Redmi Note 15 Pro+ vs realme 16 Pro: Which 5G Phone Should You Buy?
Redmi Note 15 Pro+ or realme 16 Pro? Both have 200MP OIS cameras and IP69. One is ₹7,000 cheaper at Croma today; the other has a bigger battery and 144Hz.
Stuck on a Redmi Note 15 Pro Plus vs realme 16 Pro decision? On paper the two look like twins: a 200MP main camera with OIS, an 8MP ultrawide, a curved-edge AMOLED screen around 6.8 inches, a silicon-carbon battery of 6,500mAh or more, and the full IP66/IP68/IP69/IP69K set of dust and water ratings. Both are sold by Croma in an 8GB RAM + 256GB storage version, and this morning the Redmi was ₹39,999 while the realme was ₹46,999 — a ₹7,000 gap for the same memory configuration.
So the real question is what that money buys. The Redmi brings a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip, 100W HyperCharge, NFC, eSIM support, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Xiaomi’s update promise. The realme answers with a 7,000mAh battery, a 144Hz screen, faster UFS 3.1 storage, a 50MP selfie camera and a lighter, thinner body. Below we put every spec side by side, explain which differences you will actually notice in daily use, and tell you who should pick which. If you’re shopping on a smaller budget, see our best 5G phones under ₹15,000 list; for another mid-range face-off, read Samsung Galaxy A56 vs Nothing Phone (3a).
Quick answer
Buy the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ if you want the lower price (₹7,000 less at Croma today), 100W charging, NFC for tap-to-pay, eSIM and a Snapdragon chip. Buy the realme 16 Pro if battery size, a 144Hz screen, a 50MP selfie camera and a lighter 192g body matter more to you than the price gap.
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Redmi Note 15 Pro+ vs realme 16 Pro: specs side by side
Specs from Xiaomi India’s and realme India’s official pages, cross-checked with the Croma listings. Brightness figures are each brand’s own definitions and aren’t measured the same way, so we don’t call a winner there. Prices are from Croma this morning; the store page at checkout is final.
Spec scorecard
Bars use the brands’ own numbers — no made-up scores. The longer bar is the bigger number; ✓ Better marks the winner (for weight, lower wins).
Head to head: photos
Official product photos from the store listings.
Winner for…
₹39,999 vs ₹46,999 for the same 8GB/256GB at Croma this morning.
100W vs 80W charging, plus NFC and eSIM that the realme lacks.
Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 vs Dimensity 7300 Max and AGC DT-Star D+.
7,000mAh vs 6,500mAh, with bypass charging for long gaming sessions.
144Hz vs 120Hz, and UFS 3.1 storage vs UFS 2.2.
50MP front camera with 4K video; about 192g vs 207.1g.
Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G (8GB RAM, 256GB, Carbon Black)
Value, fast charging, NFC & eSIM
4 photos · swipe →
- 6500mAh
- 100W charging
- 120Hz display
- 6.8" screen
- 200MP rear
- 207.1g
- Model / colour (checked)
- Carbon Black, 8GB + 256GB (Croma 320391)
- Display
- 6.83" 1.5K (2772×1280) CrystalRes AMOLED, up to 120Hz
- Brightness (Xiaomi)
- 1,800 nits HBM / 3,200 nits peak
- Processor
- Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (4nm), octa-core up to 2.7GHz
- RAM / storage
- 8GB LPDDR4X; 256GB UFS 2.2 (no microSD)
- Rear cameras
- 200MP main (1/1.4", f/1.7, OIS) + 8MP ultrawide
- Front camera
- 32MP
- Battery / charging
- 6,500mAh (typ) silicon-carbon; 100W HyperCharge (charger in box); 22.5W wired reverse
- Build / IP
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front, fiberglass back; IP66 + IP68 + IP69 + IP69K
- Connectivity
- NFC, eSIM (nano + eSIM), Wi-Fi 6/6E, Bluetooth 5.4, IR blaster
- Software
- Xiaomi HyperOS 3; Xiaomi lists "4+6 years" of updates
- Weight / thickness
- 207.1g; 8.19mm (Carbon Black)
The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is the better deal for most buyers today. Xiaomi India lists a 6.83-inch 1.5K CrystalRes AMOLED panel at up to 120Hz with 1,800 nits HBM and 3,200 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and 3,840Hz PWM dimming for people who are sensitive to flicker. It runs on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (4nm) with up to 2.7GHz CPU speed. Gorilla Glass Victus 2 covers the front and a fiberglass panel covers the back.
The camera headline is a 200MP main sensor with a large 1/1.4-inch size, f/1.7 aperture and OIS, paired with an 8MP ultrawide and a 32MP front camera. Battery is 6,500mAh (typical) with 100W HyperCharge — the charger is in the box, and Xiaomi says boost mode fills it in about 40 minutes. You also get 22.5W wired reverse charging, so it can top up earbuds or a friend’s phone.
Small things add up here: NFC for tap-to-pay, eSIM support (nano SIM + eSIM), Wi-Fi 6E, an IR blaster and dual speakers with Dolby Atmos. The trade-offs: storage is the older UFS 2.2 standard (slower than realme’s UFS 3.1 for big app installs and file copies), the screen tops out at 120Hz, and at 207.1g it is about 15g heavier than the realme. It is listed at ₹39,999 at Croma for 8GB/256GB this morning; tracking more phones? Browse all mobile offers.
What we like
- ₹7,000 cheaper than realme 16 Pro (8/256, Croma today)
- 100W charging with charger in the box
- NFC + eSIM, Wi-Fi 6E, IR blaster
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2, 3,840Hz PWM dimming
What could be better
- Older UFS 2.2 storage
- Heavier at 207.1g
- 120Hz vs realme’s 144Hz
Who should buy it: Buyers who want the most phone for under ₹40,000, use UPI tap-to-pay or eSIM, and like a near-full charge in well under an hour.
realme 16 Pro 5G (8GB RAM, 256GB, Pebble Grey)
Battery size, 144Hz & selfies
4 photos · swipe →
- 7000mAh
- 80W charging
- 144Hz display
- 6.8" screen
- 200MP rear
- 192g
- Model / colour (checked)
- Pebble Grey, 8GB + 256GB (Croma 320062)
- Display
- 6.78" (17.22cm) FHD+ 1272×2772 AMOLED, up to 144Hz, 10-bit
- Brightness (realme)
- 1,400 nits HBM; 6,500 nits (realme’s APL/peak figure)
- Processor
- MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Max, octa-core (Mali-G615 GPU)
- RAM / storage
- 8GB LPDDR4X; 256GB UFS 3.1 (no microSD)
- Rear cameras
- 200MP main (f/1.8, OIS) + 8MP 112° ultrawide
- Front camera
- 50MP (4K 30fps video)
- Battery / charging
- 7,000mAh (typ) / 6,830mAh (rated); 80W Ultra Charge (charger in box); bypass and reverse charging
- Build / IP
- AGC DT-Star D+ cover glass; IP66 / IP68 / IP69 / IP69K
- Connectivity
- No NFC, no eSIM (realme India spec page); Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, IR remote
- Software
- realme UI 7.0
- Weight / thickness
- About 192g; about 7.8mm
The realme 16 Pro costs more today, but it is the more comfortable phone to live with if you are on your screen all day. realme’s India spec page lists a 7,000mAh (typical) battery — the biggest here by 500mAh — with 80W Ultra Charge, plus bypass charging (the phone runs off the charger instead of the battery while gaming, to limit heat) and reverse charging. Despite the bigger battery, it is the slimmer and lighter phone: about 7.8mm and 192g.
The 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED goes up to 144Hz with a 10-bit panel, and realme quotes 1,400 nits in HBM. The rear camera pairs a 200MP main sensor (f/1.8, OIS) with an 8MP 112° ultrawide, and the front camera is a 50MP unit that records 4K at 30fps — a clear upgrade over the Redmi’s 32MP if you shoot a lot of selfies or vlogs. Storage is the faster UFS 3.1 standard.
Where it falls behind: the Dimensity 7300 Max is a step below the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 in the Redmi, the official spec page says no NFC and no eSIM, charging is 80W rather than 100W, and the cover glass is AGC DT-Star D+ rather than Gorilla Glass Victus 2. At ₹46,999 for 8GB/256GB at Croma this morning, it is ₹7,000 more than the Redmi. Amazon also lists the 12GB/256GB realme 16 Pro — see its price history page.
What we like
- Biggest battery: 7,000mAh with bypass charging
- 144Hz AMOLED and faster UFS 3.1 storage
- 50MP front camera with 4K video
- Lighter (about 192g) and thinner (about 7.8mm)
What could be better
- ₹7,000 more than the Redmi (8/256, Croma today)
- No NFC and no eSIM
- 80W vs Redmi’s 100W charging
Who should buy it: Heavy users and selfie or vlog shooters who want the longest battery and the smoothest screen, and don’t need NFC or eSIM.
Verdict: Redmi Note 15 Pro+ or realme 16 Pro?
Get the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ if you want the best value. At ₹7,000 less for the same 8GB/256GB, it still gives you a 200MP OIS camera with a larger sensor, the same IP69K-class water and dust rating, a faster Snapdragon chip, 100W charging, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and two features many Indian buyers use every day without thinking about them — NFC and eSIM.
Get the realme 16 Pro if battery and comfort come first. The 7,000mAh battery, 144Hz screen, faster UFS 3.1 storage, 50MP 4K selfie camera and a body that is 15g lighter make it the nicer daily carry for heavy users and creators — as long as you can live without NFC and eSIM, and the price gap doesn’t bother you. If the realme drops closer to the Redmi’s price during a sale, it becomes a much easier call.
How we compared these two
We only compare phones on GrabDeals when we can open a live India store listing and read the price in the same run. For this guide that meant Croma’s listings for the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G (8GB/256GB, Carbon Black, item 320391) and the realme 16 Pro 5G (8GB/256GB, Pebble Grey, item 320062) — the same RAM and storage, so the price gap is a fair one. Both showed as in stock.
Specs come from Xiaomi India’s Redmi Note 15 Pro+ specifications page and realme India’s realme 16 Pro specifications page, cross-checked with the Croma listings. We haven’t tested these phones ourselves, so there are no star ratings, camera scores or “we tested” claims here — only what the brands and the store state. Where the brands measure something differently (screen brightness), we show both numbers and don’t pick a winner.
Cameras: two 200MP phones, different strengths
Both phones use a 200MP main camera with OIS and an 8MP ultrawide, so the spec sheets look the same at first glance. The details differ. Xiaomi lists a 1/1.4-inch sensor with an f/1.7 aperture on the Redmi, while realme names a Samsung HP5 sensor at 1/1.56-inch with f/1.8 on its product page. A bigger sensor and a wider aperture usually help in low light, so on paper the Redmi’s main camera has the edge. Both brands also talk up lossless or “optical-level” 2x crops from the 200MP sensor, which is handy for portraits even without a telephoto lens.
The front camera is where the realme pulls ahead clearly: 50MP with 4K 30fps video, against the Redmi’s 32MP that records up to 1080p at 60fps. If you make Reels, take video calls for work or shoot a lot of selfies, that matters. Rear video tops out at 4K 30fps on both, according to the official spec pages.
Battery and charging: 7,000mAh vs 100W
Battery size
The realme 16 Pro has a 7,000mAh (typical) battery and the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ has 6,500mAh. Both use silicon-carbon cells, which is why they still fit in fairly slim bodies. The realme’s extra 500mAh is about 8% more capacity — useful if you game, navigate or stream a lot — and realme adds bypass charging, which powers the phone straight from the charger while gaming so the battery doesn’t heat up as much.
Charging speed
The Redmi charges faster at 100W (Xiaomi says about 40 minutes to full in boost mode) against the realme’s 80W. Both include the charger in the box, which isn’t a given any more. The Redmi also lists 22.5W wired reverse charging; realme lists reverse charging without a wattage. In daily use, the realme lasts a little longer per charge on paper, and the Redmi gets back to full a little quicker.
Display, chip and storage
The realme’s 6.78-inch AMOLED runs at up to 144Hz, and the Redmi’s 6.83-inch panel at up to 120Hz. You’ll notice the higher refresh rate mostly while scrolling and in games that support it. The Redmi has the higher resolution on paper (1.5K, 2772×1280) and adds Dolby Vision, a 12-bit panel and 3,840Hz PWM dimming; the realme uses a 10-bit panel. Brightness claims aren’t directly comparable: Xiaomi quotes 1,800 nits HBM and 3,200 nits peak, while realme quotes 1,400 nits HBM and a 6,500-nit APL figure.
Under the hood, the Redmi uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (4nm) and the realme uses MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Max. The Snapdragon is the newer chip of the two. The realme fights back on storage: UFS 3.1 versus the Redmi’s UFS 2.2, which means faster app installs, game loading and file copies. Both versions here have 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and no memory card slot, so pick the 256GB storage if you keep a lot of photos and videos.
Durability, NFC, eSIM and software
Both phones carry the full IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K set of ratings, so either one is built to shrug off rain, splashes and accidental dunks. Xiaomi advises against pool or beach use and says liquid damage beyond its test conditions isn’t covered by warranty; realme also warns that water resistance can weaken with long use. The Redmi uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front with a fiberglass back; the realme uses AGC DT-Star D+ glass. A case comes in the box with both.
Two practical gaps decide it for many people. The realme 16 Pro’s India spec page says NFC: unsupported and eSIM: unsupported; the Redmi supports both (nano SIM + eSIM). If you pay by tapping your phone or want a second number on eSIM, the Redmi is the only choice of these two. On software, the Redmi runs Xiaomi HyperOS 3 and Xiaomi’s page mentions “4+6 years” of updates; the realme runs realme UI 7.0, and its spec page doesn’t state an update policy, so check the store listing if that matters to you.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Redmi Note 15 Pro+ or realme 16 Pro?
For most buyers the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ is the better value: it was ₹7,000 cheaper for 8GB/256GB at Croma this morning and adds a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip, 100W charging, NFC, eSIM and Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The realme 16 Pro is better if you want a bigger 7,000mAh battery, a 144Hz screen, a 50MP selfie camera and a lighter phone.
What is the price difference between Redmi Note 15 Pro+ and realme 16 Pro in India?
At Croma this morning the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ 8GB/256GB was ₹39,999 and the realme 16 Pro 8GB/256GB was ₹46,999, a gap of ₹7,000. Prices change often, so check the live price on the store page before buying.
Does the realme 16 Pro have NFC and eSIM?
No. realme India’s official spec page lists NFC and eSIM as unsupported on the realme 16 Pro 5G. The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ supports both NFC and eSIM (nano SIM + eSIM).
Which phone has the better battery and charging?
The realme 16 Pro has the bigger battery (7,000mAh vs 6,500mAh) and adds bypass charging. The Redmi Note 15 Pro+ charges faster at 100W versus 80W. Both come with the charger in the box.
Are both phones waterproof?
Both carry IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings for dust and water resistance, according to Xiaomi and realme. Xiaomi advises against pool or beach use, and both brands note that water resistance can weaken over time, so don’t treat either as a swimming phone.
Which has the better camera, Redmi Note 15 Pro+ or realme 16 Pro?
Both use a 200MP main camera with OIS and an 8MP ultrawide. On paper the Redmi’s main sensor is larger (1/1.4-inch, f/1.7 vs 1/1.56-inch, f/1.8), while the realme has the stronger front camera: 50MP with 4K video vs 32MP with 1080p. We haven’t tested the photos ourselves.
Prices checked 15 Nov 2026, 11:07 am IST. We read each price on the store’s own product page and re-check them every day. Prices, bank offers and stock change quickly, so the store page at checkout is final. Where we couldn’t verify a price recently, we show “Check price” instead of a number. Specs, charts and score bars use the brand’s official figures or the store listing; photos are the official product images from the store.
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