OnePlus 15 vs OnePlus 15R: high-end improvement or low-priced powerhouse

Continuing the same strategy that OnePlus has followed in the past few years, the company will release two flagship phones at the end of 2025, which are both top-tier phones. $900 OnePlus 15 And medium term $700 OnePlus 15R. This is the third year OnePlus has used this phone strategy, which started at $500 back then OnePlus 12 R. I said at the time OnePlus has killed its flagship.

The $800 OnePlus 12 It was the true flagship of that year with the latest Snapdragon chip, tons of RAM and storage, a great screen and smooth software. However, the 12R offered nearly 90% of the power and performance of the 12, but at a cost several hundred dollars lower.

The same is true this time around for the 15 Series. OnePlus has made some small changes to the 15R that don’t really detract from the overall phone experience, while still delivering a flagship phone. It has a fast new processor, a giant battery with fast charging, a wide screen, and the same software found in the more expensive OnePlus phone.

As such, it’s worth asking: should you spend more on the OnePlus 15 flagship or does the OnePlus 15R really offer everything you need for less money?

Let’s find out.

Watch this: OnePlus 15R unboxing: first look at the new phone

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an offer

The first noticeable difference between these two phones is the screen. The OnePlus 15 technically has a 6.78-inch display that is slightly smaller than the 6.83-inch display on the 15R. The smaller bezels on the OnePlus 15 essentially make the difference negligible. I personally prefer the slightly smaller footprint of the 15, but the size difference is basically moot.

The most important difference is the technology used in the displays. Both have 1.5K resolution and refresh rates of up to 165Hz. Although OnePlus touts the faster refresh rate, you’ll only see the phone reach 144Hz or 165Hz in supported games. Despite this limitation in gaming, both phones will run at 120Hz at all other times, which is still very fast.

The big difference is that the Model 15 uses an LTPO display, which dynamically refreshes from 1 to 165 Hz, depending on what you’re doing. This means it can turn it down when your phone isn’t active, which could save some power, and then turn it back on when you notice it. The 15R uses an LTPS display, which can only switch between 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, and 165Hz. Technically, this means that the screen on the 15R isn’t exactly smooth or power-efficient, but in reality, you’d be hard pressed to notice it.

Exposed phone on a black marble background. — The OnePlus 15 has a Full HD Plus (2722 x 1272 pixels) display with a refresh rate of up to 165 Hz.

Andy Lanxon/CNET

performance

OnePlus has always prided itself on delivering top-tier performance across its devices, and both the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R are packed with power.

The OnePlus 15 technically has a bit more power because it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, while the 15R has the slightly slower Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. Both processors are new for 2025, even with the 15R using a slightly slower one.

The OnePlus 15 starts with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but for an extra $100, you can get the newer model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The OnePlus 15R comes with 12GB of RAM on all models, and you can choose 256GB or 512GB of storage. Whether you have 12GB or 16GB of RAM in your phone, this will still be perfectly acceptable in 2026 and more than most people will ever need in their phone.

Also, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, especially on the OnePlus 15, was so-so Known to be Some heating It has had choking issues since its inception, so it won’t perform well over longer periods. In my own testing on the OnePlus 15, it couldn’t even complete one of the most commonly used stress test benchmarks because it got too hot.

After using these two phones for several weeks, I can assure you that I could never tell a difference in performance. From gaming, to scrolling, to streaming and everything in between, both phones simply flew through everything I did.

Having reviewed smartphones for several years now, there have been times when I’ve been able to discern very slight stutter or lag, especially when I switched between them, but that’s only because I’ve been doing it long enough to notice those things.

OnePlus-15R-1 — The OnePlus 15R has a slightly larger battery than the OnePlus 15, and its 55W charging speed is very fast, even if it is slower than the 80W speed of the OnePlus 15.

Joseph Maldonado/CNET

Battery and charging

OnePlus is still my favorite manufacturer when it comes to battery life and charging speeds in its phones. The OnePlus 15 has a massive 7,300 mAh battery, but the OnePlus 15R one (sorry) has a 7,400 mAh battery. They both take advantage of the new carbon silicon technology that every other phone maker (read Samsung and Apple) should start taking advantage of.

What this means is that both phones will easily provide you with more than a full day of solid use. I’ve easily been able to get to a day and a half a few times, and have been able to push it back to a couple of days with lighter use. It’s truly a dramatic change in battery life on my phone.

Even when the phones run low on power, they charge very quickly thanks to OnePlus’ SuperVooc fast charging. The OnePlus 15 will charge at 80W (up to 100W with the OnePlus GAN charger) while the OnePlus 15R is slightly slower at 55W. Although it requires the use of a power adapter made by OnePlus, these two speeds still beat most other phones. The phones will also charge quickly using the most common USB-PD power adapters, but it won’t be as fast as the in-box charger. The OnePlus 15 will charge wirelessly at 50W, provided you have a OnePlus fast wireless charger.

Prakhar Khanna holding a OnePlus 15 phone — The OnePlus 15 has 50MP main, ultra-wide, and telephoto cameras.

Prakhar Khanna/CNET

Cameras

Unfortunately, this can’t be good news for these two phones. In order to not cannibalize the OnePlus 15 too much and arrive at a lower price, OnePlus had to compromise somewhere, and the cameras are where the OnePlus 15R takes the biggest hit.

The OnePlus 15 has really great cameras (even if they’re not quite as good as those on the OnePlus 13, oddly) with 50MP main cameras, ultra-wide cameras, and telephoto cameras. CNET’s Andrew Lankson had some good things to say about the cameras in OnePlus 15 reviewAnd I echo his sentiments. While it’s probably not the best smartphone camera setup today, it still takes really great photos. Honestly, a lot of image preferences are personal anyway.

The OnePlus 15R is a slightly different story. It drops the telephoto camera entirely and pairs the main camera with an 8MP ultra-wide camera. This doesn’t necessarily take bad photos, but the quality is certainly much worse than what you get on the OnePlus 15. OnePlus 15R reviewCNET’s Mike Sorrentino said he felt the cameras were on par with what he would expect in a $500 phone, not a $700 phone.

Basically, the cameras on both phones will serve you well, but the OnePlus 15R will be more inconsistent and won’t give you the level of clarity and sharpness that you’ll get from the OnePlus 15.

A hand holding a OnePlus 15 phone — Both the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R run OxygenOS 16, which is an overlay built on top of Android 16.

Andrew Lanxon/CNET

programming

Both phones run OxygenOS 16, which is built on top of Android 16. OxygenOS 16 brings some of the biggest design changes we’ve seen from the company yet, and they’ve definitely taken more than a few cues from Apple’s Liquid Glass design language in iOS 26. I don’t mind it too much, and it’s still very fast and smooth. I still prefer it over most other Android versions.

Both phones also get four years of guaranteed Android software updates and six years of security updates, which is unfortunately a bit less than Google or Samsung’s seven-year commitment on the Pixel and Galaxy phones, but I personally don’t mind that much. Most people, at least in North America, don’t keep their phones for much longer than that.

Final thoughts

For me, comparing these two devices ultimately comes down to raw power versus refinement. In many ways, the 15R focuses on raw power in a budget phone. Yes, the 15 technically has a slightly better spec sheet, but the 15R has a bigger screen, a bigger battery, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is more than powerful enough for everything you need from gaming to intense multitasking. In fact, the 8 Elite in the OnePlus 15 suffered from this Severe heating and suffocation problems Since its launch. The 8 Gen 5 in the 15R had no such issues, and in my use, it performed just as well as the 8 Elite, but without all the heating and throttling issues.

The OnePlus 15 is slightly more refined than the OnePlus 15R. The screen is a little smaller, but the smaller bezels make it appear larger. The screen refreshes dynamically a little more smoothly than on the OnePlus 15R, and touches are smoother, too. The speakers on the OnePlus 15 have also been improved with a fuller sound than the still quite acceptable ones on the OnePlus 15R.

It all adds up to a more premium smartphone experience on the OnePlus 15. But that comes at a higher price, too. The OnePlus 15 is currently priced at $899 for the 12GB/256GB version and $999 for the 16GB/512GB version.

The OnePlus 15R is priced at $699 for 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage, and $799 for 12GB of RAM with 512GB of storage.