The OnePlus 15 is one of those rare flagships that looks straightforward at first glance but becomes unexpectedly interesting the more time you spend with it. From the outside, it looks like OnePlus is playing it safe this year with a clean design, big battery, and familiar software experience. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll notice some features that silently change the behavior of the phone. Some decisions make complete sense, others feel surprisingly restrained, and some are so daring that you wonder what OnePlus is really aiming for. So, is the OnePlus 15 the best flagship buy in 2025? Well, it completely depends on your perspective and needs. But, we’ve condensed our detailed OnePlus 15 review into 9 points to help make your purchasing decision easier.

OnePlus has increased the price of OnePlus 15 by Rs 3,000 when we compare it with the OnePlus 13. But, the early launch offer lets you buy the device at the price of its predecessor. You will be able to buy it through Amazon and other official channels for Rs 79,999. Now that the price part is out of the way, let’s talk about the OnePlus 15’s design, gaming performance, display, camera experience and more in 9 points.

OnePlus 15 review in 9 points

1. A cleaner, more grounded design approach this year

OnePlus has ditched its signature circular camera module in favor of a clean square island for a modern look. The phone has flat frames, a classy matte finish and a purple tone that looks premium without drawing attention. Despite packing a larger battery it is 8.1mm thin, which shows the internal design effort. However, removing one of the brand’s most beloved hardware features, the alert slider, feels like a step back, and the Plus key doesn’t offer the same intuitive feature. It’s useful but will take some getting used to for OnePlus fans.

2. Thin body, big battery

The 7,300mAh battery is the biggest strength of the OnePlus 15. Fitting this cell into a thinner frame than last year’s model is really impressive. Due to the solid weight distribution, the device in the hand feels much lighter than its battery capacity. Furthermore, OnePlus has managed to offer the device at almost the same weight as the OnePlus 13. The downside is that the thin frame, coupled with the powerful chipset, means the phone gets hot when pushed hard, which I noted clearly in stress tests.

3. Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, excellent numbers on paper

Speaking of which, the benchmark results are strong and place the OnePlus 15 firmly in flagship territory. In our testing, the Geekbench multi-core score reached 9,629, and AnTuTu offered a score of 3.6 million. These figures confirm that the phone can handle everything from heavy apps to high-end gaming. It’s a powerhouse as no flagship has scored so high on Antutu. The chipset isn’t an absolute thermal champion, but for general use, it’s more than enough. The peak performance is there, but it is sustained performance where some limitations appear.

4. Gaming performance is smooth, but thermal flare-ups may occur

OxygenOS 16 feels clean, fast, and responsive, the kind of software experience OnePlus has always been praised for. App switching is instant, animations look fluid and gaming remains consistently stable. But under repeated heavy tasks, the phone crossed 50°C and lost around 10 percent charge in a 10-minute AnTuTu loop. This is not a daily use scenario, but still shows that the thermal envelope is not perfect. In everyday use, the phone behaves brilliantly and stability only diminishes under stress.

During my usage, Genshin Impact ran at “High” graphics with 30fps by default and I got a smooth experience without putting much strain on the hardware. However, I had to lower the graphics settings to switch to the higher (60fps) frame rate. Same goes for BGMI, but you get the best gaming performance when you enable High Performance Mode in the settings. Benchmark tests like 3DMark Wildlife Extreme saw 82 percent stability, indicating that the GPU doesn’t throttle aggressively under sustained load. The downside is that during very long and demanding sessions of around 1.5 to 2 hours, the phone gets warm, which ultimately affects frame rate stability.

5. The 1.5K AMOLED display is sharp, bright and fluid but not the best

The 6.7-inch AMOLED display offers excellent brightness and a super-smooth 165Hz refresh rate. However, in our testing, the device’s panel never reached 165Hz and mostly remained at 120Hz or 30Hz. But, I must say that colors are well tuned, viewing angles are strong, and HDR content looks great. That said, OnePlus’ move from a QHD+ resolution screen to a 1.5K panel will disappoint users who expect the best display at this price. Similarly, local brightness has improved, but peak brightness has also dropped to 900nits for HDR video streaming. Even though the difference in real-world usage isn’t that noticeable, on paper, it seems like a compromise to get better battery life and efficiency.

6. Battery life is truly industry-leading

The stamina of the OnePlus 15 is one of the best I’ve tested this year. Over 15 hours of continuous use in Balanced mode is exceptional, and many users will comfortably get 1.5 days depending on usage. But, keep in mind that a few short binge watching sessions and a few hours of gaming can cause the battery level to drop very quickly on High Performance mode. Therefore, you may need to charge after about 10 hours. The 120W fast charger charges the phone in about 25 minutes, significantly reducing charging worries. This is an area where OnePlus has clearly focused its energy and it has paid off. No complaints here.

7. Cameras deliver reliable results, but don’t break boundaries

The main camera delivers crisp, balanced shots with realistic skin tones, rich detail and pleasing colors in daylight. Low-light performance is good but not at the level of the big camera-focused brands. Telephoto performance is where it feels like the phone could have performed better as zoom photos lack the clarity and detail expected in this price category. The camera system is reliable for everyday use, but it’s not the extraordinary upgrade some were hoping for. It’s good, but not extraordinary.

8. The software is clean, but the UI experience can seem repetitive

OxygenOS 16 maintains its clean look, which many users like. Navigation is smooth and there isn’t a lot of bloatware. But the UI now feels more iOS-like than distinctly OnePlus. Users who have been following the brand for years may feel that the identity is waning a bit. The plus key also doesn’t feel as natural as the alert slider it replaces. Nevertheless, the overall stability and polished strength remains.

9. A mature flagship that focuses on dependability, not disruption

The OnePlus 15 doesn’t chase breakthroughs or experimental features. It settles comfortably into the rhythm of offering strong performance, excellent battery life, a clean design, fast charging and everyday reliability. Its weaknesses? With noticeable thermals under extreme stress, decent telephoto performance, a 1.5K display option, and removing the alert slider, it doesn’t exactly feel bold. But it’s clear that OnePlus played it safe by prioritizing balance and stability over risks.

For many users, this will be just what they want. For enthusiasts hoping for a big jump, this may seem a little safer. Overall, the OnePlus 15 feels like an all-round flagship phone and power users will love it.