So, what do we know about the phone? Is it worth waiting till next year for? As it turns out, we know quite a lot, actually. Let’s dive in, starting with the four awesome upgrades that the phone is getting.
A very large battery
OnePlus 13 had a larger battery than either Galaxy or iPhone. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Praise be to silicon batteries! The OnePlus 15 battery will have a capacity of 7,000 mAh (7,300 mAh according to one report!), which blows the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro out of the water.
A 7,000 mAh battery isn’t the largest battery that the smartphone industry has seen, but it’s still a very good upgrade from the 6,000 mAh battery in the OnePlus 13. Couple this with the expected 120W of fast charging (and 50W of wireless charging) and you’ve got a phone that will practically almost never die on you.
Extreme power at a reasonable cost
Of course, it would be almost unheard of for a Chinese flagship phone to come out now and not feature the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. To that end, yes: the OnePlus 15 will ship with the fastest Snapdragon processor on the market.
What makes the phone such an attractive package isn’t just the chip, though, it’s the pricing. If the company retains its pricing structure, the OnePlus 15 will start at $899, and that’s a great bargain for a phone running such a powerful processor.
An even higher refresh rate
OnePlus 13 had a refresh rate of 120 Hz. | Image credit — PhoneArena
The OnePlus 13 already had a pretty good refresh rate — variable from 1 Hz to 120 Hz — but the OnePlus 15 reportedly wants to take it further. Leaving behind its Galaxy and iPhone competitors, the refresh rate on the OnePlus 15 might be able to go as high as 165 Hz.
Realistically speaking, not many people can spot the difference between 120 Hz and 165 Hz, but it’s nice to know that it’s there. You’ll also get a very slight advantage in certain fast-paced games, especially if you’re playing online.
A redesigned camera experience
Say goodbye to Hasselblad. | Image credit — PhoneArena
OnePlus is cutting ties with camera manufacturer Hasselblad, which sounds like a negative change at face value, but it doesn’t have to be. No Hasselblad on OnePlus 15 means that the company is now able to explore how it wants to approach photography with more freedom than ever before.
OnePlus is working on its own new system called the DetailMax Engine, which does away with over-processed images in favor of much more natural photos. The DetailMax Engine will prioritize images that look and feel real, so you capture what you’re seeing at that moment with your eyes.
This is especially welcome nowadays, in my opinion, when too many phone manufacturers ruin a picture with their processing. The iPhone might be the worst example of this (across flagship phones) as its processing often changes text into gibberish due to AI enhancement.
A lower resolution
OnePlus 13 had a stellar display. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Now, onto the downgrades. For starters, the OnePlus 15 will reportedly feature a lower-resolution display compared to its predecessor. Though the downgrade isn’t too large — down to 1.5K from 2K — it is most definitely noticeable.
If you’re like me and watch YouTube video while practically diving into the phone head-first, you will see the pixels. For normal, everyday use, however, the OnePlus 15 will be a perfectly fine phone. The aforementioned higher refresh rate will likely not even affect the battery life due to the lowered resolution.
Goodbye, iconic alert slider
The alert slider on the OnePlus 13. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Apparently, the OnePlus 15 will lose its alert slider. Similar to older iPhone models, this is a physical toggle to quickly switch between ring mode, vibrate mode, and silent mode. Also like the older iPhone models, this allows you to reach into your pocket and set your desired mode quickly and easily.
This alert slider is supposedly being replaced, likely with a button that can cycle between various other modes, but at a much slower rate. Though this is unlikely to sway most people’s decision to buy the OnePlus 15, it’s still something worth keeping in mind, especially if you’re used to previous OnePlus phones.
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