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OnePlus 15R Review: A Performance First Experience

OnePlus 15R Review: A Performance-First Experience

Name: OnePlus 15R Review: A Performance-First Experience
Item: OnePlus 15R

The OnePlus 15R aims to strike a balance between flagship performance and a price that doesn't stretch into the flagship territory. Here’s our review.

Written by Shaurya Tomer, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 17 December 2025 21:00 IST

OnePlus 15R Review: A Performance-First Experience

OnePlus 15R price in India begins at Rs. 47,999 for the base variant

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Highlights

OnePlus 15R debuts a new squared-off camera design
It is the first handset to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC
Gaming performance and battery life is excellent on the OnePlus 15R

‘Flagship Killer' — that is how OnePlus entered the Indian smartphone scene more than a decade ago with the OnePlus One. In recent years, however, the brand has shifted its focus to delivering a more flagship experience at a flagship-grade price. To cater to non-premium buyers, it has introduced its ‘R' lineup, which serves as the halfway point between the flagship and the mid-range offerings, the latest of which is the new OnePlus 15R.

The OnePlus 15R price in India is set at Rs. 47,999 for the base variant with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. Like its flagship sibling, the ‘R' model has experienced a significant price increase due to the global RAM shortage's impact on the tech market. So, does it still make sense to invest in the handset at this price point? I'll explain in my review.

OnePlus 15R Design: A Big Shift

Dimensions - 163.40 x 77 x 8.3mm
Weight - 219 grams (Mint Green)
Durability - IP66+IP68+IP69+IP69K

The OnePlus 15R's design is in line with its flagship sibling and marks a notable shift from its predecessor. The most prominent change is the new squared-off rear camera deco, which houses the dual vertically stacked lenses and replaces the circular unit found on the 13R. This change brings OnePlus and Oppo's recent smartphones, including their flagships, in line with a more uniform rear camera design language.

The OnePlus 15R comes with a new squared-off camera deco

The handset features an aluminium mid-frame and flat edges that do not dig into your palms, thanks to the rounded corners. At 219g, the OnePlus 15R is not a lightweight smartphone by any means, but its weight is well distributed, and it instils confidence when held without feeling unwieldy. It is fairly slim too, coming in at 8.3mm.

The rear panel of the OnePlus 15R features a smooth, matte finish that does not register fingerprints and smudges easily. The texture is soft to the touch and lends it a premium appearance. It is available in three colourways — Charcoal Black, Mint Green, and Electric Violet.

The signature Alert slider has made way for the Plus key on the OnePlus 15R

The Electric Violet shade is claimed to have a fibreglass back panel, while the other two colourways sport a glass panel. We have the Mint Green colour option, and it is a very subtle yet nice shade of green that does not appear loud. It looks to be about two shades lighter than the Sage colour of the iPhone 17.

On the durability front, the OnePlus 15R comes with the same IP66+IP68+IP69+IP69K ratings as its sibling. This is the highest level of dust and water resistance yet offered on an R-series smartphone, offering greater peace of mind when using the phone outdoors or near water.

In my OnePlus 15 review from November, I expressed my disappointment over the replacement of the alert slider with a new Plus key, which, although customisable, did not result in the same experience. The same gripe applies to the OnePlus 15R as well, marking a pivotal shift from physical switches to customisable keys for the brand across its entire range.

OnePlus 15R Display: Great for Binge-Watching

Size and resolution - 6.83-inch 1.5K LTPS AMOLED, 1,272 x 2,800 pixels
Refresh rate - 165Hz
Protection - Gorilla Glass 7i

The display is another area where several flagship features have trickled down to the R-series model, albeit with a few caveats. The OnePlus 15R sports a 6.83-inch 1.5K (1,272 x 2,800 pixels) LTPS AMOLED screen with a 165Hz refresh rate, 450PPI pixel density, and 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage.

The OnePlus 15R's display comes with Widevine L1 certification

It is a good display for streaming high-resolution video on OTT apps such as Netflix, JioHotstar, and Prime Video, with narrow bezels and Widevine L1 support. Like a typical OnePlus display, the 15R's panel produces punchy colours, sharp visuals, and deep blacks. While not as bright as the flagship counterpart, I found that the screen of the OnePlus 15R is bright enough for outdoor use and has good legibility, even under direct sunlight. It also gets dim enough to prevent eye strain at night. There are several eye-protection features as well, to further reduce strain.

The most notable change on the display front, however, is the refresh rate. Similar to its flagship counterpart, the OnePlus 15R sports a 165Hz display. It delivers extremely smooth animations when scrolling through social media, browsing the web, and navigating the user interface.

Bezels are fairly slim and uniform on the OnePlus 15R

The high refresh rate also offers extra benefits when gaming, though it is currently limited to certain games, such as Battlegrounds Mobile India, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Real Racing 3. In particular, it reduces motion blur, making aiming and movement more accurate.

However, it is an LTPS panel, which means there are no dynamic refresh rate adjustments based on usage. Instead, the phone switches between preset refresh rate modes, including 60Hz, 120Hz, and 165Hz. An LTPO panel would have been preferable, but that would likely have resulted in a higher price, making this omission understandable.

OnePlus 15R Performance: A New Generation

Processor - Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Memory - 12GB LPDDR5X Ultra (RAM), Up to 512GB UFS 4.1 (storage)
OS - Android 16-based OxygenOS 16
Updates Promised - 4 Years OS + 6 Years Security Patches

Among other firsts on the OnePlus 15R is a new chipset. This, notably, is a first for the industry too. The OnePlus 15R is powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, which is claimed to have been co-designed with Qualcomm. It is coupled with other high-end components, such as 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM, up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 onboard storage, and a new OnePlus CPU Scheduler.

OnePlus 15R is the first phone to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC

The OnePlus 15R's performance in day-to-day use is flawless. You get a lag-free experience when rapidly switching between a dozen apps, streaming high-resolution media, and intensive multitasking. The 12GB of RAM is sufficient to keep multiple apps in memory, while UFS 4.1 storage enables quick app installs. However, that is par for the course for a near-flagship-level chipset, and anything less than that would have been a disappointing experience. But thankfully, that is not the case.

Its true test lies when playing graphics-intensive games. I played popular games such as Battlegrounds Mobile India and Call of Duty: Mobile, and the OnePlus 15R managed to deliver a sustained performance at relatively high graphics settings. Thanks to 165fps support, the handset delivered frame rates in the 145–155fps range for around 30 minutes before thermal throttling set in due to heat buildup. However, it only delivers a high fps count in select games like BGMI using frame interpolation.

The handset delivers excellent gaming performance and stays fairly cool

While the CPU load did increase in demanding titles like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves, it provided a consistent frame rate without any dips or frame skipping.

Moving on to thermals, the OnePlus 15R is equipped with a 5,704 square mm Cryo Velocity 3D VC cooling system, which keeps it cool even when pushed to its limits. I noticed heat accumulation at the top half of the rear panel only after about 35 minutes of Call of Duty: Mobile gameplay. And while it did get hot after an extended gaming session, it managed to cool down fairly quickly.

The OnePlus 15R features an excellent 3200Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate, courtesy of the new Touch Response Chip, which delivers a more responsive and accurate touch experience. This serves a useful purpose, especially during fast-paced gaming. You also get an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner positioned at a comfortable height. It is almost as fast as the ultrasonic sensor on the flagship model, and marks a significant step up from the 13R's optical unit. The sensor is accurate and fairly quick in everyday use.

OnePlus 15R runs on OxygenOS 16 and delivers the same software experience as OnePlus 15

While performance is indeed impressive, I was less than thrilled about the haptics. Like its flagship sibling, the haptics on the OnePlus 15R feel downgraded compared to the preceding model. Even after maxing out vibration intensity in settings, feedback during gaming sessions lacks the punch seen on earlier models.

The OnePlus 15R runs on Android 16-based OxygenOS 16 and is promised to receive four major Android OS updates and six years of security patches. Here, OnePlus continues to offer excellent software support. The overall software experience of the OnePlus 15R is identical to what you get on the OnePlus 15, and you can read more about it in my review of the flagship handset here.

OnePlus 15R Cameras: A Mixed Bag

Rear - 50-megapixel primary (f/1.8) + 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle (f/2.2)
Front - 32-megapixel (f/2.0)

The OnePlus 15 is equipped with a dual rear camera system, borrowing the 50-megapixel Sony IMX906 primary sensor from its flagship counterpart. However, the excellent 50-megapixel telephoto sensor of the OnePlus 13R has been replaced by an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens on the 15R. The phone also features the new proprietary DetailMax imaging technology.

OnePlus 15R primary camera samples at 1x and 2x magnification (tap to expand)

The 50-megapixel primary sensor delivers a consistently strong performance in both daylight and low-light conditions. In good lighting, it can capture fine details while also handling tricky exposures, contrast, and highlights and shadows well. This also holds for low-light scenarios, where images retain impressive detail with minimal noise.

While I believed the new DetailMax Engine to be slightly inferior compared to OnePlus' excellent Hasselblad tuning on the OnePlus 15, it works in favour of the new 15R model, which did not have any specialised tuning to begin with. Although colours are slightly on the cooler side, the handset consistently produces Instagram-ready shots.

OnePlus 15R portrait camera samples (tap to expand)

Since there is no dedicated telephoto sensor, the OnePlus 15R relies entirely on software for portrait and zoomed-in shots, and it works fairly well, to an extent. Portrait shots captured in good daylight have decent edge detection and separation between the subject and the background. However, it is not on par with the capabilities of its preceding model, which delivered better results.

At higher magnification levels, the OnePlus 15R also becomes a little too aggressive with its processing, smoothing textures and reducing detail.

OnePlus 15R ultra-wide-angle camera samples (tap to expand)

Moving on, the ultra-wide-angle camera produces shots with a wide field of view. In good lighting, it captures finer details and reproduces colour accurately. But as the sky gets dark, shots tend to lose detail, and noise begins to creep in, perhaps due to the smaller sensor.

The OnePlus 15R also debuts a new 32-megapixel selfie camera --- similar to the flagship 15. Under both outdoor conditions and artificial lighting, the selfie shooter captures details well. While selfies lean towards a cooler tone, facial features are distinctly visible.

OnePlus 15R selfie camera samples (tap to expand)

Coming to video recording, the OnePlus 15R is the first R-series smartphone from the brand to support 4K 120fps. Videos have good colour balance, exposure control, and stabilisation, making the phone a good option to consider for content creators. Slo-motion 120fps videos, especially, appear great.

OnePlus 15R Battery Life: More Than You'll Need

Battery Capacity - 7,400mAh
Wired Charging - 80W
Wireless Charging - No
Included in the Box - Yes (80W)

While its camera system has received some downgrades, OnePlus has significantly upgraded the battery on the new 15R. In fact, the handset has the biggest battery of any OnePlus smartphone to date, at 7,400mAh.

OnePlus 15R is claimed to have the biggest battery of any OnePlus phone to date

For casual and light users, the OnePlus 15R will last more than two days on a single charge, involving taking calls, sending messages, browsing a bit of social media, and capturing a few photos. Even if you throw in about an hour of gaming, the phone can still power through almost a day and a half, so you'll never have to worry about running out of charge.

Charging speeds are fairly quick as well, although not as rapid as the OnePlus 15. The OnePlus 15R supports 80W SuperVOOC wired fast charging, and it takes about 58 minutes for the phone to reach “fully charged” status. A quick 30-minute top-up charges it to about 60 percent.

Another good thing here is bypass charging, which enables users to use their phone directly connected to the socket without hampering the battery health. This is a great inclusion, especially considering the handset's gaming capabilities. However, the OnePlus 15R lacks wireless charging, and thus, does not have reverse wireless charging, either.

OnePlus 15R Verdict

The OnePlus 15R attempts to strike a compelling balance between near-flagship-grade performance without stretching into the territory of pricing, and it manages to do so to a certain extent. Even though it doesn't carry all the bells and whistles of its premium sibling, the handset's biggest strengths lie in performance, excellent battery life, and reliable software support, all of which make it a dependable daily driver for power users.

On the flip side, camera compromises are evident, especially with the omission of a telephoto sensor, and the haptics feel like a step back compared to previous OnePlus models.

The OnePlus 15R makes sense for users who prioritise performance, battery endurance, and software longevity over camera versatility. As alternatives, you can consider the Realme GT 7 Pro (review) or the OnePlus 13s (review).

OnePlus 15R

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Smooth 165Hz AMOLED display
Strong gaming performance
Excellent durability and software support
Outstanding battery life

Bad
No telephoto camera
No LTPO display
More expensive than OnePlus 13R

Read detailed OnePlus 15R review

Display 6.83-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

Front Camera 32-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 8-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB

Battery Capacity 7,400mAh

OS Android 16

Resolution 1272x2800 pixels

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Further reading: OnePlus 15R, OnePlus 15R Ace Edition, OnePlus 15R camera, OnePlus 15R Launch, OnePlus 15R Specifications, OnePlus 15R price in India, OnePlus 15, OnePlus

Shaurya Tomer

Email Shaurya Tomer

Shaurya Tomer is a Sub Editor at Gadgets 360 with 2 years of experience across a diverse spectrum of topics. With a particular focus on smartphones, gadgets and the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), he often likes to explore the industry's intricacies and innovations – whether dissecting the latest smartphone release or exploring the ethical implications of AI advancements. In his free time, he often embarks on impromptu road trips to unwind, recharge, and ...More