OnePlus 15 Long-Term Review: Two Steps Forward, One Step Backwards

OnePlus launched the OnePlus 15 on November 13, 2025, a few months after the impressive OnePlus 13. It ditched the Hasselblad collaboration (now reserved exclusively for Oppo). It went all-in on other areas of the smartphone, from battery life and performance to the display (165Hz refresh rate) and a fluid UI (Oxygen OS for the win).

I’ve already written about how the OnePlus 15 was a “misunderstood flagship Android smartphone” and I stand by that as I present to you my long-term review of the device.

Priced at Rs 72,999 for the 12GB & 256GB variant, the OnePlus 15 may seem uncompetitive in today’s smartphone landscape, but let me tell you that it is anything but. There’s just one thing holding me back from making this my daily driver. Read on to find out why I say so.

It’s Hard To Kill The OnePlus 15

Yes, it is very hard to kill the OnePlus 15. I mean it quite literally. The OnePlus 15 was the first smartphone in India to launch with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. It’s a flagship SoC, and despite MediaTek’s insanely good 9500 processor, it still holds the title of the best chipset on the market.

I’ve tried multitasking on the OnePlus 15 with over 10 apps open at once. I’ve clicked dozens of photos, played games, and watched YouTube videos, all within a few minutes. I’ve benchmarked it in a warm environment. I’ve even tried playing the most demanding of games.

Yet the OnePlus 15 chugs along like nothing is happening around it. It doesn’t care for the weather conditions, nor does it care about who is handling it. It’s one smartphone that works for all and with all kinds of people.

There was one or at most three times when the OnePlus 15 needed a short breather. And let me tell you, my usage has been much heavier than that of the average consumer.

Phenomenal battery life. The OnePlus 15 is very hard to kill, and only the Oppo Find X9 Pro comes close. The OnePlus 15 has a 7,300mAh battery, and it lasts for days on end. Yes, at times during my testing period, when I haven’t pushed it as much as I typically do, the smartphone has lasted until the third day without needing to reach for a charger.

It’s all thanks to silicon carbide technology that OnePlus was able to cram a larger battery into a thinner profile. OnePlus, as I said in my previous article, went for the kill, and surely, the battery life has held up. Sure, it’s only been a month since the launch, but it still delivers exceptional battery life. I’m still getting around nine hours of screen-on-time (SoT), and the phone can be fast-charged with the 120W charger that’s included in the box. Furthermore, the OnePlus 15 supports 50W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless charging, 5W reverse wired charging, and bypass charging. A full charge takes approximately 40 minutes.

It Feels Premium Through And Through

I wish that OnePlus had included magnets (for MagSafe/Qi accessories) and built a unique-looking smartphone (yes, I’ve become bored with the flat and uninspiring design). Still, the OnePlus 15 feels ever so premium every time I pick it up.

A few days into my testing, I slapped on a case, more for the dull look than for durability. After all, the OnePlus 15 has an IP68 and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to protect the front display. OnePlus shipped the hole-pattern magnetic case, and it’s elevated the ‘fun’ level.

A Downgraded Display Where You Will Not Notice The Difference

The sweet spot for a display is 2k resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. OnePlus tried to supersize this with a display that has a 1.5k resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. OnePlus did this to cater to ‘gamers’, and most regular consumers won’t notice the difference. Now, we reviewers pixel-peep and check a device inside out. We even nitpick about the most minor things. Yes, this display isn’t the sharpest in the industry, nor is it the brightest. But it’s still one fine display.

Watching movies, scrolling Instagram, viewing photos clicked, and doing mundane tasks are still fun. The display is plenty sharp and has excellent outdoor legibility. I put the same video on two smartphones - OnePlus 15 and Vivo X300 Pro - and my friend couldn’t notice the difference until I pointed it out. He just mentioned that the brightness is a little lower on the OnePlus 15. After all, it is an LTPO display and can dynamically refresh between 1 and 120Hz.

My only complaint is that the 165Hz is mostly useless. When you’re using the device, on a day-to-day basis, it doesn’t go beyond 120Hz. What’s the point of a high-refresh rate if you can’t actually reach those levels? Well, during gaming sessions, you can. But then again, only a handful (you can count on your fingers) of games can fully utilise the 165Hz refresh rate.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Backwards

As I mentioned above, OnePlus has taken two steps forward - speedy (thank you, Qualcomm) and insanely good battery life (thank you, silicon carbide technology) - but has taken one huge step backwards, and that’s the thing that is keeping me from making this my daily driver.

The one thing holding me back from making the OnePlus 15 my daily driver is the cameras. Yes, after testing the Vivo X300/X300 Pro and the Oppo Find X9/X9 Pro, all four devices knock the socks off the OnePlus 15 in terms of cameras. I’m going to reiterate this, but the OnePlus 13 finally brought OnePlus back into the big leagues. It was an insanely good smartphone (and only launched a few months ago), and was a jack of all trades. Even the cameras were on par with some of the best in the business. But, for its second flagship release of the year, OnePlus decided to end the Hasselblad partnership. Gone are the days when we had a Hasselblad-tuned smartphone. Instead, OnePlus has introduced a new camera system dubbed the DetailMax imaging engine. Using advanced algorithms, combined with a powerful processor, should ideally result in better photos. Right?

Well, even with a trio of 50MP cameras on the back, I was highly disappointed. Not that they are bad photos, far from it. In fact, images taken with the primary sensor in good daylight come out with good sharpness and detail retained. They even look good when blown up. Still, they lack that vibrancy, the pop, the sharpness of the OnePlus 13’s images. There have been some software updates since the launch to fine-tune the camera. Still, it is well behind Oppo and Vivo. It does handily beat the photos taken from the iQOO 15, another flagship for 2025.

When the 26MP high-resolution shooting mode was dialled in, the details and contrast of the photos were enhanced without blowing out the image. Still, with the camera automatically switching back to 12MP whenever it wanted, I was left disappointed.

Portraits continued to impress me, but the ultra-wide disappointed me even more than before. 3.5x on the portrait mode wasn’t the ideal focal length, but at least the photos came out realistic and pleasing to the eye.

I’m still baffled as to why there is a 7x option in the viewfinder. It’s a digital crop, and the resulting images look flat and kind of dull.

Videos are better than on the OnePlus 13, but it's nothing to write home about.

Verdict: What’s holding me back?

The display didn’t disappoint, the chipset is super-fast, and that battery life is insanely good. Yes, OnePlus has made a smartphone that feels good in the hand, premium through and through, and is very durable. It also comes with OxygenOS 16, which is fast and fluid. It’s just the cameras. If only they were twenty percent better, I’d have made this my daily driver without thinking twice.

With the Vivo X300 Series and the Oppo Find X9 series, consumers are spoiled for choice when it comes to Android flagships with insanely good cameras. In fact, the base flagship, Oppo Find X9, and Vivo X300 are similarly priced to the OnePlus 15. You’ve just got to decide whether you want an all-round gaming smartphone with cameras that aren’t up to speed, or a camera-centric flagship that’ll get the job done. Throw in the iPhone 17, and you’ve got another smartphone with excellent imaging capabilities.

Yes, even the OnePlus 15R has launched (by the time you read this) and is one of the most value-for-money smartphones out there and similar to the OnePlus 15 in more ways than you think.

Basically, in 2025, you’re spoiled for choice at the flagship level. OnePlus has made a smartphone that won’t disappoint most people, and after using it for over a month, I’ve grown to like it.

With steady updates and a good OS (OxygenOS is quite good)