Is the OnePlus 15 the most powerful smartphone on the market? But what about the camera? At €537, it's a must-buy NOW!
Last year, after a long absence, I returned to try a OnePlus smartphone, the 13 to be precise. There was no doubt that OnePlus had returned to its former glory, with uncompromising hardware and software. What impressed me most was the power and large battery packed into a smartphone weighing just 210g, something truly hard to believe. The new model was released a few days ago. OnePlus 15, and naturally, I was really curious. So I decided to try it out, and I'll tell you about it in this in-depth review, with a preface:
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ONEPLUS 15 PACKAGE
I am always very happy when I see packaging like the one of the OP 15 because, fortunately, there are still manufacturers who understand how crazy it is not to put in the package essential parts to be able to “unbox” the phone and use it immediately. Here in fact we find:
- OnePlus 15 (with pre-installed screen protector)
- Rubberized cover
- Ultra-fast 120W charger
- Type C – Type C Charging Cable
- Clip for removing SIM tray
- Various booklets
This generous package, which I remind you is the one for the Chinese model, allows us to skip the hassle of buying additional accessories and enjoy our beautiful smartphone right away. The case is beautiful, although it completely covers the back of the smartphone, which is a shame because it's truly gorgeous. If you want to keep it visible, you'll need to buy a transparent one.
ONEPLUS 15 AESTHETICS
From an aesthetic standpoint, the famous Latin proverb "De gustibus non est disputandum" always holds true, so I'll give you my opinion, which is obviously a very personal opinion: beautiful! This time around, I chose the iridescent purple version and I can tell you, it's simply stunning. I love phones that match the color of the back on the frame, and this pale purple is truly elegant. Using it without a case is always very risky, but it would really be worth it to avoid hiding this beauty. The measurements are: 161.4 x 76.7 x 8.1 mm for 215Gr weight and well done OnePlus here too... you hit the nail on the head! Why do I say that? Because we are faced with a smartphone with a 730mAh battery that is nothing short of monstrous! So the engineering work done by OP was truly incredible. I won't tell you how important it is, especially for us men, to have a relatively light phone, especially in the summer when we have to put the phone in our pants pockets. But there's more, if you want to save a few grams you can go for the sand-colored version which weighs even less, just 211Gr!
On the right side we find the volume rocker and the power button, on the left side the alert slide has given way to a classic and very comfortable customizable button which I will tell you about later. Above the ear capsule which also functions as a stereo speaker, below the Type C 3.2 (with video output) for charging and the second system speaker.
ONEPLUS 15 DATASHEET
As usual, OnePlus gives us a top of the range device with top-of-the-line hardware in every single detail, with the exception of the camera which starts with the brand new processor. Qualcomm lo Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with production process a 3nm that and Adreno GPU 840
- Operating system: Android 16 with ColorOS 16 (China), OxygenOS 16 (Global)
- SoC: Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- CPU: Octa-core (2×4.6GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6×3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M)
- GPU: Adreno 840
- Qualcomm Hexagon NPU
- Memory:
- RAM: 12GB, 16GB type LpDDR5X
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB type UFS 4.1
- Display:
- Type: LTPO AMOLED, 1 billion colors, PWM, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR Vivid
- Size: 6,78 inch
- Resolution: 1.5K (2772×1272) – 450ppi
- Refresh rate: 165Hz
- Brightness: 800 nits (typical), 1800 nits (maximum)
- Screen-to-body ratio 95,5%
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- Rear cameras:
- Main: 50Mpx, f/1.8, 24mm equivalent, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS
- Telephoto: 50Mpx, f/2.8, 80mm equivalent (periscope), 1/2.76″, 0.64µm, 3.5x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS
- Ultrawide: 50 MP, f/2.0, 16mm, 116˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.88″, 0.61µm, PDAF
- Hasselblad Support
- Video: 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps
- Features: Laser focus, color spectrum sensor, LED flash, HDR, panorama, LUT preview
- Front Camera:
- Photo: 32 MP, f/2.4, 21mm (wide), 1/2.74″, 0.8µm, AF
- Video: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, HDR
- Connectivity:
- 5G
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual or tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
- Bluetooth 6.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LHDC 5
- NFC
- GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5)
- Audio: 2 stereo speakers, 4-mic AI noise reduction
- Battery:
- Capacity: 7300 mAh
- Wired charging: 120W
- Wireless charging: 50W
- Wireless reverse charging: 10W
- impermeability: IP68, IP69K
- Dimensions: 161.4 x 76.7 x 8.1 mm
- Weight: 211g
ONEPLUS 15 DISPLAY
The display is a real feast for the eyes, Third-generation Oriental panel uses X3 luminescent material OLED produced by BOE with technology LTPO who will be able to get to 165Hz maximum frequency and 1Hz minimum frequency depending on the displayed scenarios. Remember that the maximum frequency of practically all top-of-the-range devices on the market is 120Hz, so with this OnePlus 15 we exceed the limits. It will obviously be a visual pleasure to play at the maximum frequency with the games that support it. As for the maximum brightness, it stands at 1800Nits, which is not an exceptional value, but what I consider important is the minimum it can guarantee. In fact, in low ambient light conditions, typically in the evening when we are at home with the lights off, the phone's brightness will drop to 1Nit without the classic flickering of low brightness. This, obviously, will allow us to protect our eyesight. The touch sampling is 240Hz so don't worry about being lightning fast when typing, you won't miss a touch!
I've tried it with TV shows, movies, games, social media, and I have to say it's probably the best display I've ever seen.
As for the form factor, we have a FLAT display, and here the usual debate will arise between those who prefer a curved, slightly curved, or flat display. I'll tell you what I think: the new format I've seen in the last two years, the slightly curved one, is definitely the one I liked the most. It allowed us to touch the edge of the display even with the case on. I'm not crazy about the completely flat format because with a case you can never use 100% of the edges. But this is obviously just my personal opinion.
The colors are well-calibrated and the settings are truly extensive. You can schedule the dark mode, keep it always active or not use it, set it to your liking on three dark screen tones and much more. There are also three color tone settings (natural-pro-vivid), four system fonts, three display sizes (large-standard-small), three modes to set the screen refresh rate (auto-60Hz-165Hz) and many other settings. My advice is to leave the refresh rate on automatic so that the system will adjust it based on the content displayed. This will allow us to always have an excellent display combined with excellent power savings. There is also the option to keep the screen on while we look at it, which is always very welcome but rarely found on the latest generation smartphones. Great attention is given to eye protection and there is no shortage of Dolby Vision, HDR Vivid, Zreal, HDR10+
In short, the display is evidently a strong point of this smartphone and I imagine it will be on the podium of the top of the range this year.
ONEPLUS 15 AUTONOMY
Let's talk about battery life and get ready to change your habits. With a 7300mAh unit, 2×3650 mAh/27,6Wh, and the new technology developed by OnePlus, High-capacity bionic silicon-carbonWith heavy use, we'll easily last two days! The Glacier Battery's composition allows for an energy density of 763Wh/L, so, given the same size, the manufacturer's new batteries will deliver 23,1% more amperage. Considering that, with a weight of 211-215g, we have a 6.78" display and a 7.300mAh battery, we can only give a standing ovation to the Chinese engineers who worked on this little masterpiece. And something many have been waiting for has been confirmed: even the EU version, which is often "castrated," will have the same battery as the Chinese one!
Battery life is always a complex issue, dependent on numerous factors, such as smartphone usage, Wi-Fi connection, 5G usage, phone signal strength, and so on. Therefore, the results obtained can vary greatly based on the parameters mentioned above. From my tests, I've easily managed two days of heavy use, so battery life is truly excellent. My tests included mixed 5G/Wi-Fi usage, a few hours of hotspot use (which consumes a lot), various photos and videos, lots of WhatsApp/Telegram, social media (FB-IG), and a few voice calls.
It must be said that the new SD 8 Elite Gen 5 also seems to manage power consumption well, and the combination with the LPTO display helps a lot. I must point out that the ROM I used is the Chinese one, Color OS, which also tends to be more economical than Oxygen. In fact, the applications are not set to autostart by default, which means that to have them start when the phone starts we will have to do it manually or put them in the appropriate "autostart" section, but I will talk about this in more detail later. The ultra-fast SuperVooc charging at 120W It allows a full charge in just over 45 minutes, but as I always remind you, never let your smartphone go below 20% of residual charge. Partial charges are always recommended, so even if you find yourself at 50%, charge without worries.
ONEPLUS 15 CAMERA
Now we come to the camera, a decidedly important aspect for a top-of-the-line smartphone. Those familiar with the brand know that OnePlus has never been at the top of the range in this field, where other Chinese giants like VIVO, OPPO, and HUAWEI usually excel. It has always held its own well, although we absolutely cannot compare it to the aforementioned brands.
MAIN PHOTO CAMERA
Let's start from the main room which "should" mount a sensor Sony Sony IMX906 da 50Mpx 1/1.56 inch, focal aperture f / 1,8, optical stabilization, autofocus, 23mm EQ. I wrote “should” because if you browse the major sites that deal with telephone hardware you will find the most disparate information: some talk about Sony Lyt 808 (the OP13 sensor), others about the IMX906, others about the Sony IMX 700. What seems evident is that there hasn't been an improvement compared to the previous model and this certainly leaves us a bit bitter. However, the quality of the shots, in all lighting conditions, is really good. The new collaboration with Lumo promises well and we hope it reaches the levels of Hasselblad. The colors are always very close to real ones and this is something I always appreciate and everyone should appreciate. I must say that portraits are good, landscapes are good, objects are good and photos in difficult lighting conditions (night) are good. As befits smartphones of this level, there are many settings and filters/corrections for portraits, but in general also for every shot.
AI plays a major role in the final results of shots, especially those with high zoom, which I'll discuss later. To give you an idea, I'll leave you with a gallery of shots, because nothing better than actual photos can give you a precise idea of the results you can achieve.
ZOOM CAMERA (PERSICOPE)
As for the zoom we find a sensor Samsung JN5 da 50Mpx 1 / 2.75 inches, focal opening f / 2,8, optical stabilization, autofocus, equivalent 80 mm, optical zoom 3.5x. Very good here too, the quality of the shots is truly very satisfactory. The quality of the shots up to a 10x zoom is practically without loss of detail and therefore we can say that 95% of the zooms we will need will be almost perfect photos. Because let's face it, going beyond these magnifications is almost always useless or useful to demonstrate the quality of our camera. We can still go up to 120x but my advice, to avoid finding too much noise and loss of quality, is to not go beyond 20x which still gives us good shots.
Here I post some demo shots in this zoom order: 1x-7x-30x-60x-120x all taken freehand
As I mentioned earlier, when the zoom increases, artificial intelligence comes into play forcefully, and the final result is halfway between a snapshot and an AI reconstruction. This is clearly noticeable as soon as the shot is taken; in fact, we'll see the captured image and shortly thereafter the resulting image. Here's an example where, unable to capture the face of the person at the reception desk, a true digital reconstruction is created.
Naturally, in low-light conditions, this sensor's performance drops dramatically, but then again, we couldn't have expected otherwise. However, I must say that overall, with up to 5x zoom, the quality remains absolutely good, even at night. I'd say portraits are very good, and I think they're comparable to even the best cameraphones currently available.
ULTRA WIDE CAMERA
The ultra-wide-angle camera is no different from the other 2 and takes good quality photos. The sensor is a OmniVision OV50D FOV 116°, focal aperture f/2,0, macro 3,5cm, 1/2.88″, autofocus, 15mm equivalent. The ultrawide camera certainly has a less significant impact than the other two, but having a good ultrawide is always better than not having one. Let's say it doesn't have a very wide angle, 116°, but this allows it to avoid those annoying distortions we can find in shots taken by cameras with a wide range. I noticed excellent performance with night lights, in some cases even better than the main camera. In any case, as above, here is a series of shots from which you can draw your own conclusions.
SELFIE CAM
I'm not a selfie fan (yes, people like me still exist...) but I can assure you that you won't be disappointed by this sensor either. We find a Sony IMX709 32 SM, f/2,4 focal aperture, 1/2.74″, FOV 90°, 21mm equivalent, video up to 4K is 60fpsMy usual sunset test was successful! It manages not to burn out the bright background while still maintaining a good exposure on the foreground subject!
VIDEO
The video section doesn't disappoint either. We can reach a very high resolution of 8K at 30fps, but my advice is to record in 4K at 60fps. I usually record at 1080p 30fps (which is the resolution used in the demo video I'll show you below). In fact, with this resolution, in my opinion, you get the best results. Audio capture is also very good, allowing you to avoid using external microphones at close range, even if you want to get excellent results. I particularly liked the way it handles backlighting, which often challenges even the best cameraphones. Here, as you can see from the goat video, we have very bright windows behind the subjects in the frame, and despite this, it manages to keep the brightness perfectly balanced, without blowing out the background or underexposing the subject in the frame.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS CAMERA
Classic question: can we say that the OnePlus 15 is a top camera phone? Here the answer gets a little complicated. Let's start from the assumption that compared to the OnePlus 13, there has been a downgrade in every sensor, and personally, this bothers me a lot (if you really don't want to improve, at least stick with last year's configuration). Overall, it's more of a no than a yes, although it depends a lot on the terms of comparison we use. If we consider the selling price, especially in China, and therefore the quality-price ratio, I'd say yes. But if we compare it to the top Chinese smartphones recently released (Vivo X300 Pro and Oppo Find X9 Pro), then it's definitely below. As for shots with the main camera, in good lighting conditions, the differences won't be noticeable. However, for shots with the periscope and in low lighting conditions, the gap is felt—or rather, visible. Overall, I feel like I can conclude by saying that if you're not a fanatic and passionate about your smartphone's photography, then this OnePlus 15 will be perfect. If you are looking for the best camera phone on the market, you will have to turn to other devices.
FIRMWARE
As specified above, the version I tested is the Chinese one with the color OSHere in Italy you can buy the global version with Oxygen which is the global counterpart of the Color. What are the differences between the two? Well, the Color has an interface optimized for China, so there will be applications dedicated to, for example, Chinese services. There will be no option to use e-Sim or the "Hey Google" voice assistant. Or rather, the Google Assistant works but cannot be activated via voice command; you will have to launch it manually from the icon. Otherwise, it works perfectly even in Italy and is definitely better than the Oxygen. Better in what? Small details, customization, updates—in short, things that the average user probably won't even notice but are there. Obviously, the Oxygen is the one that is perfectly compatible with all the services we can use in Europe. I honestly always prefer Chinese ROMs because I don't use these two services, and the Chinese versions also have another big plus: they cost much less! The Italian language is present, Google services, and if you buy it where I bought it, TradingShenzhen, it will arrive with the Play Store already installed but the news we were waiting for has arrived! They managed to install the version Global (Oxygen) on Chinese models then you can ask to have the global ROM on a phone paid as Chinese!
In any case, below I leave you the link to download the PLAY STORE in case you purchased it from other stores that do not have this possibility.
If you prefer to have the Chinese ROM, the Color OS, once turned on you will only have to set the Italian language and enter your account GMAIL since Play Store. After that, just install your favorite applications and you're done.
SOFTWARE CRITICISM
In this table, I'll outline the critical issues with the Chinese version of OP 15. These don't make it impossible to use, but they might be unacceptable for some users, so I've decided to summarize the ones I consider most important in one table:
| Function | SI | DO NOT |
| OTA updates | X | |
| Italian Language Menu | X | |
| Applications in Italian – Italian keyboard | X | |
| Google services | X | |
| Google Play Apps | X | |
| Notifications Lock screen – Notification bar | X | |
| AOD notifications | X | |
| BT connection with the machine | X | |
| Android AUTO | X | |
| Google Wallet NFC | X | |
| Volta | X | |
| Google voice assistant | X | X |
| Alexa voice assistant | X | |
| E SIM | X |
As you can see, most of the essential features are present. You'll have all the OTA updates (and very fast ones, too), all the app notifications, the ability to pay with NFC via Google Wallet, and Bluetooth connectivity to your car, including ANDROID AUTO. The Always-on Display (i.e., the screen is always on) is there, and it's very sophisticated, with plenty of customization, and you'll also find notifications from third-party apps.
Great news for call recording addicts, it is now possible RECORD CALLS with the default dialer (in China there are no laws that prohibit it). As for the Google voice assistant (not the voice search which works perfectly) there is no way to set it as default, so it does not work.
APPLICATION SETTINGS
For all the apps you install, you'll have a ton of settings for notifications, battery saving, auto-start, background execution, and much more. So my advice: if you experience any issues, don't worry; you'll probably just need to go into the specific settings and configure the individual apps as you prefer. I remind you that on Chinese versions of operating systems, auto-start is almost always disabled. What does this mean? When you start the phone, or obviously after a reboot, apps that haven't been manually set to auto-start won't launch, so you won't receive notifications. You'll have to open them manually the first time. To set them to auto-start and avoid having to go through this step, simply go to: settings-applications-auto-start and enable the ones you want. With the Color 16, this should be done by default when the system recognizes a social or messaging app, but always keep an eye out if you're not receiving notifications after a phone reboot.
The ability to limit the use of background apps is excellent, which I find very useful, especially with overly demanding apps like Facebook. With this option, when the screen turns off, the app will be blocked and will not consume battery power. Obviously, this way, you won't receive notifications and you'll have to open the app and refresh it to see them. The app cloning feature is also a good feature, perfect for those who use different accounts for a single app (like Instagram, Facebook).
CUSTOMIZABLE BUTTON
Gone is the beloved and iconic "alert slider"—for those who aren't familiar with it, the physical slider that allowed us to switch between ringtone and mute/vibrate mode. I really loved it because it was incredibly convenient: with a single gesture (even while keeping the phone in your pocket), you could mute the phone, which was very useful, for example, at the movies. But don't worry, it's been replaced by a physical button called "plus key” . Here several options have been added to the functionality of this button although I must say the one I found on the Vivo X300 pro is more customizable and I prefer it. In any case we can't complain, in this video I show you the possible combinations.
PHOTO EDIT
The ability to edit and modify your photos is truly comprehensive thanks to the well-designed stock gallery app. Here you can find countless filters, crops, watermarks, retouches, stickers, and of course AI-powered modifications to remove objects, people, and more. There are options for compensation, relighting, perfect shot, sharpening, refocusing, and glare removal. I find refocusing and sharpening to be truly exceptional tools, often perfect for fixing our shots. Here are some demos of object removal. For some features, such as the AI ones, you'll need to create an OP account.
4G/5G NETWORKS
As for networks, you can rest assured. Band 20 is available for those still using 4G, and many 5G bands are available in Italy. Obviously, these clarifications apply to the Chinese version, as the global version certainly has all the bands used here. The issue of phone signal, whether 4G+ or 5G, is always very complex, as your carrier's signal may be more or less present in each area. Obviously, it remains essential that your phone supports all the bands used by your carrier, even before determining whether the signal will be available in your area. Below, I've listed the bands used by the Chinese OP 15, and I recommend checking to see if they're the same ones used by your carrier.
4G LTE FDD: bande 1/3/4/5/7/8/18/19/20/26/28A/66
4G LTE TDD: Bands 34/38/39/40/41/42/48
5G: n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n26/n28A/n38/n40/n41/n48/n66/n77/n78/n79/n80/n81/n83A/n84/n89
Here's a speed test I took where I live, a small town of 2000 people, with my provider, WindTre. I'd say we can't really complain!
PROJECTED IMPACT
After telling you everything I think you need to know about this beautiful and powerful smartphone, let's get to the final considerations. OnePlus 15 It's been available since November 13th, in the 16/512GB version, for €1129. In my opinion, for what it offers, it's definitely a good price. We're talking about a beautiful, lightweight smartphone, with incredible battery life, very powerful, perhaps the best display on the Android market, and a truly excellent camera. I'm convinced that for those who don't consider the camera the most important aspect of a smartphone, this OnePlus 15 is the phone to buy to last at least 4/5 years.
We must then consider another really important thing, if you don't care about those two/three small limitations present in the Chinese version you can take it home at a ridiculous price on TradingShenzhen where I bought it, our partner site. In fact, we're starting on our own. 537€ about for the version 256Gb e 677€ for the version 16 / 512Gb.
I remind you that you will then have the possibility of having it shipped already with the OxygenOS global ROM and therefore the opportunity is truly sensational!
Of course, if you have a huge budget, you can go to the Italian version and get it directly from Oxygen. You can find it on sale at the launch offer on AMAZON with a €100 discount at 1029€! HERE'S THE LINK
If you decide to buy from China, I'll leave you the direct links where I bought it and you'll have the chance to get it home at a crazy price in about 10-15 days with priority shipping free of annoying customs duties. For the more skeptical, there will also be the option to pay via PayPal.
Having said everything there is to know, all I can do is wish you happy shopping!
