OnePlus 15 review: Almost perfect, except for one thing

The OnePlus 13 from last year was a phone I could easily recommend to anyone looking for a flagship experience at nearly half the price. And with the new OnePlus 15, it seems the company is continuing with that same proven strategy. However, the competition this year is tougher than ever, a lot tougher! But despite all that, I believe OnePlus once again sits in that sweet spot. There’s just one thing it doesn’t do very well; I’ll get to that at the end, but overall, the OnePlus 15 looks like another killer value this year. Let’s find everything out in my OnePlus 15 review.

Before heading in, let’s take a look at its specifications.

OnePlus 15 Specifications

• Design, build: 161.42 × 76.67 × 8.10 mm, 211g (Sand Dune variant); Aluminum frame, Fiberglass back (Sand Dune), Glass front; IP69/IP69K rating
• Display: 6.78-inch BOE X3 OLED, FHD+ (1272 × 2772), 1–165Hz variable refresh rate
• Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite (3nm)
• 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: Triple (50MP Sony LYT-700 main, 50MP OV50D ultrawide, 50MP ISOCELL JN5 telephoto, 3.5x optical zoom)
• Front Camera: 32MP Sony IMX709; up to 4K@60fps video
• Security: Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
• Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, USB 3.2 Gen 1; GPS / GLONASS / Galileo / Beidou / 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
• Price in Nepal (Official): NPR 159,999 (16/512GB)
• Pre-booking Offer: NPR 10,000 cashback + Free 100W SuperVOOC charger or, OnePlus Watch 2 at NPR 12,500

OnePlus 15 Review

Design and Build

Let’s start with the design. I really like this year’s design. OnePlus has moved away from the OnePlus 13’s design — which was already good — but the 15 looks better and more refined. Every brand is now going for flat frames and a unibody look, and the OnePlus 15 nails it with a cleaner, more mature aesthetic.

It does look a bit like the OnePlus 13s, and I think this is a good thing because it gives OnePlus a sense of brand identity, and I hope they keep this look for a few more years.

By the way, the black color I have here looks absolutely stunning. I love that it’s a very deep, dark shade of black – and it’s also got that classic sand finish, kind of like the old OnePlus One and the OnePlus 2. If you’re not into black, the other color options look great too, but personally, this one just has so much character.

The only small downside, especially for gamers, is thatthe OnePlus 13 was actually easier to handle during long gaming sessions. One of our game testers, Sandeep, has been testing games for Gadgetbyte for almost two years now, and he has been using the OnePlus 13 for about 7–8 months. And he said it was noticeably more ergonomic for gaming than the OnePlus 15.

More importantly, one thing that I think the gamers will appreciate a lot is that it’s not as top-heavy as most other camera-centric phones. Hence, the weight distribution is spot on. So, it is easily an A+ for design from OnePlus this year.

Display

Let’s start with the display. It’s superb. This is actually one of the mainstream flagship phones with a 165Hz refresh rate, and you can immediately feel it. Everything just feels more fluid, more responsive than most other phones.

OnePlus is also using a dedicated touch response chip, which allows for an instant 3200Hz touch sampling rate, which OnePlus says is the industry’s highest. And I am glad to report to you that it’s not a gimmick — while gaming, this could really make a difference.

Likewise, the brightness here is top-notch; it can get really dim too, colors are excellent right out of the box, and you get support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, high PWM dimming, and TÜV Rheinland certification for eye comfort. Basically, it has every feature you would expect from a true flagship display.

And what really enhances the experience is the haptic feedback. Every time I adjust brightness, change the volume, or even scroll through photos in the gallery, there’s this subtle, precise vibration — it’s those small touches that make the whole experience feel so nice.

Software

The new OxygenOS 16… It’s even more fluid and responsive than before. And the RAM management is the best I have seen on a smartphone. Even jumping back to something I opened three hours ago, it’s just instant.

I just came from reviewing the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max and the Vivo X300 Pro, and the OnePlus 15 simply feels faster – I don’t know if it’s the animations, the optimization, or just how well the software is working together with the hardware, but the OnePlus just feels faster than most phones!

Some AI Features

Likewise, what I always loved about OnePlus phones is the smart little features. For example, the AI Article Summarizer automatically scans the whole article and gives me a short summary. Then there’s the AI Image Editor, which is really good this time. The Global Search has also been improved — it’s fast and uses AI to pull results from across the system.

I also absolutely like the File Dock feature, and with OxygenOS 16, we also get something called Mind Space. Basically, if I long-press the side button here, I can quickly record a short voice note or single-press to take a screenshot of something interesting that I find online, and Mind Space then automatically organizes everything – my notes, voice messages, and saved moments, all in one place.

What’s cool is that I can actually ask questions about my memories, and it pulls up related things I’ve saved before.

Performance and Gaming

Ok, moving on — the OnePlus 15 is also one of the first phones to feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite chip, and OnePlus has added a few extra touches on top of that to make this one of the fastest phones you can buy right now. First, it’s got a massive vapor chamber cooling system. Second, it comes with the fastest RAM available on any smartphone today.

Because of all this, the sustained performance here is excellent. I haven’t faced any heating issues, even under heavy use. In gaming, too, it’s impressive. The average FPS and 5% lows are rock solid here.

Games like PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends easily run at a smooth 120 FPS without breaking a sweat, and even heavy titles like Genshin Impact run with great smoothness — the 5% lows are really impressive.

What’s even more stunning is that this is the first phone to officially support a 165Hz refresh rate in PUBG Mobile. No other phone currently does that. And while the jump from 120Hz to 165Hz isn’t huge, you can feel that extra layer of smoothness. There is, however, a slight temperature rise — about 2 to 3°C higher compared to 120 FPS!

OnePlus is also claiming the highest gyroscope DPS on any smartphone, which should make motion aiming in PUBG and similar shooters more accurate. In real-world use, it feels very responsive. It’s not a huge upgrade from last year, but it's definitely more consistent. So overall, for gaming, this is the phone to beat right now!

BTW, there’s even a dedicated Wi-Fi chip here, and in my test, I was getting a stable signal even from three floors away, while the iPhone 17 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra had already lost connection.

Battery and Charging

Battery life is another area where the OnePlus 15 truly shines. It packs a 7,300mAh cell — and with OxygenOS 16’s optimization and the efficient LTPO display, endurance is insane. Even on heavy usage days — shooting photos, videos, gaming, or long calls — I got 12–13 hours of screen-on time with 20–25% battery left. For moderate users, this is easily a two-day phone.

And on days when I’m gaming, on long Messenger video calls, and watching videos for two to three hours straight, I still end up with 12–13 hours of screen-on time, with around 20–25% battery left at the end of the day. That’s crazy.

I recently switched from the Vivo X300 Pro, which already has a solid 6,500mAh battery, but this? This is on another level. Easily a two-day battery phone for moderate users. And for charging, we also get a 120W SuperVOOC charger inside the box, which takes it from 0 to 100% in about 35–40 minutes.

Cameras

Alright, so till now, I have talked about almost all the aspects of the OnePlus 15, and almost all of them get solid marks from my side, but the cameras are where I think OnePlus needs a few updates.

For some reason, OnePlus has decided to remove the Hasselblad partnership, which we had been seeing on the OnePlus 12 and 13. However, to compensate, OnePlus has optimized the OnePlus 15’s cameras with its self-developed DetailMax Engine.

After testing the cameras, I can say that I am not blown away by the results, but at the same time, they are decent enough to be shared on social media or saved as memories.

Daylight

The primary 1x camera captures good detail and performs well in good lighting, though the dynamic range can be inconsistent. Colors are punchy and often boosted, which can make photos look vibrant but sometimes oversaturated. 

But I do think this camera needs a couple of updates to produce better dynamic range and balance in the shadows.

Nighttime

At night, the punchy colors actually look pretty good. Noise control is solid, photos look bright, and overall, night shots come out well, I must say.

3.5X Telephoto Macros

Like last year, there is a 50MP 3.5x telephoto lens too, and let me tell you — this lens can click excellent macros. The kind of perspective this 85mm lens gives is just amazing. Look at this image of these droplets on this leaf — gorgeous detailing, love it. The subject is well separated from the background, and the colors are quite good, too.

Portraits

This telephoto focal length also works really well for portraits. You can see some portrait samples here — it separates the subject from the background nicely, and the edge detection is quite decent. One weakness, though, is the color: sometimes it’s excellent, sometimes the face gets this darkish, reddish tint. So I do see room for improvement via software updates. 

Knowing OnePlus, they do take updates seriously, so I am hopeful they will listen to my feedback.

Selfies

Selfies, however, felt just average to me. The skin tone processing isn’t great — there’s a noticeable reddish tint on the face, and the exposure isn’t very balanced. So selfies could definitely have been better on the OnePlus 15.

Ultrawide

The ultrawide lens photos follow the same pattern as the primary camera: the field of view is slightly narrower, but the colors remain punchy and contrasty, like the primary lens. The details are good enough, and at night, it reduces noise nicely and balances the lighting.

Videos

The videography performance is solid, with support for 4K 120 fps and Dolby Vision playback and recording, delivering surprisingly stable results. During the day, both the main and ultrawide lenses offer decent 4K 30fps footage, though exposure management could be better. Night-time video is acceptable with no major issues, while selfie video also performs well with good stabilization, but the colors and skin tones can be inconsistent.

OnePlus 15 Review: Conclusion

Apart from a few shortcomings in the camera department, the OnePlus 15 is easily the best value flagship right now if you want the ultimate Android experience. It may not have the best cameras, but it excels in every other area — display, battery, performance, and software. Gamers will especially love the OP Gaming Core with hyper-rendering, dedicated display, and Wi-Fi chips for smoother play.

OnePlus clearly decided to compromise slightly on the camera to keep the price competitive. But for most users who prioritize speed, endurance, and experience over photography, the OnePlus 15 delivers exactly what it promises. This is OnePlus’s proven formula at work — and with the 15, that winning strategy continues strong.

OnePlus 15 Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Top-notch performance and gaming
• Superb battery life
• Smooth OxygenOS 16
• 165Hz AMOLED display

Cons

• Not so flagship cameras