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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The OnePlus 15 will be launched outside of China on Nov. 13.
- This is OnePlus’ first phone after the end of the Hasselblad partnership.
- The global model will also get a 7,300mAh battery capacity.
The OnePlus 13 launched earlier this year, but the company is already prepping to soon release its successor. After its China launch on Oct. 27, the OnePlus 15 is set to launch in the US and other markets on Nov. 13.
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Ahead of the launch, OnePlus has confirmed several specs of its upcoming flagship. If we go by its China model, the OnePlus 15 could put other flagship phones to shame.
OnePlus 15 will have an all-new design
OnePlus
While it’s been a trend lately, the upcoming OnePlus phone will not look like its predecessor. From a redesigned camera module to a new finish on the back, it won’t be anything like the OnePlus 13. Ahead of the global release, OnePlus has shared multiple images of its next flagship phone, along with a new “sand storm” color variant.
The OnePlus 15 camera module borrows design elements from the Asia-exclusive OnePlus 13T (OnePlus 13S in India). It sports a textured finish on the back for improved grip, which should be good, but I’ll miss the OnePlus 13’s faux leather back. Nonetheless, the new version looks great from the photos. I just hope it has a fingerprint-resistant coating to some capacity.
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The OnePlus 15 also features a fiberglass back housed in a ceramic-coated metal frame. It is claimed to be tougher than either aluminum or titanium, two materials commonly found in competing handsets. Like the Oppo Find X9 Pro, it also gets a customizable Plus Key, which will sit in a similar place as the Action Button on an iPhone, allowing users to set quick-press shortcuts and access Plus Mind.
The smoothest display yet?
OnePlus
The OnePlus 13 already sports one of my favorite smartphone screens, thanks to its high brightness levels and AquaTouch feature. Its successor now gets an even higher refresh rate, slimmer bezels, and likely a more immersive content consumption experience.
According to teasers shared by the company, the OnePlus 15 will feature 1.15mm thin symmetrical bezels on all four sides — slimmer than even the iPhone 17 Pro. It supports a 165Hz refresh rate — a feature we’ve seen on LCD-equipped smartphones. However, this would be one of the first mainstream flagship phones to feature a 165Hz OLED panel.
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OnePlus has co-developed a new X3 luminescent material with BOE, which is claimed to deliver a 13% improvement in high brightness mode (HBM) and an 11.8% increase in color accuracy. It is also said to reduce power consumption by 10% and provide a 30% longer lifespan compared to the previous generation.
The company is touting the OnePlus 15 as the first Android device to support true hardware-level 1-nit minimum brightness, certified by TÜV Rheinland Smart Eye Protection 5.0 Gold. It remains to be seen if these numbers will translate to a real-life advantage, but the display specs seem promising.
These battery numbers are getting wild
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
The OnePlus 15 is powered by Qualcomm’s most powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, which promises improved video performance, efficiency gains, and better on-device personalized AI features. This processor is claimed to offer up to a 25% increase in single-core workloads and up to 20% in multi-core scenarios.
While the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is touted to be more efficient than before, OnePlus is also pairing it with a huge battery on its next flagship phone. OnePlus has confirmed that the US variant of its new phone will pack a 7,300mAh battery with support for 80W fast charging (instead of the China model’s 120W Super Flash Charging) and a 50W Wireless Flash Charging.
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These battery and fast-charging numbers are industry-leading. For reference, the Galaxy S25 Ultra packs a mere 5,000mAh battery, while the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL comes equipped with a 5,200mAh capacity. If the performance efficiency holds up, the OnePlus 15 is very likely to last more than a day on a single charge.
The biggest question mark
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET
After years of partnering with Hasselblad to refine the color tuning of the OnePlus camera, the partnership ended this September. In its place, the OnePlus 15 will feature the OnePlus DetailMax Engine, “designed not just to capture the world but to reveal it in entirely real and clear ways,” according to OnePlus co-founder Pete Lau.
The new OnePlus camera processing is said to be “designed from the ground up to deliver the clearest and most real photos on a smartphone. It harnesses the full potential of computational imaging to present scenes as they truly are, without over-beautification or distortion.”
On his Weibo post, he added, “The moment you zoom in on a photo, you’ll understand why I’m confident you’ll love the results.”
When will the OnePlus 15 be launched?
The OnePlus 15 is now available to purchase in China. It was launched in the home market on Oct. 27, alongside the region-exclusive OnePlus Ace 6. The global launch of the OnePlus 15 will take place on Nov. 13.
While the US price is yet to be announced, the OnePlus 15 costs 4,899 Chinese Yuan, which roughly translates to $689, £515, and AU$1,050. It starts with 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage and goes up to 16GB of memory coupled with 1TB of storage.
It will be interesting to see if OnePlus brings all its variants to the global market. Stay tuned to ZDNET for the latest updates.
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