies. Low-light performance is unexpectedly strong for the price bracket.
AI enhancements like AI Edit Genie are undeniably playful, but slow (around 25 seconds per edit) and prone to artefacts or loss of clarity. By contrast, features such as AI Eraser, AI Reflection Remover, and AI Ultra Clarity are more dependable and genuinely useful. They add fun and value, though you’d be wise not to expect Photoshop-level finesse.
Software and Updates: Full-flavoured but heavy
Realme UI on Android 15 comes packed with useful tools and customisation options, but also, unfortunately, a fair bit of pre-installed bloatware. Long-term software update support is also thinner than some competitors.
Value proposition and final thoughts
In India, the Realme 15 Pro starts at around ₹31,999 for the base variant and goes up to ₹38,999 for higher storage options. It carves out space as a compelling blend of striking display, lighting-quick charging, creative AI photography, and enduring battery life, though its performance, camera refinement, and software polish don’t quite lead the category. Middle-range rivals like the OnePlus Nord 5, POCO F7, and iQOO Neo 10 offer stronger alternatives in performance or software upgrades.
Verdict
The Realme 15 Pro is a decent mid-range smartphone that offers appealing hardware and novel AI features at a fair price. It stands out with its long-lasting battery, vivid display, and creative camera modes, perfect for social users and heavy media consumers. That said, if you prioritise peak performance, refined software, or professional-grade photography, you may find better value with other models.
