The OnePlus 15 introduces several upgrades over its predecessor, the OnePlus 13 (review), along with a few changes that may seem questionable. It is the company’s newest, top-of-the-line phone, competing against other Android flagships, such as the upcoming OPPO Find X9, Vivo X300, iQOO 15, and Galaxy S26, among others. It is the first phone in India to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and there are a few more firsts to mention, which we’ll discuss in a bit.
With a starting price of Rs 72,999 for the 12GB+256GB variant, the OnePlus 15 costs Rs 3,000 more than the OnePlus 13 did at its launch. This is in line with reports suggesting that upcoming flagships, such as the OnePlus 15, iQOO 15, and OPPO Find X9, will be priced higher than their predecessors due to factors including rising component costs. Given the industry’s shift towards pricier flagships, here’s what the OnePlus 15 offers for Rs 3,000 more.
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Redesigned for minimalism, subtlety, and durability
On a design level, the OnePlus 15 no longer has the OnePlus 13’s curved edges, leather back finish, and circular camera, which might disappoint some OnePlus fans. It instead looks like a larger version of the OnePlus 13s, which was released earlier this year. There’s a square-shaped camera module on the back, tucked away at the top left, to reduce accidental smudges. The phone is flat from both the front and back, providing a comfortable grip, especially for gamers. According to OnePlus, the design aims for minimalism and subtlety, while also achieving geometric continuity between OnePlus products. The design looks practical and functional, but it does lose the premium sheen that its predecessor carried.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and a tri-chip architecture
Tons of changes have been made under the hood to redefine what the company means by “Fast & Smooth,” starting with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at the heart of the device. The latest and greatest processor from Qualcomm delivers exceptional performance and GPU boost over its predecessor. The chipset’s 3rd Gen Oryon CPU reaches up to 4.66GHz, a 20% performance boost and a 23% GPU boost over the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Paired with up to 16GB LPDDR5X Ultra+ RAM, the OnePlus 15 promises blazing-fast performance for regular and multitasking users.
But it’s the mobile gamers and e-sports enthusiasts whom OnePlus is really catering to with the OnePlus 15. The company has made several upgrades for gamers, starting with a triple-chip architecture, which involves the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 getting a built-in CPU Scheduler. This ensures resources are allocated in a way that leaves 10% of the CPU unused during gaming.
The display gets more than a new touch response chip. It now features a 6.78-inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of up to 165Hz. Yes, the resolution has been downgraded from 2K to 1.5K, but the refresh rate has been bumped to noticeable levels. This enables 165fps gaming on popular titles like Call of Duty Mobile, BGMI, and more. While I’ll have more to say on this in my full review, we did achieve 165fps during gaming, and the smoothness is noticeable, which you can read about here, along with a breakdown of OnePlus’ new gaming features.
Goodbye Hasselblad, hello DetailMax Engine
OnePlus is no longer partnering with Hasselblad for the camera tuning on its flagship phones. Instead, the company has worked on a new DetailMax Engine algorithm, which is claimed to capture clear 26MP images in daylight by fusing multiple 12MP frames with a wide dynamic range and 50MP frames with high resolution. Whether this works as intended is something I’ll talk about in detail in my full review.
The rear camera system includes a 50MP Sony IMX906 primary camera with OIS, a 50MP S5KJN5 telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom and OIS, and a 50MP OV50D ultra-wide lens. These sensors are largely the same as what you got on the OnePlus 13, minus the Hasselblad tuning. While versatile on paper, our full review will have more on how the cameras perform in real life, and whether you should wait for the OPPO Find X9 series if you’re looking for pro-grade photography.
The front uses a 32MP Sony IMX709 sensor for selfies. Additionally, the OnePlus 15 boasts impressive video recording capabilities as it is the first in the industry to support 4K 120fps with Dolby Vision. For reference, last year’s Vivo X200 Pro could record 4K at 120fps and Dolby Vision separately.
Bigger battery, faster charging
The battery has been bumped to a massive 7,300mAh dual-cell Silicon NanoStack from a 6,000mAh unit. OnePlus is utilising a 15% silicon content here for greater energy density, which is currently the highest in the industry. As I’ve been reviewing the phone for over a week now, the battery life is indeed stellar, delivering a day and a half of usage even on heavy usage.
It’s also great that the fast charging has been upgraded from 100W to 120W, ensuring the OnePlus 15 charges just as quickly as its predecessor did, despite the larger battery inside. It takes around 30 minutes to charge the phone from 20% to 100%, which is faster than most flagships in this segment.
OxygenOS 16 out of the box
The OnePlus 15 ships with the latest OxygenOS 16 software, which brings a plethora of new features and customisation options. You now have a wider range of features for the lock screen, allowing you to have wallpapers with depth effect, text, widgets, and full-screen AOD, to name a few. Even the home screen can be customised further now by converting any app icon on the home screen to 2×1 or 2×2 sizes, giving you more freedom to make the home screen your own.
OnePlus promises four years of major OS upgrades and six years of security updates for the OnePlus 15, similar to the OnePlus 13. However, it’s less than flagships like the Galaxy S25, Pixel 10, and the iPhone 17 offer, which provide up to seven years of software support.
Final thoughts
At Rs 72,999, the OnePlus 15 is more expensive than its predecessor, and you can expect upcoming flagships to follow a similar pattern. However, the company is justifying this price hike by offering the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a higher 165Hz display that allows for 165fps gaming with enhanced gaming features, a larger battery with faster charging, and improved durability, among other benefits.
The move from Hasselblad to the company’s own DetailMax Engine might seem like a downgrade, but we can only know this for sure after rigorously testing the cameras and seeing how OnePlus improves on its computational algorithm in the future.
Based on its hardware and design, the OnePlus 15 appears to be a good option for OnePlus 13 users to upgrade to, as well as power users and competitive gamers, as the phone promises a fast and smooth experience in nearly every area. The phone will compete with the upcoming iQOO 15 in terms of performance. However, cameras might be one area where the forthcoming OPPO Find X9 and Vivo X300 could perform better. It might be worth waiting for these flagships to hit the shelves to see how they perform and compare their prices to those of the OnePlus 15 before making a buying decision.
The OnePlus 15, priced at Rs 72,999 and Rs 79,999 for the 12GB+256GB and 16GB+512GB variants, respectively, is now available for sale in India on Amazon and on OnePlus’ official website. Buyers can avail of an instant bank discount of up to Rs 4,000 or an exclusive trade-in credit of up to Rs 4,000. OnePlus will also be throwing in the Nord Buds 3 worth Rs 2,299 on the purchase of the OnePlus 15.
OnePlus 15 Images
