I’ve spent the past couple of weeks living with the OnePlus 15 in Delhi’s mix of indoor calls, metro commutes, outdoor sunlight and late-night gaming sessions. As a new flagship from OnePlus, this phone boldly states “Power On. Limits Off.” And for the most part, it delivers, especially in camera performance, gaming capabilities, AI enhancements and battery endurance. That said, there are a couple of mild trade-offs. Overall, I rate it 4.5/5.
OnePlus 15 review: Design and Display
From the moment I picked it up, the OnePlus 15 felt premium. It features a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with 1.5K resolution and a refresh rate up to 165 Hz, which makes scrolling through apps, swiping between screens and gaming all feel ultra-fluid.
Outdoors under harsh Delhi sun, the display remained legible and vibrant thanks to high peak brightness. The flat-edge chassis with new finishes (such as Sand Storm and Infinite Black) gives it a refined touch.
On the downsides, the flat edges made it feel slightly less ergonomic than curved-edge models during long one-handed use, but that’s a small concession for the premium build and large screen.
OnePlus 15 review: Performance and Gaming
Under the hood, the OnePlus 15 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, making it the first smartphone in India to use this silicon.
Paired with up to 16 GB RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, every task, from app launches to multitasking, felt effortless. In real-world usage with titles like Call of Duty Mobile and Clash of Clans, the phone delivered high frame rates and smooth motion. The “always-on 120fps” mode for supported games is a standout feature. Another plus is the triple-chip architecture that includes a dedicated touch-response and WiFi chip for responsiveness and connectivity.
That said, after about 30-40 minutes of intensive gaming, the back panel did slightly warm. It didn’t throttle significantly in my tests.
OnePlus 15 review: Camera
The OnePlus 15 boasts a triple 50 MP rear camera setup (main + ultra-wide + periscope telephoto) and a 32 MP front camera.
Daylight shots were crisp with natural colours, and the new in-house “DetailMax” image-processing engine improved clarity and dynamic range. Zooming to 2× and 3× held up well, and the ultra-wide delivered wide vistas without major distortion. Video capture was equally strong, with support for 8K/4K at higher frame rates.
But in lower light, I noticed slightly more noise and slower shutter response than the very best camera phones. Also, while the telephoto lens is solid, beyond 7× the image detail softens a little, something zoom-enthusiasts might pick up. Despite that, the camera system is a major strength and more than sufficient for most users.
Another area worth highlighting is video capture. The OnePlus 15 supports 4K recording at 120fps, enabling smooth slow-motion footage that’s both crisp and stable.
In my tests, the ultra-wide camera delivered expansive frames and handled bright outdoor scenes well. However, examining the shots more closely revealed that while the main 50MP sensor performed impressively, the ultrawide and telephoto lenses show divergence in colour balance and detail, at times the telephoto images appeared slightly softened relative to the main sensor.
OnePlus 15 review: Battery and Charging
Perhaps the most impressive feature on the OnePlus 15 is its 7,300 mAh battery (yes, really) paired with 120W wired and 50W wireless charging support.
In my usage, heavy streaming, camera use, gaming, always-on display, I comfortably got through one full day and well into the next morning without plugging in. On lighter use it stretched into a second day.
The fast charging is reassuring when you do need a top-up during the day. For users in India who often face long screen-on time and limited outlet access, this is a standout.
OnePlus 15 review: Software and AI
The OnePlus 15 runs OxygenOS 16 (based on Android 16) and brings meaningful AI upgrades. Features like Plus Mind (for saving screenshots/links/notes with a single gesture), Google Gemini integration (contextual suggestions and smart recall) and refined UI elements like Parallel Processing 2.0 and Flow Motion animations stood out.
The system felt very responsive, intuitive and modern. Pleasingly, OnePlus promises 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches in India, a very competitive support commitment.
That said, a couple of pre-loaded features felt a bit redundant and I missed the classic Alert Slider, though the new Plus Key is a fair alternative.
OnePlus 15 review: Verdict
In sum, the OnePlus 15 is a very strong flagship offering: a top-tier display, excellent performance, long battery life, and a solid camera setup, all wrapped in a refined design. For many Indian users, especially those who game, stream or use their phone intensively, it offers standout endurance and speed. The small trade-offs (slightly less top-tier low-light camera) don’t significantly detract from the experience. 4.5 out of 5 feels justified. If you’re on Android, want longevity, and favour performance without going ultra-premium, the OnePlus 15 deserves serious consideration.
