OnePlus 15 review: The flagship that never dies and changes everything
OnePlus doesn’t want to wait until the upcoming new year to launch its flagship like in previous years. Instead, the company wants to see 2025 out with a bang before the year’s over with the launch of the OnePlus 15.
For the last two generations, OnePlus has managed to narrow the divide between its flagship model and all the best phones out there by undercutting its rivals on price. Both the Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone 17 Pro Max still cost over $1,000, so there’s a huge opportunity here.
The OnePlus 15 continues that philosophy, but more importantly, it feels like a completely different phone from everything else I’ve tested this year. That’s because this Android phone doesn’t just move the needle by a little – it shatters records. I’ve been testing out the OnePlus 15 for over a week now and it really is the new phone to beat. Here’s why.
OnePlus 15 review: Specifications
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
OnePlus 15 |
|
Starting price |
$899 / £899 |
|
Screen size |
6.78-inch 1.5K OLED |
|
Refresh rate |
1-120Hz adaptive, maximum 165Hz in gaming |
|
Chipset |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
|
RAM |
12GB, 16GB |
|
Storage |
256GB, 512GB |
|
Rear cameras |
50MP main (f/1.8), 50MP ultrawide (f/2), 50MP telephoto (f/2.8) with 3.5x optical zoom |
|
Front camera |
32MP (f/2.4) |
|
Battery size |
7,300 mAh |
|
Charging speed |
80W wired (up to 100W with GaN charger), 50W wireless |
|
Size |
6.36 x 3.02 x 0.32 inches (161.42 x 76.67 x 8.1 mm) |
|
Weight |
7.44 ounces (211 grams) |
|
Colors |
Infinite Black, Sand Storm, Ultra Violet |
OnePlus 15 review: Price and release
Despite all the tariffs on imports, I’m happy to see that we’re getting another year of no price hikes with the latest OnePlus model. Just like its predecessor, the OnePlus 15 has a starting cost of $899.99 — but that’s for only the Infinite Black color with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The other two colors, Sand Storm and Ultra Violet, command a price of $999.99 and come with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. For the additional cost, I think they’re the better value because they still beat all their competitors. Needless to say, I’m happy about these prices, but OnePlus warns that the “price is subject to change due to current market conditions,” which could mean the cost increases down the line.
Regardless, these prices still beat the $1,000+ prices of other flagship models. Even though it’s launched overseas in China already, there’s still no confirmed launch date for the OnePlus 15 in the U.S.
OnePlus 15 review: Design
I’ve dropped it several times onto carpeted flooring and even threw it into my backpack against other phones, but I’ve yet to see any major blemishes
The OnePlus 15 is a completely different looking phone, flaunting more iPhone aesthetics than ever before. Gone is the circular camera hump on the back that made it distinctly a OnePlus. That’s ditched for a square housing that looks awfully like the iPhone 16 Pro Max — before Apple stretched it out with the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Likewise, it borrows the same flat-edge design and rounded corners found on the iPhone. While it does seem like a direct copy, I really do like the minimalism that OnePlus is going after. With my Sand Storm colorway, it’s proven to be way more resistant to scratching because of how it uses MAO (Micro-Arc Oxidation) technology on the frame to create a ceramic-grade coating over the metal surface.
All of this makes it look smooth, almost matte-like to the touch. At the same time, it’s pretty manageable to hold in the hand being shorter and narrower than the iPhone 17 Pro Max — while tipping the scales at 7.44 ounces. I’ve dropped it several times onto carpeted flooring and even threw it into my backpack against other phones, but I’ve yet to see any major blemishes around the back and its Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front.
Also a first for phones, the OnePlus 15 sets a standard for smartphone durability with its IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings. The latter two ensures protection from high pressure water jets at temperatures up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees Celsius).
OnePlus 15 review: Display
If you thought gaming at 120Hz was blistering fast, you’re in for a treat with 165Hz gaming
Usually it’s rare for a phone’s display to scale back its resolution, but that’s what’s going on with the OnePlus 15’s 6.78-inch LTPO panel. Rather than the 2K resolution (3,168 x 1,440 pixels) from the previous OnePlus 13, it goes down to 1.5K resolution (2,772 x 1,272 pixels).
That’s a big jump in terms of the amount of pixels it’s sacrificing with the display, but I’m not worried because 1.5K is still crisp and detailed to me with its 450-ppi pixel density. I played the same 4K HDR video I run on all phones I test and it looks no different with its strong details, rich colors, and wide viewing angles.
However, I’m a little disappointed that it still doesn’t come close to matching the brightness of other phones. Tom’s Guide’s testing reveals a peak brightness of 1,222 nits — which is an improvement over the OnePlus 13’s reach of 1,104 nits — but still trails the iPhone 17 Pro Max by a wide margin. Due to this, I’m constantly finding myself having to shield it during the daytime when the sun’s out.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
OnePlus 15 |
OnePlus 13 |
iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|
Max brightness |
1,222 nits |
1,104 nits |
1,899 nits |
|
sRGB |
111.8% (Standard) / 110.8 (Natural) |
121.7% (Natural) |
109.6 % |
|
DCI-P3 |
79.2% (Standard) / 78.4% (Natural) |
86.2% (Natural) |
77.6% |
|
Delta-E (lower is better) |
0.29 (Standard) / 0.2 (Natural) |
0.23 (Natural) |
0.26 |
Another interesting characteristic that I immediately notice is the sensitivity of the display. It seems like the slightest touch triggers the display, but this is attributed to its lightning fast refresh rate. While its adaptive 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling and making through the software look so effortless, it was even more astounding when I loaded up a round in PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile, which unlocked its 165Hz refresh rate.
Paired with OnePlus’ Dedicated Touch Response Chip, I never experienced gaming this intense and responsive. If you thought gaming at 120Hz was blistering fast, you’re in for a treat with 165Hz gaming because of the tight controls I found playing those games.
OnePlus 15 review: Cameras
OnePlus has made great strides the last couple of generations around its camera performance — and the OnePlus 15 is no exception. This year’s arrangement consists of a 50MP main shooter, 50MP ultrawide, and a 50MP telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom. There’s a 32MP selfie camera around the front that finishes the package.
This all might look familiar, as the OnePlus 13 also features a 50MP triple camera system, but there are differences. For example, the main camera now uses a Sony IMX906 sensor, while the telephoto uses a JN5 sensor in a W-style periscope design. Paired with OnePlus’ DetailMax Engine that effectively enhances the performance of the cameras, it gives many of the best camera phones a good run for their money.
Besides the hardware, there’s a lot I love about the camera app. Not only does it have all the shooting modes I crave as an enthusiast, like dual-view video for side-by-side simultaneous video recording using two cameras and a pro video mode, but there’s also the ability to shoot 8K video and 4K 120 fps natively.
I have to admit the 50MP main camera puts out outstanding results, like how it delivers the brighter picture, sharper details, and more definition in the shots I captured above from Bryant Park. The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s main 200MP camera is no slouch, but the OnePlus 15 shows it’s more capable.
Against the iPhone 17 Pro, I’m again amazed by the OnePlus 15’s ultrawide camera’s performance. That’s because it delivers a brighter picture overall, along with better detail when I zoom into different parts of the shot — like the trees to the left and the building in the far background.
I don’t have issues with the way the OnePlus 15 reproduces colors, but it definitely overexposes the highlights more so than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Just check out the blue flower arrangement and some of the other red flowers.
The selfies I shot above prove why you shouldn’t ever judge a camera for the amount of megapixels it offers. Compared to the iPhone 17 Pro’s 18MP Center Stage camera, the OnePlus 15’s 32MP selfie shooter suffers from a softer look and washed out skin tones.
Macro mode is automatically enabled when it senses it’s close to a subject, just like the chrysanthemums above. With the OnePlus 15, it leans on the ultrawide for all macro shots and I think it does a better job of capturing them than the iPhone 17 Pro. When I zoom into the middle flower, it’s noticeably sharper and results in a more dramatic shot.
The OnePlus 15 handles panorama well, with options to capture them with the ultrawide, main, or telephoto cameras. I stuck with the main camera when I took the panorama of the New York Public Library on the other side of Bryant Park, which I think does better against the iPhone 17 Pro with how it manages to capture the same details — like the stonework around the building — and how it doesn’t suffer from the overexposure I see with the buildings on the right.
OnePlus phones have come far based on my experience, but despite all the advancements, it still underperforms under low light against its rivals. Most notably, you can see how the shot of the tree in my backyard above looks really underexposed compared to the iPhone 17 Pro. At the same time, it captures less definition.
To test out its telephoto performance, I pitted it against the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which, on paper, has an advantage because of how its 48MP telephoto camera has 5x optical zoom. The OnePlus 15 has a 3.5x optical zoom. That certainly has the upper hand with the 3.5x zoom shots I captured of the building above. While it’s underexposed compared to the Pixel, zooming in reveals more detail and definition.
Next up, I moved to 10x and locked onto one side of the building. At this zoom level, both phones are leaning on a bit of sensor zooming and digital zoom to get to 10x — and as a result, look much softer. However, I still prefer the OnePlus 15 for its stronger, more contrasted look.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL was my favorite zoom phone because of how Pro Res Zoom enhances all zoom photos captured at 30x or higher. This one’s tough because while the OnePlus 15 also gets help from AI, I think it’s way too aggressive. For example, the bricks lose their textures and look more like a painting than an actual photo. The only reason I think the Pixel 10 Pro XL does better here is that it retains some of that detail.
OnePlus 15: Video recording
As much as I love it as a photographer’s camera, the OnePlus 15 has the stuff I crave as a videographer. It’s one of the few phones that offer native 8K 30fps and 4K 120fps recording out of the box, along with a Pro Video mode and LOG recording to round out its video-centric features.
Against the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the OnePlus 15 produces crisp 4K 30fps videos that have plenty of detail and sharpness. You can see how it matches the S25 Ultra in those two areas, including the way it adapts the exposure accordingly when there’s a sudden shift in the shot. I’m also pleased by its stabilization.
Apple’s flagship phones aren’t the only ones that can shoot 4K 120fps natively, which is why I really dig the OnePlus 15 as a video camera. I can tell it delivers that silky smooth look that this high frame rate is supposed to offer, but I actually prefer how the OnePlus 15’s footage looks brighter in most of the scenes, along with how skin tones look more vibrant.
Lastly, I want to illustrate how its 8K 30fps video recording compares to the Galaxy S25 Ultra with the clips above from Bryant Park. The first thing I can instantly tell is how the OnePlus 15’s footage looks cleaner and with more definition. There’s definitely less contrast which also makes it look more cinematic in a way, whereas the S25 Ultra’s heavy color saturation is a distraction.
OnePlus 15 review: Performance
Despite being one of the last major phone releases of the year, the OnePlus 15 has the distinction of being the first to showcase the power of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. Not surprisingly, synthetic benchmark tests prove it’s a beast with Geekbench 6 single and multi-core scores of 3,618 and 11,116, respectively.
Those scores easily eclipse the phones powered by Qualcomm’s previous Snapdragon 8 Elite, like the OnePlus 13 and Galaxy S25 Ultra. And while the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s A19 Pro chip delivers a better single core score, the OnePlus 15 sets itself apart from the entire pack with its multi-core score.
|
OnePlus 15 |
iPhone 17 Pro Max |
Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|
|
Processor |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
A19 Pro |
Snapdragon 8 Elite |
|
Geekbench (single core/multicore) |
3,618 / 11,116 |
3,871 / 9,968 |
3,031 / 9,829 |
|
WildLife Unlimited(fps) |
173.83 |
159.53 |
161.66 |
|
Adobe Premiere Rush Transcode Time (Mins:Secs) |
N/A |
0:22 |
0:52 |
Meanwhile, its GPU performance equally deserves recognition because it trounces the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra. In 3DMark’s Wild Life Unlimited test, it manages to sustain an average frame rate of 173.83 fps — which is still way smoother than its closest rivals. Like I said earlier, there are some games that support its 165Hz refresh rate. The difference is immediate as games like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile look incredibly fluid, which combined with its 360 Cryo-Velocity Cooling system, sustains peak gaming performance while remaining cool.
That sense of responsiveness is seen in everything I do with the phone. From scrolling through the interface to running multiple apps simultaneously, it never lets up with its performance. I’m also astounded by its responsiveness even after I’ve set the screen resolution and refresh rate to their highest setting.
OnePlus 15 review: Battery and charging
This is, without question, the most satisfying part of the OnePlus 15 because it’s the only flagship phone I’ve used that lasts me more than two days. U.S. consumers are in for a treat because it’s the first major release stateside to come with a silicon-carbon battery. Quite frankly, it reshapes how I think about phones going forward.
That’s because there’s a dense 7,300 mAh battery cell that uses advanced Silicon Nanostack technology to cram in more energy without making the battery any larger. As a result, it’s not any thicker or heavier than any other flagship, while also setting a new record for battery life.
|
Average Battery life (Hrs:Mins) |
Charging % in 15 minutes |
Charging % in 30 minutes |
|
|
OnePlus 15 |
25:13 |
45% |
81% |
|
OnePlus 13 |
19:45* |
56% |
92% |
|
iPhone 17 Pro Max |
17:54 |
35% |
64% |
|
Galaxy S25 Ultra |
14:27 |
37% |
71% |
Tom’s Guide’s battery drain test results in a time of 25 hours and 13 minutes, which propels it to the top of our list with the best phone battery life. It smokes everything before it, including the iPhone 17 Pro Max. I still should point out that the OnePlus 13 reached a time of 19 hours and 45 minutes — but that was on an older version of the test. If it were to run the new one, I suspect it’d get a similar time as the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
This isn’t just a record, it ushers in a new age for phones.
Regardless of that, what matters more to me is how much battery life I can get with my day-to-day use. I was already blown away when it got down to 68% after my first day of using it, but I was in for a shock when it was at 24% by the second full day. All told, the battery lasted me a whopping 2 days, 11 hours, and 5 minutes when it was at 2% capacity. This isn’t just a record – it ushers in a new age for smartphones.
Not to be outdone, the OnePlus 15 also features 80W SUPERVOOC wired charging, which got it to 45% with 15 minutes of charging and then to 81% in 30 minutes. In my own testing, I saw its wired charging peak at 65W with the included SUPERVOOC charger. However, it can still charge faster when using the optional OnePlus SUPERVOOC 100W GaN charger. Finally, it also continues to set itself apart with its 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging speed.
OnePlus 15 review: Software and AI
When the OnePlus 13 launched, it felt underwhelming largely because of the lack of AI features. In a time when its rivals are proving how advantageous they are, OnePlus missed this opportunity — but it redeems itself here with OxygenOS 16.
There are some new aesthetic changes to the interface, which runs on top of Android 16. From a productivity standpoint, it rivals Samsung’s One UI because of how it executes multitasking. It’s all done with the help of the smart sidebar, a hidden tab overlaid on top of the interface that’s a repository for quick access to apps. In fact, it operates much like Open Canvas that I love with the OnePlus Open — whereby it dynamically changes the layout when two apps are running on top of one another.
Other OxygenOS staple features continue to make an appearance in this latest version, like the Shelf, along with more personalization options to the home and lock screens. Really, it’s a good upgrade in terms of the visuals, but I still like Apple’s approach with Liquid Glass.
However, the biggest boost to OxygenOS 16 are all the new OnePlus AI features that make the experience even more satisfying. Compared to last year’s offering, it’s a night-and-day difference. OnePlus has its own versions of the many AI features I find in other phones, like an AI Writer tool that gives me options to convert my writing so that it’s social media friendly, as well as an AI recorder app that transcribes voice recordings and summarizes them.
But it goes beyond that with even more tools for photo editing. For example, I’ve used its version of Google’s Magic Eraser called AI Eraser, which accurately removes people from a shot with ease. It functions much like Apple’s Photo Clean Up, but the results are way better.
Another Google AI feature that the OnePlus 15 copies is the ability to create new faces in group shots so they’re smiling, called AI Perfect Shot, which works incredibly well. It analyzes the photo for faces and then produces a number of options I can choose from — with convincing results, as a matter of fact.
There’s also AI Portrait Glow, which I haven’t seen before in other phones. Basically, it helps boost the lighting conditions so that it corrects areas that are underexposed or overexposed. I think of it more as an HDR auto-correction because I was able to boost the exposure of my face to better stand out from the background.
If you’re still not convinced by its AI, then check out the before and after results with the AI Unblur feature I applied to the out of focus shot of the Fiat 500e above. It was clearly blurred with the original, but one quick tap puts it all into focus.
And finally, there’s OnePlus’ version of Pixel Screenshots, called Plus Mind, which can recall information after storing screengrabs via a press of the dedicated Plus Key on the left side of the phone. While it doesn’t technically save a screenshot, it’s basically doing that — which I can then revisit in the Mind Space app.
It’s great for remembering event times, locations, and other important information I want to recall later, but my issue is that this requires proactive participation on my part. I would love this feature more if it could do it all on its own without me having to always tell it to remember these details.
Beyond that, the OnePlus 15 carries many of my favorite Google AI features, like multimodal Gemini Live and Circle to Search. And now that the Google Photos app has access to the Ask Photos feature, it really has a lot of stuff I use with Pixel phones.
OnePlus pledges 4 years of Android updates and 6 years of security updates. The former’s a little short compared to the 7 years Samsung and Google offer with their flagships, so I wish it were longer for the OnePlus 15.
OnePlus 15 review: Verdict
In years past, OnePlus’s flagship has always finished behind Apple, Samsung, and Google — but that changes in a big way with the OnePlus 15. It’s not just an iterative update, it’s a substantial one that’s more satisfying than anything else it’s released.
One thing’s for sure: its new battery tech proves that phones can last longer than just a single day. Considering how we’ve all become complacent with one-day battery life, it’s unbelievable that I can get more than two days out of a phone again, which is something I haven’t seen since the old flip phone days of the early 2000s.
But of course, it all falls back on that “Never Settle” philosophy — and OnePlus certainly continues that here. Not only does it undercut its rivals on price, which I hope it remains at $899, but it’s backed with a new software experience complete with AI features that boost the experience. I just can’t believe that the best phone to come out this year waited until now to be released, but it’s worth the wait.
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