OnePlus is getting ready to launch its next flagship, the OnePlus 15, soon. The device’s pre-orders are live, teasers are out, and official renders have given us a clear look at the design. On top of that, live shots from various tipsters have filled in more gaps about the hardware.
From the looks of it, the OnePlus 15 will be a familiar upgrade in some areas and a departure in others. The phone adopts a flatter design, introduces a new camera housing, and is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.
At the same time, the company appears to be making some trade-offs in display resolution, camera hardware, and even haptics. Here’s a breakdown of everything we know so far.
A fresh design
First things first, OnePlus is skipping the “14” branding and moving straight to the OnePlus 15. The device features a completely redesigned rear camera module, which looks closer to what OnePlus shipped on the OnePlus 13T series earlier this year. The layout is boxier and more structured than the circular camera islands of recent flagships.
The front of the device features a flat display with rounded corners. OnePlus says it has ultra-thin 1.15mm bezels around the display. Other hardware specs of the device include a dedicated “Plus” key on the left, and the volume rocker and power button on the right.
So far, the OnePlus 15 has been shown in silver, but leaks suggest it will also come in Mist Purple and Absolute Black.
Display
OnePlus is promoting the OnePlus 15’s screen as one of its standout features. The flat OLED panel will reportedly support a 165Hz refresh rate, up from 120Hz on the OnePlus 13.
The panel, however, may be a 1.5K resolution display, which is technically lower than the 2K screens used on its predecessor. However, it might not make that big of a difference.
The screen will come in around the 6.7–6.8-inch range, which is in line with competitors like Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
At the center of the OnePlus 15 is Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. It’s the first phone from OnePlus to ship with the chip, and benchmark results already place it close to Apple’s A19 Pro in single-core performance, while edging ahead in multi-core.
The device has also been spotted on Geekbench with 16GB of RAM, and it will run Android 16. In China, that means ColorOS 16, while the global release will bring OxygenOS 16.
Battery and charging
The OnePlus 15 is expected to launch with a 7000mAh battery. If true, this would give the OnePlus 15 one of the largest batteries in any mainstream flagship. That extra capacity is paired with 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
Cameras
One of the more surprising news is that OnePlus 15 is ditching its long-running Hasselblad partnership. It’s been confirmed, and it is moving to its in-house DetailMax Engine instead.
This new imaging platform is supposed to focus on clarity and realism rather than artificial enhancements. According to OnePlus, the goal is to create photos that retain fine details even when zoomed in.
The rumored camera setup of the OnePlus 15 includes:
- 50MP primary sensor (1/1.56-inch, f/1.6 aperture, OIS)
- 50MP periscope telephoto (Samsung JN5, 1/2.75-inch, 3x optical zoom)
- Ultra-wide sensor (unspecified details)
When compared to the OnePlus 13’s main 50MP sensor (1/1.43-inch, f/1.6), the newer sensor is actually smaller. The periscope lens also shrinks from a Sony IMX882 (1/1.95-inch) to the smaller Samsung JN5.
It will be interesting to see how the camera performs in real life, but OnePlus has shared a few camera samples for you to look at.
Haptics and other hardware tweaks
Another area where the OnePlus 15 may be scaling back is haptics. According to reports, it is moving from the larger AAC CSA+0916Turbo (602 mm²) vibration motor used in the OnePlus 13 to a smaller AAC ESA1016 (560 mm²) unit.
Launch timeline
The OnePlus 15 is confirmed for an October 2025 launch in China, alongside the OnePlus Ace 6. A rebranded version of the Ace 6 is expected to launch in India as the OnePlus 15R.
Global markets may see the OnePlus 15 in November or December, a little earlier than last year’s timeline. Realme and iQOO are also preparing Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones for India, so OnePlus will want to stay competitive.
Don’t miss a thing! Join our Telegram community for instant updates and grab our free daily newsletter for the best tech stories!
For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.
Comments