It feels just like yesterday when we saw the realme C1, the company’s first offering in the Philippines. Seven years later, we now have the realme 15 Pro, a premium midrange phone that combines everything realme has learned from years of making mainstream phones.
realme’s latest seem to have it all: a sleek and curved design, a display with a mouthful of features, sharp cameras, fast processor, and an enormous 7,000mAh battery. But are these enough to justify its sub-Php30,000 price tag?
In our realme 15 Pro review, we’ll see if it’s worth your money and attention.
realme 15 Pro Specs
- Android 15, realme UI 6.0
- 6.8-inch 1.5K OLED display, 2800 x 1280 pixel resolution, ~453ppi
- 144Hz adaptive refresh rate, up to 240Hz touch sampling rate
- 2500Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate, 4608Hz PWM dimming
- 6500-nit peak brightness, 4608Hz PWM dimming
- 10-bit
- 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 octa-core processor
- Adreno 722 GPU
- 12GB LPDDR4X RAM
- 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage, non-expandable
- 50-megapixel front camera
- 50-megapixel (IMX896, f/1.8, PDAF, OIS) + 50-megapixel (ultra-wide, f/2.0) rear cameras, LED flash
- IP68/IP69 dust and water resistant, MIL-STD-810H compliant
- Optical fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Stereo speakers
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.4
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- NFC
- Dimensions: 162.3 x 76.2 x 7.69mm
- Weight: 187g
- Colors: Velvet Green, Silk Purple, Flowing Silver
- 7,000mAh non-removable battery, 80W wired charging
Design and Build Quality
The realme 15 Pro 5G is very thin at 7.69mm and light at just 187g. Paired with the smooth curves in front, back, and all corners, the device feels incredibly sleek and comfortable to hold.
Oh, and did we mention that this lean and mean device managed to have a large 7,000mAh battery? This is all thanks to the silicon-carbon module that many brands now use. But more on that later.
Going back, the realme 15 Pro 5G is also a durable and well-made device, apart from being lightweight and handy.
The realme 15 Pro boasts a Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the front, with a pre-applied screen protector for extra measure. The rear has a glass-like plastic, while the frame is made of a reinforced metal.
realme hasn’t made any ridiculous drop tests and durability claims, unlike its competition. But after spending some time with it, the device did feel tough and sturdy.
It should be able to survive minor beatings, especially with the free clear case installed. Although, the thin profile made the frame feel a bit soft when we did a few light bend tests. Not a big deal, though, unless you deliberately try to break it.
What’s more, the 15 Pro is IP69 dust and water-resistant. This means it survived tests involving high temperature and high-pressure water jets.
The design on the back is a major refresh from the previous model, but still nothing too special. Its triangular camera layout is reminiscent of the iPhone Pro models and a bunch of other phones in the market.
But we do like the new color option. The Flowing Silver we have has a sand-like look with a shiny plastic surface that stays clean from fingerprint smudges. The Silk Purple has the same material but with a plainer paint job, while the Velvet Green has a leather-like material.
Taking a tour, we have a large 6.8-inch OLED screen on the front. The punch-hole for the 50-megapixel selfie camera and thin bezels result in an impressive 91.2% screen-to-body ratio.
The top has the microphone, IR blaster, and the speaker vent.
Left side is clean, while the right has the volume controls and the lock/power button. The physical buttons are decent, but above average in terms of tactility.
The bottom has the SIM tray for housing two nano SIMs, the primary microphone, USB-C port, and the main loudspeaker.
There’s a 50-megapixel main camera on the back, an auxiliary sensor below it, and the 50-megapixel ultra-wide on the right with the smaller lens.
The ultra-wide camera’s bezel is for the device’s Pulse Light function. Oh, and it is sandwiched by two flashes. The one on top is white, while the bottom has a yellow bulb to match the subject’s skin tone.
Display and Audio
The realme 15 Pro 5G sports a large 6.8-inch OLED display, with a high 2800 x 1280 pixel resolution, ~453ppi, up to 144Hz adaptive refresh rate, 240Hz/120Hz/24000Hz touch sampling rate, 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 10-bit colors, and 4608Hz PWM dimming.
There’s an Extra Brightness feature that extends the brightness adjustment, possibly allowing users to achieve 6,500 nits of peak brightness.
The display managed to meet our expectations. Colors are as vibrant as you want them to be, the smoothness from the high refresh rate is felt, it is responsive to touch (especially in games), and the high brightness offers great visibility even on a sunny afternoon.
We’re not a big fan of the stereo speakers. realme amplifies the tiny earpiece so it passes off as a second loudspeaker. However, it has underwhelming power, and its imbalance with the main bottom-firing loudspeaker is noticeable.
The stereo speakers do get really loud, especially with the 300% volume booster. However, the treble is a little muddy, and the bass is lacking. Could this be a drawback of having a thin and light design? Probably.
Hardware and Performance
The realme 15 Pro 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 octa-core processor, a 4nm chip clocked at up to 2.8GHz. It is paired with an Adreno 722 GPU, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of non-expandable storage.
realme 15 Pro Benchmark Scores
For thermals, the realme 15 Pro has a 7000mm2 vapor chamber realme claims covers 57% of the area, drops the CPU temperatures by 20°C, and gaming temperature by 3.2°C.
Performance in basic and routine tasks was quick and snappy. We were satisfied by how quickly it can quickly open apps, switch between them when multitasking, and how smooth taking pictures is, browsing social media, handling emails, writing documents, and more.
Now let’s see how well it handles games, starting with Genshin Impact. It was playable with smooth frames, but only under Low graphics preset. Quite disappointing compared to other phones in this category.
PUBG Mobile was smooth under HDR graphics at Extreme frames, as well as Call of Duty under Very High graphics and Max frame rates setting. Farlight84, a slightly less resource intensive game, ran well using HD graphics and 60 fps.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was seamless under HD resolution and Ultra frame rate, and Asphalt Legends Unite under High Quality at 90fps.
Bottom line is, the realme 14 Pro 5G can run games with good frame rates without any significant overheating issues. That’s a decent feat for the price.
| Game | Graphics Settings |
| Genshin Impact | • Render Resolution: Medium • Visual Effects: Medium • SFX Quality: Low • FPS: 30 |
| PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: HDR • Frame Rate: Extreme |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Very High • Frame Rate: Max |
| Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: HD • Frame Rate: 60 |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Resolution: HD • Frame Rate: Ultra |
| Asphalt Legends Unite | • Visual Quality: High Quality • Frame Rate: 90 |
Software and User Interface
The realme 15 Pro comes with Android 15-based realme UI 6.0. It will receive three years of Android upgrades, which is not really a lot by today’s standards. I would say that it’s still good enough for the price, but it’s quite disappointing when the competition is offering longer support.
Having a lot of similarities with OPPO’s ColorOS, the interface feels polished and straightforward with tons of AI features and customizability.
Google Gemini serves as the default AI assistant and easily accessible by long-pressing the power button.
Many of the AI features are found in the Gallery. The AI Genie lets you make edits using your voice. You can also ask it to analyze the photo and make the needed adjustments for you. Also here are AI Eraser, AI Ultra Clarity, Unblur, Remove Reflections, AI Glare Remover, and AI Landscape.
AI Summary and AI Speak are also available. They are easily accessible through the Smart Sidebar and make reading articles and messages easier. AI Summary and self-explanatory, while the AI Speaker will narrate documents for you in male or female voices and has playback controls.
AI Smart Loop lets you drag and drop texts and files to any AI-suggested apps. Apps that AI thinks you want to transfer them to.
There are plenty of themes you can choose from the settings. You can also personalize the Always-On Display wallpapers if you want to.
A highlight feature of the realme 15 Pro is the Pulse Light on the back. In the settings, you can adjust the hours when it’s active and adjust its brightness. It lights up when you receive calls, notifications, play music, set an alarm, use the camera countdown, using the Shake to open camera feature, Google Gemini, and GT Mode. It also works as a charging and low battery indicator.
You can adjust the light animation to breathing or music/ringtone sync, speed, color (single or mixed), speed, and duration.
realme’s Gaming Window lets you quickly switch between performance modes: Low Power Mode, Balanced Mode, and GT Mode. It also gives quick access to important gaming settings like Bypass charging, block notifications, and more.
The optical fingerprint scanner worked fine, just a few split-second slower than others. Face unlock worked faster, even in low light.
Cameras
All cameras on the realme 15 Pro use a 50-megapixel sensor. The main one uses a Sony IMX896 sensor with optical image stabilization, joined by one with an ultra-wide lens, and of course, one for selfies. Sadly, there’s no dedicated telephoto lens here.
You also get two flashes that doubles as a fill light. The one on top has a cooler tone, while the one below has a warmer tone to fit the subject’s skin tone.
There are Smart Scenes to choose from that enhance skin tones, brightness, and more: Party, Stage, Silhouette, and Fireworks. Starburst and Heart lighting effects create shapes on the lights in the background.
For videos, it can shoot at 720p, 1080p, and 4K resolutions at 30fps and 60fps. HDR is also supported in videos, and slow-motion recording at 120fps in 720p/1080p and 240fps at 720p. The Underwater Mode disables the screen and lets you use the physical buttons to take photos and record videos.
We got great daylight photos from the 50-megapixel main camera. Other than the occasional misjudgment from the dynamic range, the shots are full of details with no post-processing issues. The colors also pop but still realistic.
The 2x button uses the same sensor. Since it takes cropped photos, there’s a drop in sharpness, albeit a little too much than what’s we usually find acceptable. Shots are still decent, especially when paired with the Portrait Mode for a DSLR-like look.
Post-processing on the low-light photos is pretty extreme, but it’s definitely beneficial in terms of the quality. Shots at night and indoors look well-detailed, have appealing contrast, and clean dynamic range.
The 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera is good, but not spectacular. Despite the pixel-dense sensor, details are subpar, and the low-light performance is unsatisfactory. Colors are nice, though.
We then got solid selfies from the realme 15 Pro. It represents skin tones realistically, the dynamic range is good, and the details are really sharp. Quality drops in low-light, but nothing significant.
Apart from missing a dedicated telephoto camera, the realme 15 Pro offers a great photography and video-shooting experience. Of course, it’s still not flagship level, but it’s probably good enough for most people.
Battery and Charging
The realme 15 Pro has a large 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery with 80W SUPERVOOC charging.
It got one of the best test scores in its price range. It lasted for 20 hours and 17 minutes in our PCMark battery test and 22 hours in 1080p YouTube Video Loop Test. That should easily last you two days of light to moderate use.
The 80W SUPERVOOC charger can fill up the enormous battery in under an hour, with a quick 15-minute charge already providing 33% of juice. That’s around 2% charge per minute. See the full charging test below:
- 15mins: 0-29%
- 30mins: 52%
- 45mins: 74%
- 1hr: 96%
- 1hr 4mins: FULL
Verdict
Not many people may be pleased with its price tag, but our tests show that the realme 15 Pro 5G has all the characteristics of a reliable, fast, and comfortable daily driver.
The massive battery can easily last you for a day or two, even with heavy use, and is proven to be one of the longest in its category. What’s even more impressive is that realme achieved it with a thin and light body. In fact, it is easily one of the sleekest phones we’ve tested in a while.
More importantly, it offers a snappy performance for both day-to-day tasks and gaming, as well as an intuitive user experience with a 3-year software support.
Users will also enjoy the vibrant and extra-bright display. Plus, the triple 50-megapixel cameras take sharp photos with realistic colors.
While the lack of a telephoto lens is disappointing and the speakers are underwhelming, the tests show that the realme 15 Pro 5G is a good option for those who want a premium and reliable smartphone without the flagship price.
realme 15 Pro 5G pricing and availability details
The realme 15 Pro is available in the Philippines with an SRP of Php27,999 for the 12GB/256GB and Php30,999 for the 12GB/512GB. Pre-orders until September 26 will come with Php3,897 worth of freebies.
Pros
- Thin, light, durable
- Impressive 144Hz OLED display
- Clean UI, decent software support
- Good cameras
- Solid battery life, 80W fast charging
Cons
- Underwhelming speakers
- No telephoto lens