OnePlus 15 arrives with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and 7,300 mAh battery

OnePlus has finally revealed its latest flagship phone in China. The OnePlus 15, like its Chinese counterparts, also skips one step ahead from the OnePlus 14 to the OnePlus 15. This new device brings major upgrades, including a massive battery, an upgraded chipset, and a redesigned camera system. Now, let's jump into this article, where I will discuss everything about the latest OnePlus 15, including its price in Nepal (expected), specifications, and availability.

OnePlus 15 Overview

Display and Design

Starting with the display, one of the major upgrades in this latest OnePlus flagship is the 165Hz refresh rate. This is pretty big considering you rarely see phones that go above 120Hz, let alone 144Hz, and 165Hz are often reserved within gaming territory. But at the same time, OnePlus has also taken a couple of steps back. They decided to ditch QHD+ for FHD+ resolution (1,272 × 2,772 pixels). This is a risky move because people often don't realize the difference between 120Hz and 165Hz refresh rate, but there's plenty of difference in quality from QHD+ to FHD+. The display is a 6.78-inch BOE X3 OLED panel with 10-bit color depth and PWM + DC dimming. It retains similar brightness levels at 1,800 nits peak and drops to 1 nit for nighttime viewing. It covers 100% DCI-P3 color gamut with 1.07 billion colors and responds at a 330Hz touch sampling rate.

Now, regarding the design, the phone has become slightly trimmer, measuring 8.1mm, and weighs 211g. The frame is aluminum, and the Sand Dune variant uses a fiberglass back while others get glass. OnePlus now provides IP69 and IP69K water resistance, which puts it well above what previous models offered. OnePlus 15 features a revamped squarish camera module this time, which is very similar to the OnePlus 13s (review) or the OnePlus 13T. Its two camera lenses sit in a pill-shaped arrangement, while the LED flash and another camera are separated on the right. Similarly, you are also getting a new remappable shortcut button that handles ringing profiles, AI functions, screenshots, and more.

Performance and Software

The OnePlus 15 runs on Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with an Adreno 840 GPU. The CPU packs 2 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores clocked at 4.608 GHz peak speed. The phone uses a Glacier VC cooling system with aerogel material to manage heat during intensive tasks. Considering the 165Hz refresh rate, it wouldn't be unfair to say OnePlus has prepared this phone for gaming purposes. Similarly, the phone pairs with LPDDR5X RAM with UFS 4.1 storage across different variants. You can get 12GB or 16GB RAM with 256GB, 512GB, or even 1TB storage. Moreover, the OnePlus 15 runs on OxygenOS 16 globally (ColorOS 16 in China), based on Android 16 out of the box.

Camera System

Surprisingly, OnePlus ditched the Hasselblad partnership and switched to OPPO's Lumo imaging engine, which will likely be branded as DetailMax in global markets. The rear setup includes a 50MP primary sensor using Sony's LYT-700 (1/1.56", f/1.8, 24mm), a 50MP ultrawide with OV50D sensor (1/2.88", f/2.0), and a 50MP periscope telephoto with ISOCELL JN5 sensor (1/2.76", f/2.8) offering 3.5x optical zoom.

The telephoto stretches to 3.5x from the OnePlus 13's 3x, which sounds good on paper, but it narrows the aperture to f/2.8 from f/2.6 and reportedly uses smaller sensors. So OnePlus is likely banking on software and processing improvements to make up for the hardware trade-offs. The front camera is a 32MP shooter using an IMX709 sensor (1/2.74", f/2.4).

And finally, video recording maxes out at 8K 30fps and 4K 120fps on the rear cameras. The selfie camera handles up to 4K 60fps.

• Also, read
• OnePlus Pad Lite comes to Nepal with Helio G100 chip and a large battery
• OnePlus Ace 6 is official with Snapdragon 8 Elite and 7,800mAh Battery
• OnePlus Nord Buds 3r launched with a 54-hour battery life and dual-device connectivity

Battery and Charging

Another standout feature about the OnePlus 15, despite its tradeoff, is the massive 7,300mAh battery. This absolutely dwarfs the OnePlus 13 by a 1,300mAh jump. The OnePlus 15 gets its juice from a 120W wired and 50W wireless charger.

Additional Features

The phone includes dual superconducting magnetic linear stereo speakers and an X-axis linear vibration motor. There's an IR blaster, WiFi 7, NFC, ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, Wi-Fi 7 support, USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds, and Bluetooth 6. Interestingly, the OnePlus 15 works with Apple Watch through the OPPO Health Connect app, though the watch still needs to pair via iPhone first.

OnePlus 15 Specifications

• Design & Build: 161.42 × 76.67 × 8.10 mm, 211g (Sand Dune variant), Aluminum frame, Fiberglass back (Sand Dune variant), Glass front, IP69 and IP69K water resistance, Colors: Mist Purple, Absolute Black, Sand Dune
• Display: 6.78-inch BOE X3 OLED, 1,272 × 2,772 pixels (FHD+), 1–165Hz variable refresh rate, 1,800 nits peak brightness, 1 nit minimum, 450 ppi, 100% DCI-P3, 1.07 billion colors (10-bit), 330Hz touch sampling rate, PWM + DC dimming
• Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 5), Adreno 840 GPU, 2 performance cores + 6 efficiency cores, 4.608 GHz peak clock speed, Glacier VC cooling system with aerogel material
• Memory: 12GB/16GB LPDDR5X RAM, 256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 4.1 storage
• Software & UI: OxygenOS 16 (Global) / ColorOS 16 (China), Based on Android 16
• Rear Camera:
  • 50MP Sony LYT-700 (1/1.56", f/1.8, 24mm)
  • 50MP OV50D ultrawide (1/2.88", f/2.0)
  • 50MP ISOCELL JN5 periscope telephoto (1/2.76", f/2.8, 3.5x optical zoom)
  • 8K 30fps and 4K 120fps video
• Front Camera: 32MP IMX709 (1/2.74", f/2.4), Up to 4K 60fps video
• Security: Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, USB 3.2 Gen 1, Navigation: Beidou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
• Sensors: Proximity, ambient light, color temperature, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, hall, laser focus, spectrum, IR blaster
• Battery: 7,300mAh capacity, 120W wired charging, 50W wireless charging

OnePlus 15 Price in Nepal and Availability

The OnePlus 15 has now gone on sale in China with prices starting at CNY 3,999 for the base 12GB/256GB variant. When it makes its way to Nepal, expect pricing to start at no less than NPR 110,000 for the base model.

• Meanwhile, check out our OnePlus 13 review