Why I’m more excited about the OnePlus 15 than the Galaxy S26

In a smartphone world where Apple, Samsung, and Google are keen on playing it safe and reluctant to bring substantial upgrades to their phones, there’s a fresh wind blowing from the Far East. The OnePlus 15 has been officially unveiled in China, and it will be coming to the US later next month!

There are a couple of reasons why I’m very excited about the global launch of the OnePlus 15, and I think the model will shake things up a bit, especially in the US.

OnePlus is arguably the Chinese brand that’s easiest to get in the US, and that’s one of the reasons to be excited about the OnePlus 15. But there’s more.

I’ll start from the least exciting to the most exciting things on this brand-new flagship. Those of you who have used Chinese phones are familiar with the curved screen obsession of those brands. While the rest of the world has moved to flat designs, many brands from the Far East still produce curved phones. 

In Asia, and China in particular, these curved designs are associated with luxury, and even though they do look amazing, they’re fragile and not that comfortable to use, especially with a case on.

Now, with the OnePlus 15, the company has stepped out of this curved past and into the modern smartphone future. The new phone has a flat screen, sides, and back, in line with the latest trend. And while following trends is not always wise, in this case it goes hand in hand with a better user experience. Flat screens are easier to use and also more durable.

Speaking of durability, the phone uses aluminum and glass, but OnePlus has used a special micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating for frame durability (claimed to be ~3.4× stronger than aluminum).

The hardware

I know what you’re thinking. Another mention of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. While the chip is fast and a necessary addition to any modern Android flagship, I’m much more excited about the new 3D vapor chamber cooling system.

I can’t wait to test the OnePlus 15 under heavy load with our FLIR camera and see how hot it gets compared to the previous model and also other phones with the same chipset.

Speaking of hardware, there’s a new gyroscope inside the OnePlus 15, and the company says it’s UAV-grade (comparable to drones and other unmanned aircraft). In competitive gaming, this tiny little upgrade can make a big difference.

Solid display and camera specs

The OnePlus 15 uses BOE’s X3 material for its 6.78-inch screen, which means it will be very bright and very efficient. It’s also an LTPO panel offering a variable 1-120 Hz refresh rate for your everyday scenarios and the option to bump that refresh rate to 165 Hz if you need super-smooth and precise action, say, for gaming.

Despite dropping the Hasselblad collaboration, the OnePlus 15 features an upgraded main sensor—going from the Sony LYT-808 to the IMX906—and also an upgraded telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom. I think this will push the score above the 150 mark, and I can’t wait to test my prediction.

One of the biggest batteries in the industry

This is one of the most important upgrades and the thing I’m most excited about, because it’s currently the only easy way for the US audience to try the silicon-carbon battery tech. One of our readers asked under an article about this, asking how he can get a silicon-carbon battery phone in the US. OnePlus is here to help.

Another super-important area where the big three (Apple, Samsung, and Google) are lagging behind is charging. In our tests the flagships from these three charge from zero to full in over one hour, while flagships from Oppo, Honor, Huawei, Vivo, and OnePlus cut this time in half.

With the OnePlus 15, US users will have the option to try and see how convenient it is to have their phone fully charged and ready while they take a quick shower. It’s an amazing quality of life upgrade.

The most exciting feature of the OnePlus 15 could be its price!

This should come with a big asterisk, but if OnePlus slaps a competitive price tag on the US version of the OnePlus 15, it could be a game changer.

The big trio is hiking the prices of their flagships, and it seems that this trend is going to continue, and a competitively priced alternative can make the difference. Especially if you consider all the above upgrades.

We have the Chinese pricing for the OnePlus 15, and it looks amazing. The base 12/256GB version starts at CNY 3,999 (~$562), but here’s the caveat. These prices don’t include import taxes, logistics, and other expenses needed to get the OnePlus 15 to the US.

What do you think about it? Would you buy the OnePlus 15, and at what price?