OnePlus 15 is the first phone in a few years from OnePlus, which comes in the same year as the previous OnePlus flagship. The new OnePlus flagship offers a mix of refinements and reliability rather than radical reinvention. It brings a refreshed design, a higher refresh rate display, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, and a huge 7,300mAh battery, all packed into a slimmer body. While it drops some familiar touches like the iconic Alert Slider, it introduces smart new elements like the Plus Key and an impressive level of water and dust protection. But the question is, does this new blend of power and polish make it one of the best flagships to buy right now? Let’s find out in this review.
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A bold redesign that feels both new and familiar
The OnePlus 15 brings a cleaner, more mature look to the table. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel but gives the lineup a fresh, modern feel that is instantly noticeable.
The circular camera module that defined older OnePlus flagships is gone. In its place sits a neat, squared-off camera island that looks same as the OnePlus 13s’. It’s a subtle but smart design change because the phone looks sharper and more symmetrical than before. The module still sticks out a bit, though not enough to make the phone wobble on a flat surface.
The frame has also gone flat, ditching the curved sides of the OnePlus 13. The change makes the phone feel a bit wider in hand, but it adds a sense of solidity and precision to the overall build. The glass back has a frosted matte finish that feels smooth and premium, without turning slippery. The leather finish on the previous model did offer better grip, but this matte design definitely feels more aesthetically pleasing.
Our review unit came in the violet colour, and it’s hard not to admire it. The violet tone catches the light beautifully and gives the phone a calm yet striking personality. It’s easily one of the best finishes OnePlus has done in a while.
OnePlus has also managed some impressive engineering with the overall form factor. The OnePlus 15 is thinner at 8.1mm compared to the 8.5mm thickness of the 13, yet it packs a much larger 7,300mAh battery (up from 6,000mAh). Despite that, the weight remains nearly the same. The phone feels sturdy in everyday use, and even after a few accidental drops, the body showed no dents or scratches.
However, not every design change will win everyone over. The classic Alert Slider, which is a OnePlus signature feature I have grown used to over the years, is gone. It was simple, quick, and incredibly useful for adjusting sound profiles without even looking at the screen. I know the new Plus Key does make sense. It takes up less space and brings extra functionality, letting you switch between sound modes or set up to nine custom shortcuts. But there is still something about the old slider’s instant, tactile control that I will quietly miss.
Durability has also taken a big leap forward. The OnePlus 15 comes with IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, meaning it can handle dust, high-pressure water jets, and even survive submersion up to 2 metres for 30 minutes. That is rare protection in its price category and adds peace of mind for daily use, especially in times such as Holi festival or rainy season.
All said and done, the OnePlus 15 looks and feels every bit like a flagship. The frosted glass back, flat frame, and fresh colour choices make it elegant without being overdesigned. It is not trying too hard and that is exactly what makes it work.
Display: Smaller in size, bigger on experience
OnePlus has made a few interesting tweaks to the display this year. The new OnePlus 15 gets a slightly smaller 6.7-inch 1.5K panel, but don’t let the size fool you. There is a lot happening here. The resolution and pixel density have technically taken a small step back, while the refresh rate has been bumped up to an impressive 165Hz. OnePlus even claims that the device can maintain a consistent 120fps in gaming, something we will touch on later.
When placed side by side with the OnePlus 13, the downgrade in resolution isn’t really noticeable. In fact, colours and contrast on the new model looked a touch more lively. OnePlus has improved the local brightness this time, although peak brightness has dropped slightly. You now get 1800 nits HBM and 3600 nits peak brightness compared to 1600 and 4500 nits on the previous model. Still, in real-world use, the OnePlus 15 often appears brighter and punchier, especially while streaming HDR content. While watching “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 4K HDR on YouTube, the 15’s display seemingly offered richer tones and better highlights.
Outdoor visibility is good, too. The screen remains easy to read under harsh sunlight, and the 1-nit minimum brightness makes late-night scrolling far more comfortable. The default colour calibration leans slightly on the warmer side, but you can tweak that from the settings if you prefer cooler tones.
OnePlus continues to use LTPO tech, so the screen can dynamically switch between 1Hz and 165Hz depending on what you are doing. In daily use, it mostly hovers around 120Hz while browsing and 30Hz for static apps. Even so, animations feel fluid, and there is no jitter or frame drop when watching fast-paced videos like King Kong, something that still trips up a few mid-premium phones. But, the display never touched 165Hz, not even while scrolling on social media apps.
Interestingly, OnePlus has reverted to Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for the front protection after using Ceramic Guard last year, which the company once claimed to be tougher. Regardless, the build feels sturdy, and the pre-applied screen protector is a thoughtful touch, something OnePlus has consistently done and users will always appreciate.
One small but genuinely useful feature is the improved touch sensitivity that allows you to use the phone even while wearing woolen or sheepskin gloves. It is a feature that makes perfect sense for winters, especially in places like Delhi. And yes, those bezels are slimmer than ever now, almost invisible, making the experience even more enjoyable.
Performance: Solid gaming experience?
The OnePlus 15 is the first flagship in India to feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. On paper, this chip is an absolute powerhouse and the benchmarks back that up.
In Geekbench, the phone scored an impressive 9629 in the multi-core test, comfortably surpassing most rivals. But it is the AnTuTu result that is quite unbelievable. It received a massive 3.6 million points, the highest we have seen so far on any flagship phone. For context, devices running the previous Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset typically managed around 2.5 million. That is a huge leap forward in raw numbers.
However, these scores come at a cost. During the AnTuTu run, which lasted about 10 minutes, the device got very hot and battery levels dropped by nearly 10 percent. The phone touched around 50-degree Celsius while running benchmarks, but it cooled down fast once kept idle for about 5 minutes. To be fair, the test was done under demanding conditions with High Performance mode enabled, the screen running at 120Hz, and resolution set to high. Thankfully, this level of heat wasn’t replicated during real-world tasks or while gaming.
In day-to-day use, the phone performs beautifully. It stays cool for the most part, only getting mildly warm during long gaming sessions or heavy multitasking. Even after 40 minutes of playing, the device was just slightly warm to the touch, but nothing alarming.
The 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test, which pushes the GPU, also showed a noticeable uplift over last year’s chip. There was no major throttling, even under sustained load, and the performance graph remained fairly consistent with 82 per cent stability. Still, benchmarks only tell part of the story and in real-world use, the 15 feels every bit as fast as the numbers suggest.
As far as my experience goes, apps launch instantly, animations are fluid, and multitasking feels effortless. Gaming is where the phone really shows its power. Titles like Genshin Impact and BGMI run well. By default, Genshin Impact plays at High graphics with 30fps, offering good visuals and smooth performance. Lowering the settings to Medium with reduced shadows pushes it to 45fps, making fighting scenes feel a tad smoother. The game supports up to 60fps, but at High graphics the device struggles to maintain stability, so I had to reduce the graphics to achieve 60fps. Though the visual trade-off may not be worth it for most players.
BGMI, on the other hand, supports up to 120fps, but on low graphics. The gameplay remained smooth on HDR settings at 45fps but became choppy when switching to Ultra HDR at 60fps. The best balance came at the Super Smooth (low graphics) setting at 120fps, though frame rates weren’t consistently stable. I also felt that the haptic feedback could have been stronger, especially while playing BGMI, but it doesn’t take away much from the overall gaming experience.
Overall, you are getting a solid gaming experience with the OnePlus 15. But, some of the credit for this can also be given to OxygenOS 16 UI that it ships with out of the box. The animations feel smoother and there is minimal bloatware. OnePlus has given features such as Mind Space for saving screen content such as articles, events, or to-dos. But, I didn’t find myself using this feature at all. But, I love the “Share with iPhone” feature, which quickly transfers large media files with my friends who have iPhones. I can see some inspiration taken from iOS, with the notch getting wider when receiving some notifications. The calculator app has a glass-like design and one can now change icon colours in different shades too with close to glass-like effect. But, I loved the new climate effects visible in the Weather app and OnePlus has also added a cool charging animation on the lockscreen. Overall, OxygenOS 16 makes the experience even better, with a clutter-free UI.
Solid battery life
The OnePlus 15 has a 7,300mAh battery under the hood. It can easily last for 15 hours with basic usage and Balanced Performance mode. I used the phone for Instagram scrolling, texting, a bit of YouTube or JioHotstar, browsing, and little bit of photography. If I do 2-3 hours of binge-watching sessions or 2 hours of gaming, the device’s battery drops faster and I have to charge it after about 10 hours. That said, do keep in mind that the settings were set to High performance mode, which helps you give raw power. Overall, you are getting a solid battery life with the OnePlus 15.
When it is time to top up, the 120W fast charging support comes to the rescue. It is good to see that OnePlus is still bundling a fast charger in the box, as most of the brands have stopped offering one. The phone jumps from 10 to 100 per cent in about 25 minutes, which is just great for those who want a quick top-up before heading out.
How good is the camera setup?
The OnePlus 15 delivers a good camera experience, though it doesn’t quite match the best in the flagship category. In daylight, it captures detailed photos with lively colours and balanced exposure. The Photo mode works well for most scenarios, but switching to the High-Res mode produces sharper, more detailed shots that are ideal for scenic captures or social media uploads. White balance is handled well, though the dynamic range can be inconsistent in areas with uneven lighting. There is little to no noise or colour fringing in daylight photos, but overall sharpness could have been better.
The 3.5x optical zoom lens performs decently for close-up shots that would look good on Instagram. However, the images tend to lose a bit of crispness when you zoom in, with slightly soft details. Portraits, on the other hand, come out fine. The background blur looks natural, and skin tones are accurate, though edge detection isn’t always precise and highlights occasionally appear clipped.
Click on any photo below to access all the camera samples
In low light, the OnePlus 15 manages to hold its own with clean, usable shots that retain good detail and colour accuracy. Noise levels are also under control. Overall, it is a dependable camera system for everyday photography, just not the most refined one in its class.
Verdict: Should you buy the OnePlus 15?
The OnePlus 15 feels like a well-rounded flagship that delivers on most fronts. It looks elegant, performs well, and lasts impressively long on a single charge. The vibrant display is a joy to use, gaming performance is rock-solid for the most part, and the fast 120W charging makes battery anxiety a thing of the past. The camera system also performs decently in daylight. And if you can live without the Alert Slider and don’t mind minor heat build-up during heavy use, the OnePlus 15 stands out as a reliable flagship that gets most of the basics right. It may not break new ground, but it refines most aspects that matter, making it one of the most balanced premium smartphones in India you can buy today.
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Published By:
Ankita Garg
Published On:
Nov 13, 2025
