OnePlus 15 spotted in the wild – and what's going on with that camera?

We've heard a fair bit from OnePlus about its next flagship Android phone series – not least because it'll be the first in a while without a Hasselblad-backed camera.

We've heard about its screen technology from company president, Li Jie, who teased that it'll surpass the new iPhone 17 Pro with a 165Hz refresh rate. And we've seen photos allegedly taken with its new, Hasselblad-free rear cams.

Now it looks like we've got a glimpse of the phone itself – and that much-discussed camera.

Posted on Chinese social site Weibo by reliable leaker Digital Chat Station (via Techlusive), an image shows what is said to be the OnePlus 15 in white. It's being used to take a photo using the new camera, which has an unusual design.

The picture was allegedly taken during the Elite Gaming League Finals in China, with what looks to be a fan or pro gamer (it's unclear) holding the forthcoming device.

If real, the camera unit is completely different to the one on the OnePlus 13. That was completely circular, whereas this has a shape more akin to the iPhone Pro models up to the iPhone 16 Pro. However, two of the sensors are in a pill shape, with the third and a flash are separate on the right-hand side.

The phone also looks to have flat edges, with the previous model being more tapered at the sides.

In fact, the design is much more like the OnePlus 13s than its direct equivalent from last year – so this seems to be the direction the brand is heading in.

As for other specifications, it's claimed that the phone – which is expected to be launched in China before the end of the year – will sport a 6.78-inch LPTO OLED display with that 165Hz refresh rate mentioned above.

It could be one of the first to run on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset being officially launched later this week by Qualcomm. And it will come with up to 16GB of RAM, it's said.

Battery life could also be a major draw, as rumours point to a 7,000mAh battery and 120W wired charging. There could also be 50W wireless charging, too.

As for that camera again, current thinking is that it'll use three 50-megapixel cameras on the rear.

We'll undoubtedly find out more in the next couple of months.

Incidentally, if you're wondering why this will be the OnePlus 15 when the previous model was the OnePlus 13 – 14 is considered to be an unlucky number in China.