OnePlus 15 launching in India today: expected price, specifications, features, where to watch

Hours before the launch event, a OnePlus 15 listing briefly appeared on the Reliance Digital website. As per it, the 12GB + 256GB model is expected to carry a price tag of Rs 72,999 while the top-of-the-line 16GB + 512GB might be priced at Rs 79,999. If true, this would make the OnePlus 15 the company’s most expensive non-foldable flagship to date, topping the Rs 69,999 starting price for the OnePlus 13 in India. Compared to China, the India pricing does show a notable difference. The starting price of the OnePlus 15 in its home market is CNY 3,999 (approximately Rs 50,000), cheaper than the launch price of the OnePlus 13 at CNY 4,499. The listing also showed an Ultraviolet colour option.

There has been a consistent rise in smartphone prices across brands due to rising component costs. OnePlus will be trying to soften the blow by introducing some launch offers. These could include trade-in credits of up to Rs 4,000 and bundle deals with the OnePlus Nord Buds.

Display gets sharper, brighter, smoother

The OnePlus 15 arrives with an updated design, sporting a flat 6.78-inch BOE Flexible AMOLED LTPO display. With a 1.5K resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and 1,800 nits peak brightness, the screen is positioned as a clear upgrade over the OnePlus 13’s 120Hz LTPO panel. The increased refresh rate will be enticing for gamers and users who enjoy smooth scrolling. Additionally, the 100 percent DCI-P3 colour coverage should provide improved colours. Other competing phones such as the iQOO 15 and Realme GT 8 Pro boast high-brightness LTPO panels, so display quality shall remain a hotly contested frontier in 2026.

India’s first Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phone

Under the hood, the OnePlus 15 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset built on a 3nm process. This is paired with up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.1 storage, ensuring strong performance for gaming, multitasking, and intensive workloads. In comparison to the OnePlus 13 using the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the new chipset promises better thermals, improved AI capabilities, and higher peak clock speeds of up to 4.6GHz.

In terms of competition, the Realme GT 8 Pro, Xiaomi 17 series and the iQOO 15 will use the same Qualcomm chipset. The segment is likely to see a renewed focus on AI-driven features, and the processing based on software skin could be the key differentiator between the phones. The OnePlus 15 will run on recently unveiled OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16. You can check out our first impressions here.

To appeal to gamers, OnePlus 15 also comes with a new Gaming Technology and a cooling system. The Glacier cooling system has a large vapour chamber and walls made from tearable steel. To that end, it’ll be interesting to see how it competes with iQOO 15, which houses iQOO’s largest vapour chamber to date, measuring a massive 8,000 sq mm.

No Hasselblad, but a new DetailMax Engine

The OnePlus 15 features a triple 50MP camera system, led by a Sony primary sensor, accompanied by an ultra-wide lens and a 3.5x telephoto camera. The company has moved away from Hasselblad, instead relying on its own colour science and image processing via its in-house DetailMax Engine. If these improvements match the claims, users can expect more consistent colour reproduction and better low-light photos. The 32MP front camera now supports 4K 60fps recording, a first for OnePlus, which could appeal to vloggers and creators.

The Vivo X series has conventionally been a good imaging competitor, and the next X300 is very likely to further double down on camera hardware and ZEISS tuning. Similarly, the OPPO Find X9 also brings a stronger sensor layout, with Hasselblad tuning. In that scenario, OnePlus’ decision to take its colour science into its own hands might be a long-term brand strategy to reduce dependency on external partners while building up a more independent identity.

It’s the era of 7,000mAh batteries

Housing a massive 7,300mAh battery, the OnePlus 15 packs the biggest battery on a OnePlus flagship so far while maintaining a relatively slim size at 8.1mm and 211g. Charging is up to 120W wired and 50W wireless, matching or beating most rivals across the category. Almost all Android flagships this year, including iQOO 15, Realme GT8 Pro and the OPPO Find X9 series are boasting battery sizes north of 7,000mAh, so optimisation would be key here.

What to expect

For existing OnePlus users, especially OnePlus 12 and 13 owners, the OnePlus 15 offers clear upgrades in terms of display, battery life, and performance. But with a higher price, it will be wiser to wait for launch offers. However, for users considering more options, the Vivo X300 and OPPO Find X9 will probably offer stronger camera-focussed experiences, while iQOO 15 could be the better option for solely gaming-oriented users. Assuming that OnePlus executes on its software assurances and the launch pricing isn’t shifted upwards too much, then the OnePlus 15 could be a great, balanced flagship offering.