OnePlus 15 review: Powerful, polished, and puzzlingly different

Think of it as the Android world’s version of asking for a plain dosa but getting one with microgreens and a blueberry compote. Still good, still sort of familiar…but a proper head scratcher when you first pick it up. After a solid few weeks of use though, a clearer picture emerges—strengths, compromises and all—and whether the bumped-up price ( ₹72,999 for the 12GB/256GB variant and ₹79,999 for the 16GB/512GB) is worth it.

Look and feel

Gone is the familiar circular camera module, textured rear panel and slim frame that was part and parcel of OnePlus’ identity, and the OnePlus 15 makes way for a flatter iPhone-esque design language that we saw on the OnePlus 13s from earlier this year. It’s an absolutely generic design that lacks the signature ‘OnePlus’ look we’ve grown used to over the years, but if you’re not bothered by that, it’s cleaner and classier, particularly in the matte Infinite Black version that has a deep dark anti-reflective property to it.

There’s an Ultra Violet colorway too, plus the Sand Storm variant with a slightly more durable coating for the frame and camera module, but whichever variant you choose, you get excellent fit and finish and all the regular IP ratings for dust-water protection plus an all-new IP69K rating which ensures ingress protection in the unlikely scenario that you’re the target of high-pressure water jets at temperatures up to 80 degrees Celsius.

In the hand, the flat sides and straight lines mean comfort takes a slight hit compared to the OnePlus 13, but the chassis is ever so slightly curved where it meets the glass, so the 215g phone doesn’t dig into your palm as much...though it does tend to be slippery. OnePlus fans will miss the alert slider, replaced with a somewhat customizable button called the Plus Key to invoke AI-based memory storage/notetaking or to switch between notification modes.

Nuts and bolts

Courting some amount of controversy is the flat display on the OnePlus 15, where the company has prioritized a higher refresh rate over resolution, ostensibly to serve the gaming market better. So, while on the one hand the refresh rate is bumped up to handle 165Hz gaming (regular use still only goes to 120Hz), the resolution dips down from a 3168x1440-pixel (QHD+) screen we’ve seen for well over five years to a 2772x1272 pixel (Full HD+) resolution. The difference is a bigger deal on paper than it is in use, as the 6.78-inch AMOLED display is plenty crisp and vibrant, and the 1800 nits high brightness mode sufficient for all but the sunniest of days. No anti-glare layer on the display, though.

If you do identify yourself as a gamer, OnePlus has done a lot of things right that go beyond the 165Hz display and the choice of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 top-shelf chipset. While playing games like Call of Duty Mobile that support the higher 165Hz refresh rates natively, the phone uses intelligent load distribution and a dedicated touch response chip to keep frame rates high and touch response down to the imperceptible, and it’s only after prolonged gaming sessions does the phone warm up to an extent.

Even if you absolutely do not plan to game on this phone, the OnePlus 15 is a sorted flagship, with absolutely no complaints in everyday use across social media, streaming and multitasking between apps. Even if this phone looks nothing like OnePlus phones of yore, the OnePlus mantra of ‘fast and smooth’ is evident, and the 16GB of LPDDR5X Ultra+ RAM, and up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 onboard storage on the higher end variant I tested didn’t skip a beat while running OxygenOS 16 atop Android 16.

Speaking of, OxygenOS 16 is clean and highly customizable, though I found its adoption of the iOS-inspired multitasking UI and iOS 26-like transparent glass effects in certain parts of the interface largely unnecessary. OnePlus AI stables abound for text editing and generation, voice recording as well as image editing, and there’s the Mind Space which now can work with Gemini to recall information using voice to search. OnePlus isn't pushing as hard on AI as Samsung is, which I personally am fine with, and their choice of useful AI tools manage that balance of including enough AI functionality without looking like they’re being left behind.

Camera power

On cameras, OnePlus’s trio of 50-megapixel cameras (primary, ultrawide and 3.5x telephoto) on the rear see sensor downgrades for virtually all of the cameras, at least on paper…plus there’s the end of the Hasselblad partnership that gave recent OnePlus phones access to the famed Swedish brand’s tuning chops. In its place is OnePlus’ homegrown DetailMax engine, which is clearly a work in progress as OnePlus pushes out refinements. As it stands, the OnePlus 15 delivers respectable photos in good light and even manages the occasional winner in low-light, although color shift between the lenses, the occasionally inconsistent color reproduction and struggles with exposure in dimly light conditions means that while this will work well in most point-shoot-and-share scenarios, it’s outclassed for now by its segment peers from Vivo and Oppo.

Redemption comes by way of truly exceptional battery life, with the OnePlus 15 packing in a high-density, slim-profile 7300mAh battery that lasts a full two days with moderate-to-normal usage. Even for power users, the OnePlus 15 should signal the end of battery anxiety, as it managed to last me well over a day even when I was out and about several days in succession on mobile data with heavy maps usage, Instagram reels and Teams chats/calls during the commute. And while endurance is stellar, fast charging speeds have been bumped up from 100W to 120W, which tops up the gargantuan battery in an hour with the included charger.