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OnePlus 15: Two-minute review
If a smartphone genie offered me three wishes for my dream phone, I couldn’t have created a device as great as the OnePlus 15. It delivers more than the most demanding smartphone fans could wish for, with priorities that reflect the ways I really want to use my phone.
My three wishes? First, I’d wish for a battery that lasts all day. The OnePlus 15 watches my dream phone fall asleep then parties hard for another day and a half. I let this phone go uncharged for three days during my review and I still had some juice left. And that’s not to mention the incredibly fast charging speeds.
My second wish would be for a durable phone, water resistant with glass that is tough enough it won’t break if I drop it. OnePlus makes its flagship phone more durable than any Samsung or Apple phone you can buy. I watched last year’s OnePlus 13 survive a run through a dishwasher, and the OnePlus 15 is even tougher than that. Bring on the hot water jets!
My final wish would be to get back some of the great smartphone features we’ve lost over the years. I remember when Android phones were about personality and customization. Now you can’t even organize your app drawer on a Pixel phone.
The OnePlus 15, on the other hand, is the phone for people who love smartphones. You can customize it, but it looks great even if you don’t. It has a ton of unique widgets that add functions to your home screen, or you can hide those on a separate shelf.
Oh, and it has an IR blaster. Remember when phones had those? Every Galaxy S6 could change the channel on your TV (or the bar TV playing Fox News), and the OnePlus 15 brings that back. It can act as a universal remote control, a feature I treasure when I lose my TV remote after I turn out the lights.
The OnePlus 15 is great at everything you want to do on your phone. For gaming, it’s a next-level handheld. I was able to play games with Settings in the Experimental realm. The OnePlus 15 pushes past limits you never noticed on other smartphones, and there are enough game developers on board to make the advantage worthwhile.
Call of Duty looked as good on my phone as it does running on a console, with an even better frame rate, and I say that as a long time gamer, not a casual interloper.
What’s the catch? Well, you might have to explain to people who OnePlus is when they ask about your phone, because most people I talk to have never heard of them.
That’s because OnePlus doesn’t sell its best phones in carrier stores. You won’t see the OnePlus 15 available free with a contract and a trade on AT&T or Vodafone. That means you pay more up front, which is a shame. Lots of my friends would love this phone, but don’t have hundreds to shell out. At least OnePlus usually has decent trade-in offers when you buy directly from the company.
There are a few other shortcomings, but they don’t amount to much when you consider this phone competes with the base model iPhone 17 and Galaxy S25, even though it offers as much as an Ultra or Pro Max.
We used to call this a flagship killer. Now I just call it the best phone you can buy, and the first phone I’ve tested that deserves a perfect score.
OnePlus 15 review: Price & availability
- Black version costs $899.99 / £899 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage
- Other colors available for $999.99 / £999 with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage
The OnePlus 15 is a flagship smartphone, but it isn’t the most expensive flagship around. It costs more than the iPhone 17 but less than the iPhone Air. It’s more expensive than a Google Pixel 10, but less than the Pixel 10 Pro. The Galaxy S25 Plus is more expensive than the black OnePlus 15 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Sadly, the best colors are only available on the more expensive model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. I’m sure the lower-spec OnePlus 15 performs admirably, but my review sample is the Sand Storm model with more goodness inside. It’s not a necessary upgrade, but even at this $999.99 / £999 price, it’s a great deal for such a powerhouse phone.
OnePlus only makes one flagship – there isn’t a Pro or an Ultra or an XL model with better cameras or a faster chip. While Samsung and Apple lure you in with aspirational models that cost more than $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$2,000, the OnePlus 15 is the company’s best phone, not a step down.
In the past, OnePlus has offered great trade-in deals that knock at least $100 off the price in the US, but it hasn’t announced similar offers for the OnePlus 15.
I’d still recommend this phone at its full price. You won’t find a more capable phone without paying hundreds more, and even the most expensive phones – the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max come to mind – can’t beat the OnePlus 15 in the things it does best.
|
Storage |
US Price |
UK Price |
AU Price |
|
256GB |
$899 |
£899 |
AU $TBD |
|
512GB |
$999 |
£999 |
AU $TBD |
OnePlus 15 review: Specifications
The OnePlus 15 features a unique spec list that highlights it’s capabilities. It’s the first phone most of us can buy with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset inside, and that platform seems to pay dividends in performance and power management.
The OnePlus 15 has a 7,300 mAh battery inside, which should make the phone enormous, but it’s actually just as thin as an iPhone 17. That huge battery equates to the best battery life I’ve ever experienced on a smartphone. The OnePlus 15 also has 80-100W charging (80W on my US review sample), and it can charge wirelessly up to 50W, if you have a OnePlus AirVOOC charger.
The display on the OnePlus 15 can refresh up to 165Hz in gaming mode. It can also force itself to draw 120fps consistently on certain competition games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
|
Dimensions: |
161.42 x 76.67 x 8.1mm |
|
Weight: |
211g |
|
Display: |
6.78-inch LTPO OLED |
|
Resolution: |
2772 x 1272 pixels |
|
Refresh rate: |
1-120Hz; 165Hz for select games |
|
Peak brightness: |
1,800 nits |
|
Chipset: |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 |
|
RAM: |
12GB/16GB LPDDR5X Ultra/Ultra+ |
|
Storage: |
256GB/512GB/ UFS 4.1 |
|
OS: |
OxygenOS 16.0 based on Android™ 16 |
|
Main cameras |
50MP main; 50MP ultrawide; 50MP 3.5x telephoto |
|
Selfie camera: |
32MP |
|
Battery: |
7,300mAh |
|
Charging: |
80-100W wired; 50W wireless |
|
Colors: |
Infinite Black, Ultra Violet, Sand Storm (tested) |
OnePlus 15 review: Design
- Incredible durability – can withstand more than you’ll encounter
- Restrained colors and design compared to past OnePlus flagships
I’ve tested phones that were as durable as the OnePlus 15, and phones that packed a battery just as large or larger. They were as big as school buses and just as heavy. The OnePlus 15 is a marvel of design because it looks simple and refined – totally normal. It isn’t trying to be gorgeous; it’s just a very nice looking smartphone.
Astonishingly, the OnePlus 15 packs the largest battery of any smartphone I’ve tested, but it’s only a hair thicker than the iPhone 17, which has a battery almost half the size.
Does that mean the OnePlus 15 could have been much thinner with a normal battery? Who cares, apparently nobody wants a thin phone with a small battery. The OnePlus 15 is the phone you’ve been asking for instead of the iPhone Air.
The OnePlus 15 is more restrained than previous OnePlus phones, and while I miss the navy blue curves of the OnePlus 13 and the swirling jade green OnePlus 12, I understand the impulse to be less flashy. Those camera bumps were very large. The phones were downright wobbly.
Image 1 of 4
The OnePlus 15 looks like it could descend from the same lineage as the Google Pixel 10. It has a prominent camera bump that feels precisely machined, taking up a square of the corner on the back. The curves of the phone, the camera bump, and the camera lens windows are all symmetrically aligned on the same axis.
The color options for the OnePlus 15 are a bit staid compared to previously flashy hues, but each comes with its own benefits. My review unit came in the Sand Storm color that OnePlus claims is slightly more durable than the rest, owing to the electrified way the color is applied to the frame. The lilac color will be more limited, which only makes me want it more.
OnePlus 15 review: Display
- Excellent display for gaming with special features
- Bright, colorful, and incredibly responsive
The OnePlus 15 has a display made for serious gaming. That doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy its benefits if you don’t play hardcore, online multiplayer games. It’s still incredibly bright and colorful. But for gaming it stands out like no other phone I’ve tried.
How fast is the OnePlus 15 display? You’re going to need to find the Experiment settings in Call of Duty Mobile to truly take advantage of what this phone can do. For a number of games, the OnePlus 15 can refresh up to 165 Hz. For the rest of its functions, it refreshes from a 1Hz always-on sleep screen to 120Hz.
I was a big fan of the OnePlus 13 fingerprint sensor, and I’m pleased to report the OnePlus 15 has the most consistent scanner I’ve used on a phone this year. While Samsung phones regularly fail to register my fingerprint, the OnePlus 15 opened the first time I tried, every single time. Only Apple’s FaceID system is this consistent and quick, other Android makers haven’t been able to match this convenience.
Is this the best display around? Our lab tests say the Google Pixel 10 Pro is much brighter, with better color. I definitely preferred the Pixel 10 Pro for taking photos outdoors, but the OnePlus 15 still has a great display, and its fast response time pushes it to the top.
OnePlus 15 review: Software
- Oxygen OS 16 is a polished and friendly version of Android
- Plenty of features to reward power users and iPhone switchers alike
OnePlus has its own version of Android 16, Oxygen OS, and it’s a very elegant design that takes great advantage of the sharp resolution of the display. You get plenty of tools like a widget shelf and a pop-up sidebar, or you can just ignore all of those an enjoy the uncluttered, effective look.
There are tons of unique features built in that are actually useful and don’t require too much digging. If you’re daring, try the Zen Space, which will lock you out of your own phone for a minute. No joke, no half measures. Nothing you do can get you back in. Like I said, it’s daring.
I like Oxygen OS, it’s clearly inspired by iOS without feeling derivative or amateur. It rewards OnePlus owners who know other OnePlus owners with special sharing and communication features that work between devices. If you’re an iPhone owner considering a switch, this is the first Android stop I’d recommend on your bus out of Apple town.
Image 1 of 3
There are AI tools on the OnePlus 15, and even a button that will take a screenshots to save to a special AI mind space. This is similar to Google’s Screenshot app on its Pixel phones, and it’s an unobtrusive way to let AI collect your personal data on your own terms. The OnePlus AI also did a fine job transcribing my recordings, which is an AI tool I use frequently across my devices for meetings and interviews.
OnePlus says this phone will get four years of major Android updates, hopefully taking Oxygen OS 16.0 all the way up to Oxygen OS 20, though we’ll have to hold OnePlus to this promise. It will get six years of security updates as well, even after the OS updates stop.
OnePlus 15 review: Cameras
- Versatile cameras with effective zoom that captures great detail
- Best action camera for fast-moving subjects in any light condition
With the OnePlus 15, you get a versatile camera array that rises to any occasion. For hundreds less than a Pixel 10 Pro XL or Galaxy S25 Ultra, you get a camera with the same capabilities – especially a real 3.5x optical zoom lens.
The photos I got from the OnePlus 15 were usually just as good as pics from the best camera phones, and in some cases the OnePlus 15 shots were the best. Compared to the Pixel 10 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra, for instance, the OnePlus 15 camera achieves more clarity edge to edge in most photos.
The OnePlus 15 does have some special tricks up its sleeve. It’s the best camera phone I’ve used when I am shooting a fast moving subject. For my kid’s football games, the combo of zoom plus action mode means I get shots with the ball hovering in mid air, taken from high up in the bleachers. Other phones can manage the same zoom, but not the same speed.
Maybe there are too many modes in the camera, but there are some I’m dying to try, like the underwater mode that balances for the blue light and gives you controls to use when the screen doesn’t work. I’ll need to wait until it’s warmer for that one.
Is the OnePlus 15 the absolute best camera phone? I still think the iPhone 17 Pro is tops, but for the price, the OnePlus 15 offers unique features and excellent quality, and it surpassed my expectations once again.
OnePlus 15 review: Camera samples
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OnePlus 15 review: Performance
- Stellar performance from Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- Gaming mode pushes display to 165 Hz for superlative gamers
As one of the first smartphones with the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset inside, I knew the OnePlus 15 would be incredibly fast, but I usually wonder where all that speed goes? Thankfully, OnePlus offers concrete examples for gamers, and if you haven’t taken mobile gaming seriously before, maybe it’s time.
I usually test phones by playing Call of Duty Mobile with my Xbox controller on Bluetooth. I max out the settings and play multiplayer games to test the frame rate. Not only did the OnePlus 15 play CoD better than any previous phone I’ve used, I maxed out all the settings, including every option in the Experiment mode, and the game ran just as smoothly. It looked like a current-gen console game running on my phone.
The OnePlus 15 even supports a 165Hz display refresh rate, which means some games will be able to run at a theoretical 165 fps. Those include: Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, Real Racing 3, Standoff 2, Blood Strike – FPS for all, and of course Call of Duty.
Even if you’re not a gamer, you’ll still appreciate the smooth performance of the OnePlus 15 in everyday tasks. Oxygen OS offers a variety of visual transitions between your home screen panels, for instance, as well as other pop-up features. All of these respond instantly as you tap and swipe.
We’ll probably see a slightly faster version of this chipset when the Samsung Galaxy S26 is launched in early 2026, but the big question will be what Samsung does with so much power. Will the next Galaxy have a high-refresh rate display and a stable of games ready to run fast? Or will that power be squandered on AI? The benchmarks might give Samsung a future win, but the OnePlus manages to put all of its power to use, for once.
OnePlus 15 review: Battery
- Unbelievable battery life – lasted 3 days in my testing
- Super-fast charging, wired or wireless (with a OnePlus charger)
Last year’s OnePlus 13R was my pick for the best phone to buy for battery life, but this year’s OnePlus 15 raises the bar higher than I thought possible. Its battery seems obnoxiously large on paper, but the phone feels no heavier or thicker than any other flagship smartphone. Is there really a 7,300 mAh cell inside? Our Future Labs test say yes, indeed, and it’s more impressive than it sounds.
How long should a smartphone last? A day? Two day? I woke up on Wednesday with a fully charged OnePlus 15. I went to bed on Friday night and the phone still had battery power in the single digits. It lasted nearly three full days of use. You can leave your charger at the office for the weekend without worrying too much.
Even better, bring the charger along, because the OnePlus 15 charges faster than any other phone you’ll find. In 30 minutes of charging with the included 80W charger (it can charge to 100W in regions outside the US) I had more than 80% battery life. In less than 45 minutes I was fully charged.
That means you might get a week of real world use from this phone with just over an hour sitting on the wired charger. Want to go wireless? Like everything else on the OnePlus 15, wireless charging will demolish your expectations. This phone can charge faster on a OnePlus AirVOOC wireless charger than an iPhone 17 Pro can charge with wire.
Too bad it doesn’t have magnets built-in, then, but I highly recommend getting a OnePlus case. All of the new OnePlus 15 cases have magnets that align the wireless charging with your favorite MagSafe accessories, but I highly recommend splurging on AirVOOC. A few moments on a charging stand and you’ll be ready for hours more play time.
Should you buy the OnePlus 15?
|
Value |
Priced less than competitors’ Pro and Ultra models, with features that blow those flagships out of the water. I wish it were available on a payment plan, but it’s a fantastic value nonetheless. |
5/5 |
|
Design |
A more refined design gives up flashy colors and a ginormous camera bump for extreme durability and classy looks. It’s astonishing OnePlus got so much tech into this phone, especially the huge battery. |
5/5 |
|
Display |
Excellent display is bright and colorful, and capable of extreme gaming performance with the right titles. It can refresh up to 120Hz, or up to 165Hz on select games, and you can really see the difference when you play. |
5/5 |
|
Software |
Smooth and polished version of Android 16 in Oxygen OS, with plenty of useful customization options and features, and just the right touch of AI (that you can also ignore). This phone also has 4 years of updates on the way. |
5/5 |
|
Cameras |
Excellent camera quality beats anything at this price range and aims to be one of the best camera phones you can buy. For action shots and detailed zoom photos, the OnePlus might be the best choice, but all of my pics looked good and there are camera modes I still want to try. |
5/5 |
|
Performance |
Top notch performance makes this phone a benchmark champ, and OnePlus puts all of that power to use in fantastic gaming. Max out the graphics on your favorite title, this phone can defeat whatever monsters you throw its way. |
5/5 |
|
Battery |
Unbelievable battery life thanks to a massive cell hidden inside the svelte design. This phone beats everything by hours and hours – it lasted almost three days in my real world testing. Also it charges super fast, if you ever need to charge it. |
5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider…
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
OnePlus 15 |
Apple iPhone 17 Pro |
Google Pixel 10 Pro |
|
Price: |
$899 / £899 |
$1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999 |
$999 / £999 / AU $1,699 |
|
Processor: |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
Apple A19 Pro |
Google Tensor G5 |
|
Display: |
6.78-inch OLED up to 165Hz |
6.3-inch 1-120Hz OLED |
6.3-inch 60-120Hz OLED |
|
Battery Test Results (HH:MM:SS) |
26:25:00 |
15:21:36 |
13:43:30 |
How I tested the OnePlus 15
I have been using the OnePlus 15 for more than two weeks as my primary business phone, with all of my personal and work accounts loaded onto the device. I used the phone on AT&T’s 5G network in the greater New York Area, including around our Times Square offices and my home in Connecticut.
I used the OnePlus 15 as my camera, testing almost every camera feature (I couldn’t test the Underwater mode). I connected the OnePlus 15 to my OnePlus Watch 3, my OnePlus Buds Pro 3, and many other Bluetooth headsets and devices. I used Android Auto in my Kia and my friends’ Acura and Subaru cars, and connected to Bluetooth in an older BMW.
I’ve been testing phones for more than 20 years, since the days of BlackBerry and Palm OS smartphones and Samsung flip phones. I’ve tested hundreds of devices myself, and our Future Labs experts have tested hundreds more.
Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone’s performance on video editing tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.
For battery testing, we have proprietary rundown tests that are the same for every phone, which we use to determine how long it takes for the battery to run down.
First reviewed November 2025
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Esc5eAoa9rdaenzZ9TSfmC-2560-80.jpg
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philip.berne@futurenet.com (Philip Berne)
