After flagship phones, the market always looks for a true flagship killer.
That’s where the One Plus 15R comes in.

I wanted to review this phone because the price range of around $550 to $600 is extremely competitive and popular. In this segment, buyers now expect near-flagship performance, and the One Plus 15R aims to deliver exactly that.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip-set, with performance levels close to what we see on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 1. On benchmarks, the phone scores around 3 million on AnTuTu, which puts it firmly in flagship territory.

One Plus 15R Unboxing

One Plus sent over the One Plus 15R retail box with the tagline “Power On, Limits Off.” Inside, you get a few branded extras, including a “Never Settle” keychain and pin, mainly for fans.

Inside the main box:

• One Plus 15R smartphone
• Color-matched silicone case
• USB Type-A to Type-C cable (No C-to-C)
• 80W Super-VOOC fast charger
• SIM ejector tool

One Plus also includes two magnetic cases:

• A hard plastic case with a hole pattern and optional rubber inserts
• A classic sandstone-style case inspired by older One Plus phones

Pricing is expected to be around $550–$600. Compared to the One Plus 13R, the 15R drops the telephoto camera, and a side-by-side comparison will show whether this is a real upgrade or a trade-off.

One Plus 15R Build and Design

Starting with the design, One Plus has updated the camera module this time. After using a squarish camera layout on the One Plus 13S and One Plus 15, the One Plus 15R now features a rectangular camera module with One Plus branding on the back. The phone has a glass back and a large 6.8-inch form factor, but it still feels comfortable in hand.

Ports and layout

• Top: dual microphones and a speaker
• Bottom:
  • Speaker and microphone
  • USB Type-C 2.0 port
  • Dual nano SIM tray

The USB 2.0 port means there’s no display output support, which feels like a miss. In a flagship-killer phone with console-level performance, display-out would have been useful for gaming or streaming on a larger screen.

Buttons

• Right side: volume rocker and power button
• Left side: new AI Plus key, replacing the classic alert slider from the One Plus 13R

Personally, the alert slider was more fun and practical, so its removal is disappointing.

Durability

• Glass back with Panda Glass protection
• Protection level is unclear, so using a case is still recommended

Overall, the design feels premium, but a few minor adjustments may not satisfy long-time One Plus fans.

One Plus 15R Audio & Haptics

The One Plus 15R gets a solid upgrade in durability with an IP69K rating, up from IP65 on the 13R.

• The added “K” means it also handles high-temperature water, matching the protection level of the main One Plus 15. That’s a welcome improvement.

The phone weighs around 220 grams and is 8.3 mm thick. Despite the size, it doesn’t feel heavy. Weight distribution is well balanced, and the in-hand feel is comfortable.

Audio

• Stereo speakers with good loudness
• Clear sound for videos and media consumption
• Supports O-Reality Audio with multiple sound modes
• Spatial audio support included
• Louder and clearer than the One Plus 13R

Haptics

• X-axis linear motor
• Sharp, precise vibration feedback
• One Plus UI uses haptics well across the system

Overall, audio quality and haptics are strong points on the One Plus 15R, with noticeable improvements over the previous generation.

One Plus 15R Display

The One Plus 15R features a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 1272 × 2800 resolution. It’s technically Full HD+, often marketed as 1.5K. Compared to the 13R, this is a downgrade in panel tech, as One Plus has switched from LTPO to LTPS, meaning it no longer drops down to 1Hz.

Key display specs

• LTPS AMOLED panel
• Refresh rate: up to 165Hz
  • UI runs at 120Hz
  • Gaming can push up to 165Hz
• Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection
• Similar bezel size to the One Plus 13R

Brightness, Contrast and White Point At Different Brightness Settings

Color & brightness

• 90% sRGB, 73% DCI-P3
• Good color reproduction for multimedia
• Brightness:
  • ~840 nits typical
  • ~960 nits in outdoor mode

The display is bright enough for indoor and outdoor use. Reflections are present, but usability remains good.

HDR & streaming support

• Widevine L1 certification
• Netflix: HDR10+, HDR Vivid, Dolby Vision
• YouTube: 4K 60fps HDR

Dynamic range tuning is solid, with good highlights and shadow detail. Compared to the One Plus 13R, the 15R’s display leans slightly warmer, while the 13R felt more neutral. On paper, brightness levels are similar, but in real-world use, the 15R appears a bit less bright.

Overall, it’s a good display for content consumption, even if it’s not a clear upgrade over the previous generation.

One Plus 15R Specifications

This is where the One Plus 15R gets interesting. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, an octa-core Chipset built for near-flagship performance.

Core specs

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor
• LPDDR5X Ultra RAM
• UFS 4.1 storage
  • Faster read/write speeds than the UFS 4.0 used in the One Plus 13R

One Plus 15R Benchmark Performance

We ran multiple benchmarks to see how the phone performs in real conditions.

AnTuTu

For comparison:

The 15R doesn’t quite reach 4 million as expected, even after updates, but performance still matches the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 1 level.

Other benchmarks

• Geekbench 6, GPU AI benchmarks, and Wild Life Extreme Stress Test
• Stress test stability: ~72% in balanced mode
• Performance mode shows higher peak scores but lower stability due to heat

Thermals

• CPU throttling test:
  • Stable for first 15 minutes
  • Minor dips after 30 minutes
  • Overall CPU stability around 75%
• Cooling handled by a 5704 mm² Cryo-Velocity 3D vapor chamber, which does a good job keeping temperatures in check

Overall, the OnePlus 15R delivers strong, consistent performance with good thermal management, placing it firmly in the flagship-killer category.

One Plus 15R Connectivity & Sensors

The One Plus 15R covers most essentials but still skips eSIM support, offering only dual physical nano-SIM slots. That feels like a missed opportunity at this price.

Connectivity

• Supports 13 5G bands
• Tested with Jio SIM with no connectivity issues
• Wi-Fi 7 with a dedicated G2 Wi-Fi chip
  • Stronger and more stable signals, especially in low-signal areas
• Bluetooth 6.0
• NFC support
• IR blaster for controlling TVs and AC.

Sensors

• Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
  • Fast and accurate
  • Clear upgrade over the 13R
• Total of 42 sensors listed in the system
• Gyroscope works precisely, even with slight movements

Overall, connectivity is strong and reliable, with meaningful upgrades in Wi-Fi and fingerprint performance. The lack of e-SIM remains the main downside.

One Plus 15R Gaming Features

Before jumping into FPS numbers, let’s look at the gaming features One Plus offers on the 15R. The phone includes multiple performance profiles, so you can adjust behavior based on your needs.

Performance modes

• Power Saving
• Balanced
• High Performance
• All games tested in High Performance mode

Gaming tools & enhancements

• Hyper Frame Rate mode with support up to 165Hz
• Original HDR and Hyper HDR options
• Bypass charging to reduce heat during long gaming sessions
• Enhanced touch sensitivity and touch response
• Gyro controls for supported games
• Network optimization and Do Not Disturb while gaming

GPU-level features

• MSAA and anisotropic filtering
• Adjustable texture and filter quality

Audio advantage

• Footstep boost feature
  • Especially useful for competitive games like BGMI and Call of Duty

Overall, the One Plus 15R offers a full set of serious gaming tools, making it well-suited for competitive and long gaming sessions.

One Plus 15R Gaming Test & FPS Performance

The One Plus 15R delivers strong gaming performance across popular and demanding titles, especially when Hyper Frame Rate is enabled.

BGMI

• Smooth + Ultra Extreme settings
• Hyper Frame Rate enabled
• Up to 160 FPS average
• Smooth game play with chip temperature around 30°C

Call of Duty: Mobile

• Ultra settings with Hyper Frame Rate
• 144 FPS average
• ~90% smoothness
• Chip temperature around 36°C
• Physical temperature:
  • Front: ~32–33°C
  • Back: ~31–32°C

Genshin Impact

• Highest settings (60 FPS mode)
• With Hyper Frame Rate: 110–112 FPS average
• Peak chip temperature around 41°C

Wuthering Waves

• Highest quality preset at 60 FPS
• Hyper Frame Rate not supported
• 57–58 FPS average
• Peak chip temperature around 42°C
• Phone feels warm:
  • Front: ~35–36°C
  • Back: ~36–37°C

Red Dead Redemption (Mobile)

• Resolution scaling at 100%
• Locked at 30 FPS
• Stable 30 FPS, but smoothness feels limited
• Chip temperature around 40°C

Where Winds Meet

• Not officially launched in India (tested via workaround)
• 60 FPS mode enabled
• 60 FPS average with excellent visuals
• Chip temperature around 39°C
• Physical temperature around 35–37°C

Car-X Street

• FPS limit off, max resolution
• 58–59 FPS average
• Lower chip temperature due to breaks between sessions
• Phone still feels warm during game play

One Plus 15R Overall Gaming Performance

The One Plus 15R delivers consistent and reliable gaming performance, comparable to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 1. Thermal control is good, and the phone rarely becomes uncomfortable to hold, even during long sessions.

Emulation Gaming

With apps like Winlator, the 15R should be capable of running select Windows games, depending on optimisation. More detailed emulation tests are already available on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 1 devices, and similar results can be expected here.

Overall, the One Plus 15R is a strong option for serious mobile Gamers in this price range.

One Plus 15R OS & UI

The One Plus 15R runs Oxygen-OS 16 based on Android 16 out of the box. Oxygen-OS remains one of my favourite Android skins, just behind Samsung’s One UI.

Software support

• 4 years of major Android updates
• 6 years of security updates

User experience

• Clean interface with no heavy bloatware
• A few pre-installed apps like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Netflix, all removable
• Uses O-Dialer after uninstalling default phone apps
• Call recording works without notifications

Customization & features

• Dynamic bar for live alerts
• Flux theme with solid customization options

AI features

• AI tools integrated into:
  • Gallery
  • Calling features
  • Notes app

These AI features are the same ones found on the One Plus 15. If you want a deeper UI walkthrough, there are plenty of detailed Oxygen OS 16 videos available.

One Plus 15R Battery & Charging

The One Plus 15R packs a large 7,400 mAh battery, and battery life is one of its strong points. In balanced mode, with a mix of app usage, camera, and gaming, it delivered around 11–12 hours of screen-on time.

For gaming:

• 4–6 hours of Gameplay
• Depends on the game and graphics settings

Charging

• 80W Super-VOOC fast charging
• Full charge in about 57–58 minutes
• No wireless charging
• Supports wired reverse charging via USB-Type-C

Overall, battery performance is reliable and consistent, with fast wired charging making up for the lack of wireless charging.

One Plus 15R Camera Overview

The One Plus 15R has a dual rear camera setup:

• 50MP main sensor
• 8MP ultra-wide
• No telephoto sensor (2X digital zoom replaces the dedicated 2X telephoto on 13R)

The front camera is upgraded from 16MP to 32MP. Video recording supports:

• 4K 120FPS (rear)
• 4K 30FPS (front)
• 4K 60FPS with stabilization
• Portrait videos at 1080P 30FPS

Photo Quality: Ultra-Wide & Primary

• Ultra-wide: Slight improvement in processing over 13R, but some inconsistencies in brightness; low-light results are similar.
• Primary sensor: Better dynamic range and more natural skin tones compared to 13R; still occasional inconsistencies in indoor lighting.

2X Zoom:

• Digital zoom on 15R vs dedicated 2X telephoto on 13R
• Outdoor shots show slightly more detail on 13R, but indoor differences are minimal
• Overall, 15R maintains more natural tones

Portraits & Selfies

• Edge detection: Accurate at 1X and 2X
• Processing: 15R delivers more natural skin tones
• Front camera: 32MP sensor captures better details and avoids over-processing
• Macro mode: 13R with dedicated sensor captures better close-up details, but usage is rare

The One Plus 15R camera focuses on natural tones and improved processing, especially for portraits and selfies. While the lack of a telephoto sensor introduces some limitations, overall performance is solid, with occasional inconsistencies that can likely be fixed via software updates.

One Plus 15R Price

One Plus 15R Conclusion

The One Plus 15R is a strong contender in the flagship-killer segment, offering an all-around package as One Plus is known for.

Pros

• Excellent performance with Snapdragon 8 Gen 5
• Long battery life and fast 80W charging
• Large, bright display with good HDR support
• Natural skin tones and solid camera performance
• Strong gaming features and thermal management

Cons

• Missing telephoto sensor
• Some camera inconsistencies indoors
• No eSIM or wireless charging
• USB-C 2.0 port only (no display output)

Overall, the 15R delivers great value for its expected $550–$600 price range, balancing performance, design, and features. With several Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 1 phones in the same range, choosing between them depends on what you prioritize—gaming, camera, or overall usability.

If you want a detailed comparison with other flagship killers, let me know in the comments.