4 surprising issues I like in regards to the OnePlus 15 after utilizing it for per week

With the 15, OnePlus is again at it once more with one other flagship Android smartphone, and, as ever, the handset is jam-packed with high-tech inside parts all wrapped inside a slim and engaging package deal. In direct distinction to its predecessors, nevertheless, the 15 adopts a new external design language that does away with the fan-favorite Alert Slider button, whereas additionally ditching the years-long Hasselblad partnership and the related colour science tech that had arisen from the now-defunct digital camera collaboration.

With a redesigned chassis that conforms to the competitors (slightly than doubling down on the individuality of the OnePlus 13’s design), in addition to with the lack of Hasselblad-powered picture enhancements and the quick-access quantity slider, I definitely had issues over whether or not the 15 would nonetheless carry ahead the attraction of its forebears. Then once more, with trailblazing {hardware} specs like an enormous 7,300mAh battery, UFS 4.1 storage, and a 165Hz AMOLED show panel, I used to be equally enthralled with the product previous to even booting it up for the primary time.

Quick-forward by a couple of week, and I’ve found that there is a lot to like about the OnePlus 15. The handset launches globally on November 13 of this 12 months, following its October 27 release in China. In North America, it is accessible in a 12GB of RAM + 256GB of inside storage configuration for $900 USD / $1.300 CAD, and in a 16GB of RAM + 512GB of storage variant for $1,000 USD / $1,400 CAD. The bottom mannequin might be bought within the infinite black colorway, whereas the step-up mannequin may also be had in extremely violet or sand storm.

Listed below are my impressions after utilizing the sand storm OnePlus 15 out in the actual world over the previous a number of days.

It feels tremendous premium

The OnePlus 15 is silky-smooth to the contact

With the OnePlus 15, it is laborious to not begin the dialog with design. Not like final 12 months’s OnePlus 13, which featured a curved chassis and a round rear digital camera array, the 15 is blockier and extra industrial, whereas additionally sporting a brand new squared-off digital camera protrusion. In brief, the machine appears and feels extra like a contemporary iPhone, Galaxy, or Pixel smartphone than ever earlier than, conforming with the sharper design language pattern first popularized by Apple with its iPhone 12 sequence in 2020.

Subjectively, I discover the brand new design to be engaging and minimalistic, although I am not completely keen on the redesigned digital camera hump. The square-in-the-left-hand-corner trope is drained, and I might nearly have most popular it if OnePlus had joined Google and Apple in embracing as we speak’s newfound full-width digital camera plateau period of smartphone design.

In any case, the OnePlus 15 is solidly constructed, with tactile, clicky buttons, zero {hardware} creakiness, and a luxurious-feeling etched rear glass panel that I discover extraordinarily satisfying to run my finger throughout. The facet rails are fabricated from aluminum, however with a twist: unique to the beige-toned sand storm colorway I’ve on deck, a novel Micro-Arc Oxidation (MAO) method has been utilized to the metallic by way of a “plasma-based electrochemical course of.”

In line with OnePlus, this MAO method leads to a mid-frame that is 3.4 occasions tougher than an aluminum mid-frame and 1.3 occasions as robust as a titanium one. Whereas I am unable to vouch but for its sturdiness, I’ll say that the ceramic-esque MAO end appears and feels stellar.

Its display screen is the speediest I’ve ever used

165Hz outclasses a lot of the competitors

With the OnePlus 15, the corporate determined to buck the everyday high-end smartphone pattern of delivery with an adaptive 120Hz OLED panel at Quad Excessive Definition Plus (HQD+) decision. As a substitute, the 15’s 6.78-inch show is able to a super-speedy 165Hz, whereas sacrificing barely on the decision entrance (1272 x 2772 pixels for a pixel density of 450 ppi, versus the 13’s 510 ppi). There is not any two methods about it: the OnePlus 15 has an unbelievably glorious show, with crisp colours, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ assist, and a pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming velocity of 2160Hz for improved eye consolation.

In the actual world, I personally cannot inform a lot, if any, distinction between 120Hz and 165Hz refresh charges, although your mileage might fluctuate. I additionally discovered no real-world consequence to the marginally decrease pixel density — all the pieces continues to be pin sharp. In case you’re an avid cell gamer, and for those who’re hoping to place the metallic to the metallic with the cellphone’s all-new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, then the added display screen responsiveness will most undoubtedly turn out to be useful.

Silicon-carbon expertise makes this attainable

In typical OnePlus style, the 15 is on the high of its recreation with regards to state-of-the-art inside specs. Except for being one of many first smartphones to launch with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, it options the quickest UFS 4.1 flash storage tech accessible, one of many highest PWM shows on the market, and it is one of many few handsets to function full IP68/IP69K water and dust resistance (able to being immersed into 6.56 ft (2 meters) of recent water for up half-hour, whereas with the ability to survive excessive strain water jets at sizzling temperatures).

For me, nevertheless, the crowning jewel of the OnePlus 15′ specification lineup is its insanely enormous 7,300 mAh inside battery pack. Utilizing new silicon-carbon battery chemistry, the corporate has been capable of squeeze extra power right into a smaller bodily package deal, and it merely blows the remainder of the Western cell competitors out of the water. By comparability, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery, and the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL has a 4,870 mAh energy pack — we have but to see these respective lineups change away from conventional lithium-ion and in the direction of a extra energy-dense silicon-carbon answer.

In follow, the OnePlus 15 is a stamina champ. Even with heavy video streaming, video recording, picture capturing, and GPS utilization, I recurrently finish the day with 25% battery left within the tank, which provides me greater than sufficient wiggle room to work with. In fact, we aren’t completely positive whether or not silicon-carbon batteries will show as hearty as their lithium-ion counterparts in the long term, however that is one thing that can make itself identified in due time.

OxygenOS 16 is fairly slick

Say hey to Parallel Processing 2.0

Out of the field, the OnePlus 15 ships with OxygenOS 16 operating on high of Android 16. OxygenOS is likely one of the extra customizable and feature-rich Android skins out in the marketplace, and I discover that it balances simplicity and suppleness moderately nicely. The Apple-inspired visible design is a bit take-it-or-leave-it for my part ( I vastly prefer Google’s own Material 3 Expressive UI), however OxygenOS does really feel prefer it’s nonetheless doing its personal factor as nicely, which I recognize.

OnePlus has carried out a expertise it calls Parallel Processing 2.0 into the software program stack, which permits for smoother gesture-based navigation when interacting with person interface components. The OnePlus 13 launched Parallel Processing when opening and shutting apps final 12 months, and a couple of.0 expands on this by working throughout the App Drawer, World Search, launching widgets, and extra. There’s numerous technical work occurring behind the scenes to make for a extra fluid UI right here, and I recognize OnePlus’ dedication to offering a stutter-free cellphone expertise.

Then, after all, there’s the AI. OxygenOS 16 is crammed to the brim with AI options, together with AI recorder, AI Portrait Glow, AI Scan, and AI PlayLab. Notably, OnePlus has constructed a devoted Plus Thoughts area throughout the interface that acts as a Google Gemini-powered hub for all of your screenshots, just like Nothing’s Important Area. There’s even a devoted AI Plus key right here, although this comes at the unfortunate expense of the classic Alert Slider I’ve come to depend on through the years for silencing notifications with out having to take a look at my cellphone display screen.

This machine was offered to Pocket-lint by OnePlus.