OnePlus 15 review: The end of battery anxiety as we know it

There’s a lot riding on the OnePlus 15. It’s arguably the brand’s most anticipated phone yet, it has hyped it up with multiple embargoes and the separate China launch to keep it in the news, and it has a series of features that have the potential to change the game.

Yes, the OnePlus 15 is a big deal, so can it live up to such high expectations? What I can say, without getting ahead of myself, is, I don’t think many will be disappointed. Let’s get into it.

Staff pick

Credit: OnePlus

OnePlus 15

8.5/10

SoC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

RAM

12GB / 16GB

Storage

256GB / 512GB

Battery

7,300mAh

The OnePlus 15 is the phone power users have been waiting for, as its battery and performance eclipse the current competition. It’s let down by an average camera and software which can frustrate compared to the best from Google and Samsung, but neither should really put you off.

Pros & Cons

• Truly long battery life
• Fast charging
• Modern design
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance

• DetailMax Engine still needs work
• Software can be frustrating

See at OnePlus

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Price, specs, and availability

The OnePlus 15’s availability is more complex than you may expect. At the time of writing, the phone does not have a final U.S. release date, which OnePlus says is due to the U.S. government’s shutdown. This has affected device certification by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

When it does arrive, the standard 12GB/256GB model (only available in the Infinite Black color) will cost $900, and the 16GB/512GB version is $1,000. It’ll be sold through OnePlus’s own online store, Amazon, and Best Buy. The Infinite Black and Sand Storm colors will be available everywhere, but the Ultra Violet will be sold through OnePlus and Amazon, and only in limited numbers.

Outside the U.S., the OnePlus 15 will be available for pre-order from November 13. The price puts it in competition with the Google Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Edge, and the Apple iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro.

Does it look like a OnePlus phone?

Colors make up for design

The OnePlus 15’s design hasn’t been a secret. It was shown on stage at a Qualcomm event ahead of its launch in China, where it was fully revealed, and then got a further global debut ahead of the review embargo lifting.

It’s a departure from the OnePlus 13, which matched gently curved sides and a textured faux leather rear panel with a multi-shape camera module for a striking look, giving it a tactile in-hand feel.

The OnePlus 15 is very flat, with more straight lines than sweeping curves this time, while the camera module keeps things simple, resulting in an understated, classy style. This is particularly true of the black version. The matte glass on the back feels fantastic, and has a deep, dark look that’s as close as we’ve come to getting a Vanta black phone.

The finish may not be all that hard-wearing, though. Since I started using the black OnePlus 15, it has picked up scuffs and other marks, which have come out with a quick rub so far, but it doesn’t give me much confidence in it long-term. It’s not the only color available, though, with the Sand Storm version boasting a ceramic coating, and the Ultra Violet model adding a sheen to the glass back.

OnePlus’s decision to use flat sides and straight lines has not impacted comfort. There’s a pleasing curve where the chassis meets the glass front and back, and the sweep of the corners means it doesn’t uncomfortably dig into your palm.

However, it’s a slippery phone, and I think you will want to put it in a case. The 8mm thick phone weighs 215 grams (211 grams if you buy the Sand Storm version), and meets IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings.

I like the look of the OnePlus 15, and it’s also the best-looking black phone I’ve seen in ages, but it’s not a uniquely OnePlus look. Put it alongside the Oppo Find X9 Pro, and it takes an expert eye to tell them apart. OnePlus has also removed the Alert Slider from the phone, reducing its character and individuality even further.

However, I’m aware this won’t bother a lot of people, and leaving it aside makes the OnePlus 15 a modern, stylish, and comfortable-to-hold smartphone.

Does the big battery deliver?

More than you could ever hope

I’m going straight from talking about the design to talking about the OnePlus 15’s battery and charging, because these set it apart from the vast majority of other, globally released flagship phones.

It’s a gigantic 7,300mAh battery which uses a clever silicon nano stack design for efficiency and performance. This capacity is 2,300mAh greater than the battery found in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and 300mAh more than the cell inside the battery-focused Motorola G57 Power.

The greater the capacity, the better the performance, right? Oh yes. If you want the ultimate in battery life, the OnePlus 15 delivers. Even if your power demands are modest, there’s still masses of value in having a phone with such a big battery too.

General tasks don’t tell the whole story. A 30-minute 1080p YouTube video viewed at full brightness, and played over 4G, takes just 2% of the battery, while running the 20-minute, ray-traced Solar Bay Extreme stress test in the 3DMark app takes 13%.

It’s the screen-on, longer-term data that delights. Throughout my time with the OnePlus 15, five hours of screen time reduced the battery to around 50 to 55% remaining. This is mixed use, with gaming, camera, and GPS alongside normal app tasks, plus with the phone connected to a OnePlus Watch 3.

It’s so long-lasting, I simply haven’t worried about the battery at all. When I haven’t bothered to charge it overnight, it easily lasts through the second day, and usually into the third day if my screen time is around three hours each day.

When it’s finally time to recharge the OnePlus 15 you can use a wired 120W SuperVOOC charger or the 50W AirVOOC wireless charger. I used a 120W SuperVOOC charger and it took just under 45 minutes to recharge the battery, which is incredibly quick considering the battery’s capacity. If you use a non-OnePlus charger, times will vary.

It should be noted I’ve used the OnePlus 15 in its Balanced mode, where the software manages performance and battery for optimal results. There is a High Performance mode if you want all the power, and a Power Saving mode to prioritize long battery life. I haven’t noticed any issue using Balanced mode.

The OnePlus 15’s battery and charging performance is outstanding. It’s far beyond any other smartphone I’ve used this year, and if either of these features are personal pain points for you, the OnePlus 15 is the antidote you’ve been waiting for.

What about the camera?

OnePlus’s DetailMax Engine has a lot to prove

There are three 50-megapixel cameras on the back of the OnePlus 15. The main 50MP camera is joined by a 50MP periscope telephoto for 3.5x optical zoom and a 7x optical quality zoom, plus a 50MP wide-angle camera. The selfie camera has 32 megapixels.

Hasselblad is no longer working with OnePlus, and the brand has created its own photographic engine called the DetailMax Engine. It’s a good start, but I don’t think this is anywhere near its final form, and there’s still work to be done for it to compete.

Daytime photos are decent, there’s a nice depth of field possible with the telephoto camera, the camera app is logical and fast, and the Photos app has plenty of editing tools.

Unfortunately, the camera struggles with exposure, is too keen to up the contrast, and the colors it reproduces are rarely natural or representative of the actual conditions. The camera’s night mode kicks in early, resulting in a loss of sharpness in some situations.

I’ve also noticed noise creeping in when using the telephoto camera, especially when faced with challenging lighting. The camera isn’t terrible, and I have taken shots with it that are good, but the more I used it, the more issues came up.

OnePlus’s DetailMax Engine is a work in progress. It doesn’t meet the standards set by the OnePlus 13, and will struggle to compete with great camera phones like the Google Pixel 10 and the Apple iPhone 17 Pro.

Performance and software

No serious complaints here

The OnePlus 15 is one of the first phones to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor and comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR5x Ultra+ RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage space. The software is OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16, and it will receive four years of major updates and six years of security updates. The 6.78-inch screen is excellent, with a top 165Hz refresh rate and a 1.5K resolution, a first for this combination. Special mention should also go to cell and Wi-Fi reception, and the OnePlus 15 has an uncanny ability to latch onto and maintain a cell signal in low reception areas.

Software reliability, speed, and smoothness has been flawless during my time with the phone. I can switch through apps, quickly search, and effortlessly scroll, while never feeling like the phone is fighting me or struggling. OxygenOS 16 has plenty of customization, from changing layout and sizing for Quick Settings to special system-wide themes, and altering icons and lock screen styles. However, while you can mess around with these things, none feel quite as cohesive as iOS 26’s customization features, despite being closely modeled on them.

I find changing the way Android looks easier on the Pixel 10, too. What I mean by this is, the OnePlus adjustments are quite haphazard, and it’s much easier to make Android look awful than it is on a Pixel.

Unfortunately, in the same way the phone’s design is similar to an Oppo phone, the software is too. I don’t like the pointless Shelf feature (it interrupts my use far too often), I question why we need a whole separate app for things like Zen Space, and I find the color palette used for the Settings menu garish. Thankfully, these are only little things.

I played Asphalt Legends: Unite with all the graphics at their maximum, and the phone didn’t stutter. Gameplay was really exciting, and I can imagine spending hours playing. OnePlus has made an effort to keep processor temperatures under control with special cooling that also covers the screen, a vapor chamber, and cooling gel around the processor itself.

Under normal circumstances, the phone remains cool, and it did playing Asphalt Legends: Unite, but the 20-minute 3DMark stress test made the chassis very hot, to the point where I wouldn’t want to hold it. It did not overheat, but it’s something to note if you play very power-intensive games for hours at a time.

Are there AI features?

Yes, but they’re not too intrusive

OnePlus has replaced the Alert Slider with the Plus Key, which can be customized to switch between ring, vibrate and silent mode, or open the camera app, activate the torch, or use the Mind Space AI feature. Mind Space is a memory prompt where you can store screenshots and notes, which AI summarizes and manages for you. It’s a similar tool to Nothing’s Essential Space. Provided you use screenshots and notes regularly as reminders or memory tools, it’ll be helpful.

If you don’t, then you won’t find much use for Mind Space, but at least OnePlus never pushes you to use it. It’s not even activated by default, and you have to make the effort to enable it.

Other AI tools include AI Translate, AI Search, an AI Recorder, and an AI Writer tool. The AI Writer tool only works on certain apps, with Instagram being one. I tested it out on a photo of my cat, and AI Writer’s suggestions are a mixture of cringe-making, mindless, or plain bizarre. I’ve no idea who would use it, therefore I question why it’s included at all.

OnePlus isn’t pushing AI as hard as Samsung, which I appreciate. Mind Space has its uses, but it’s unlikely to appeal to everyone. The rest are lip-service to AI functionality, which brands feel must be included so as to not appear like they’re falling behind.

Should you buy the OnePlus 15?

I highly recommend you buy the OnePlus 15. It manages to bring together a monster battery, stellar performance, and smooth software into a light, slim, and modern-looking phone. Certainly, no other globally available flagship phone comes close to matching the battery life you can squeeze from it, and that alone makes it very desirable. It’s that it does so in a normal package with a big screen and powerful chip that sets it apart from the competition.

The compromise in all this positivity is in the camera. It’s not bad, but you will find a lot better cameras on the back of other phones. If photography is top of your list, above battery life, looking at a different phone would be wise. The OnePlus 15 changes the battery and power game, or at least, it will if you let it. OnePlus has given you 7,300 reasons to buy the OnePlus 15 over any other current flagship phone, so now it’s all down to you.

Staff pick

Credit: OnePlus

OnePlus 15

8.5/10

SoC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

RAM

12GB / 16GB

Storage

256GB / 512GB

Battery

7,300mAh

The OnePlus 15 is the phone power users have been waiting for, as its battery and performance eclipse the current competition. It’s let down by an average camera and software which can frustrate compared to the best from Google and Samsung, but neither should really put you off.

See at OnePlus

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