OnePlus 15 review

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Introduction and specs

It's about time for the next-generation OnePlus phones, and the 15 is right on time. The new handset gets a complete design overhaul, upgraded hardware (in most cases) and keeps the familiar formula to undercut the mass flagship phones without making too many compromises along the way.

Then again, the OnePlus 15 starts at a little below the €1,000 mark, but we already have a handful of flagship phones from this year that cost around that much, so the newcomer will be facing some serious competition.

Luckily, the OnePlus 15 has the hardware and features to compete. It's, of course, running the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, flagship-grade LTPO OLED panel with up to 165Hz refresh rate and complete camera hardware.

OnePlus 15 specs at a glance:

• Body: 161.4x76.7x8.1mm, 211g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum alloy frame, glass back (Gorilla Glass 7i or Crystal Shield Glass) or glass fiber back; IP68/IP69K dust tight and water resistant (high pressure water jets; immersible up to 2m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.78" LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 165Hz, PWM, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR Vivid, 800 nits (typ), 1800 nits (HBM), 1272x2772px resolution, 19.61:9 aspect ratio, 450ppi; Ultra HDR image support.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M); Adreno 840.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.1.
• OS/Software: Android 16, ColorOS 16.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 50 MP, f/2.8, 80mm, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, 3.5x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.0, 16mm, 116˚, 1/2.88", 0.61µm, PDAF.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.4, 21mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm, AF.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS, Dolby Vision, LUT; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, HDR.
• Battery: 7300mAh; 120W wired, 120W UFCS, 55W PPS, 36W PD, 36W QC, 50% in 15 min, 100% in 40 min, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless, 5W reverse wired, Bypass charging.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 6.0, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LHDC 5; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); stereo speakers.

On the other hand, the camera hardware has been changed, and it's not necessarily for the better. You still get the wide + telephoto + ultrawide combo on the back, but with smaller sensors. The optical zoom has been upgraded to 3.5x, though, so there's some silver lining.

OnePlus promises improved photography through software tricks. The OnePlus 15 uses its own DetailMax Engine, while real-time Tone Mapping and True-to-Live video recording ensure accurate color temperature and color reproduction overall. It remains to be seen whether AI and software optimizations can offset the slightly downgraded hardware.

Perhaps the most notable upgrade this year is the battery and charging. The OnePlus 15 features a massive 7,300 mAh battery, which is not just for China but is available across all markets. The charging rate has also been improved, and the phone now supports 120W fast charging over OnePlus's proprietary SuperVOOC charger and 50W over the AirVOOC wireless charging pad. That's a very impressive battery setup, and we have high hopes for its battery life.

Now let's dive deeper and see how the OnePlus 15 stacks against the competition in different aspects.

Unboxing the OnePlus 15

We received the European OnePlus 15 unit, which means it ships without a charger in the box - just a USB-A to USB-C cable.

We also got another USB cable, but it's not just any cable. This one can be used to charge your OnePlus Watch and your OnePlus phone simultaneously. We also received a Hole-Pattern Magnetic case, which is usually an extra purchase, but more on that later.