realme 15 Pro 5G Review
realme 15 Pro is a revolution; an anti-thesis to what realme was.
This is what exactly came to my mind when I started using the realme 15 Pro 5G. It is an absolute upgrade from its predecessor, albeit lacking some features that could have made it the perfect midrange phone this half of the year.
realme 15 Pro 5G vs its predecessor
- Both are sturdy and come well-protected against drops and water but the 15 Pro has more extensive IP certifications.
- realme 15 Pro 5G has a sharper screen, faster refresh rate, and much higher peak brightness.
- The newer Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 offers improved efficiency and performance over the Dimensity 7300.
- Camera hardware is better on the 15 Pro, especially for selfies and video; the 15 Pro brings 4K 60fps support for both front and rear.
- Battery is much larger and charges faster on the 15 Pro.
- The 15 Pro is lighter and comes with a unique Pulse Light feature.
Related: realme 14 Pro+ 5G Review
Build and Design
The realme 15 Pro 5G looks and feels premium. It measures just 7.79mm thick and weighs 187 grams, which makes it really easy to carry all day. The curved back, slim build, and light weight make it comfortable. You can choose between Flowing Silver and Velvet Green. What we got here is the Flowing Silver variant.
The single-piece back gives off the same expensive vibe you find on pricier brands. realme doesn’t always brag about their devices’ toughness, but this phone comes with IP69, IP68, and IP66 ratings. They also mention MIL-STD-810H compliance. This means you have solid protection against dust, drops, and water, which adds a lot of peace of mind if you are outside often or have butterfingers.
The shape is convenient for one-hand use. It fits in a pocket or pouch and never feels bulky even though there is a huge 7,000mAh battery inside. The one-piece design and the glass curve both help make it practical and easy to handle.
Display
The realme 15 Pro 5G has a big 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution. The screen refreshes at 144Hz, which means everything looks smooth, whether you are scrolling, playing games, or just watching videos. Peak brightness goes up to 6,500 nits. You can check messages or see what’s on your phone even when you’re standing under the sun. The colors are bright and deep, and the thin bezels mean you have lots of screen space. The Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the front brings some extra scratch resistance, and the touch response feels instant. The screen supports 100% DCI-P3 for accurate colors and a 94% screen-to-body ratio, so it covers almost the whole front.
Hardware
Inside, you get the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor (built on a 4nm process), paired with 12GB of RAM. With Dynamic RAM Expansion, you can push virtual memory so apps keep running smoothly in the background, up to 26GB in total.
For storage, the base variant gives you 256GB using UFS 3.1, so saving big files or heavy games won’t slow things down. There is a 512GB option, but no microSD expansion. At PhP20,999, this is one of the best values in the market, especially when compared to the vivo V60. The vivo is better for camera buffs, but if you want raw power, more storage, and a killer screen without going over budget, the realme 15 Pro 5G is miles ahead.
However (uh oh), this price is only applicable during the promo or early-sale period. If you’re reading during the time when it’s price had been reverted to its SRP (PhP27,999), this is a hard recommendation if you’re after overall camera performance than the vivo V60.
The dual speakers are loud enough for music, games, or videos. You also get an in-display fingerprint sensor, 360° NFC, and dual SIM capability.
Benchmark
On AnTuTu, the realme 15 Pro 5G scores above 1,100,000. Daily use is just as good. Heavy tasks, social media, video streaming, or switching between apps all work smoothly. I noticed the vapor chamber cooling does a good job at keeping it from getting hot when gaming. Mobile Legends and Honor of Kings run at 120fps, while PUBG runs at 90fps. There are plenty of built-in gaming tweaks like GT Boost 3.0, AI Gaming Coach, and Geek Power Tuning for frame rate and temperature control. The phone has dedicated RAM management for games and keeps things responsive.
Software and Other Software Features
You get realme UI 6.0 based on Android 15. The system feels simple and quick right out of the box. There’s no annoying bloatware, and most settings are easy to navigate. realme has loaded the phone with little shortcuts and AI perks, such as AI Ultra Touch for games, AI Multitasker for app switching, and background activity control for battery savings. The phone also packs a lot of camera AI, editing tools, and creative extras for content makers. There’s Pulse Light, customizable notification lighting around the ultra-wide lens, and even smart battery features like Smart ByPass charging.
A bunch of cool tricks are tucked away, but some are buried too deep. For instance, Shake to Launch Camera sits inside Accessibility instead of the camera settings. I would never have found this if Jimmclaude Gayo of realme did not tell me. This can be hard to find if you are not familiar with the system menus. There are useful tools like AI Smart Loop for sharing, AI Edit Genie for quick photo edits, and smart folders for organization, but realme could put more of these cool features closer to the front.
Camera
The realme 15 Pro 5G ships with a triple 50MP AI camera setup: main, ultra-wide, and a front 50MP. The main rear camera uses a Sony IMX896 sensor with OIS. Both rear cameras, plus the front, can shoot 4K video at 60fps. realme chose better video capabilities over a periscope lens. If you love recording content, you’ll love how good 4K looks, and you can shoot high-quality vlogs from the back or front without worrying. The lack of periscope zoom puts it behind rivals if you are after long-range shots or close-ups. Samsung and HONOR 200 or vivo V60 are still better options for advanced zoom and studio-quality portraits, but this camera delivers reliable, vibrant images. I’d say it is not the best you can get, but if you just want great-looking social media posts, it does the job.
realme added several AI features to the camera. MagicGlow 2.0 lets you set lighting moods around the camera, and there’s AI Party Mode, AI Glare Removal, and more. The Pulse Light feature, a customizable LED ring around the camera, is actually useful. It signals notifications with different colors and effects, and you can keep it on if you want more visibility. Dual-View mode and AI Edit Genie are handy for content creators and people who love experimenting with their shots.
Audio
The realme 15 Pro 5G gives you dual stereo speakers, which means you get clear and reasonably loud sound. The sound is good for everyday use, with enough volume for podcasts, movies, or calls. Hi-Res audio support is there if you connect higher-quality headphones. You do not have a headphone jack, so everything wired runs through USB-C.
Battery
The 7,000mAh battery is the phone’s biggest asset. You can go almost 19 hours (tested at 18 hours and 52 minutes for normal use) on a single charge. Watching shows, gaming, or browsing won’t drain it quickly, so you can go all day and night. You also get 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging, which fills 50% in 25 minutes and reaches full in just over an hour. Smart ByPass charging is a bonus. This helps reduce battery wear in the long run when you play games while plugged in or just want to top off without adding extra heat.
Verdict
The realme 15 Pro 5G is a solid all-rounder, and for PhP20,999 (12GB RAM + 256GB storage), it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who values battery, performance, a good display, and practical extras… if you act fast. The early-bird price is unbeatable when compared to the vivo V60, except for pure camera lovers. You do lose a little on camera hardware and can’t zoom like you can with Samsung or vivo V60, but the photo and video results are still more than enough for most users.
The Pulse Light LED is more than just a gimmick—it’s actually helpful. Some features are hidden away instead of front and center, and the camera, while good, isn’t top of the heap. Still, this phone nails daily use, looks and feels great, charges quick, and lasts longer than just about anything else in its price bracket. For balanced, value-first buyers, the realme 15 Pro 5G is hard to beat.
Then again, if you skipped the early-bird price, you may need to carefully examine the purpose of your purchase.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
