OnePlus 15R review: Cutting all the right corners

When OnePlus revealed its 2025-6 flagship, the OnePlus 15, I was unexpectedly blown away by its performance – and called its finish the best I'd seen of any Android phone in the last 12 months (specifically in Sand Storm).

But OnePlus was by no means finished there, launching a "dual flagship" proposition. On review here is the OnePlus 15R – the world's first phone with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor in tow – which represents the brand's step-down option for 2026.

I'm not talking about huge drops-offs between the two handsets, though, with compromises seemingly in all the right places for this generation of the 'R' model. Subtle specification reductions are also reflected in the lower price, so has OnePlus created the ultimate mid-tier Android handset?

Price & Availability

The OnePlus 15R is available from 15 January (regions may vary), with an early promotional discount of £/€100 off the 512GB model until 21 January. Check out the price table below for region specifics if you're not based in Europe:

While it's priced from £649/€699, it's a no-brainer to grab the increased storage variant (there's no extra RAM here, however, unlike the full-fat OnePlus 15) – as it's barely any more costly.

That pricing puts the 15R into its own mid-level tier, really, with the likes of Xiaomi's 15T Pro and Nothing's Phone 3 as its closest competition. Those are a little older now, so may be even cheaper.

OnePlus 15R vs OnePlus 13R: What's New?

• 15R has marginally larger display with faster refresh
  • 6.83in (1272 x 2800, 165Hz) v 6.78-inch (1264 x 2780, 120Hz)
• 15R features latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 v Gen 3
  • 12GB RAM only – no 16GB option like older handset
• 15R has larger battery capacity
  • 7400mAh v 6000mAh
• 15R drops any telephoto camera
  • 13R features a 2x zoom

I feel as though the OnePlus 15R should be seen more as a diluted version of the OnePlus 15 than an update to the earlier OnePlus 13R.

That's because the 15R does away with any zoom camera – so, right from the off, if that's a feature high up your wishlist then, well, move along. You won't get that here – and the digital zoom frankly isn't very good either.

Elsewhere, however, the 15R compares fairly closely to its higher-spec OnePlus 15 relation. The screen is a different type, but is the same size, resolution and refresh rate – and marginally larger than the previous R model, too.

What you will find generation on generation in the R series is a newer and more powerful Qualcomm processor and a far larger battery capacity.

In summary: if you're more into your gaming than your photography and want to spend less, then you fit the 15R's exact target audience.

Design & Display

• 6.83-inch OLED display
  • 1272 x 2800 resolution (450ppi density)
  • HDR10+ to 3600 nits peak
  • Up to 165Hz refresh rate
• Finishes: Charcoal Black, Mint Breeze
• Measures: 8.1mm thin; Weight: 213g

As you can see from my review photos, this is the OnePlus 15R in Charcoal Black. Personally, I find it a much more appealing finish than the Mint Breeze (green) option, which I saw at a OnePlus preview event last year.

Generally speaking, the 15R looks and feels every bit the flagship, too. It's not quite as suave as the full-fat OnePlus 15, because that handset's fingerprint- and scratch-proof Sand Stone model, in particular, is just so standout.

But the 15R acquits itself well, the rear finish resisting fingerprints, although it does mark up with fingernails and can show scratches somewhat. The little camera island protrusion and embossed "1+" logo to the centre are very well-appointed, though.

Prior to this review I've lived in the OnePlus 15 for more than a month, as I've been that pleased with its performance and overall finesse (tempted as I was to go back to the pricier Oppo Find X9 Pro for its superior cameras).

Moving over to the 15R for this review honestly hasn't felt like much of a shift to my experience, though.

The screen is a prime example: it's the exact same high resolution (if used; by default the "Auto-select" option will just upscale to save on performance and battery) and refresh rate (again, if used; "Auto-select" also applies here, but you can per-app specify 165Hz if you wish).

The key difference is that it's not an LTPO display, so it's unable to dynamically adjust. That means no 1-165Hz steps; you get 60Hz, 120Hz or 165Hz only, depending on use-case and settings. Hardly a major downgrade, but that's less battery efficient in general.

I'll say that the default colour palette is somewhat muted in its Natural default, but the Pro and Vivid options help to lift that. I've gone with the latter and find the more saturated view to look every bit the flagship.

As I said of the OnePlus 15, I also find the 15R's 19.5:9 aspect ratio ideal for a 6.78-inch panel. It's got a trim bezel, the surface is flat – the curved edge display trend is over, except for Honor phones, it seems – and it's just about spot-on for one-handed use.

Performance & Battery

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 (Gen 5) processor
  • 2x 3.8GHz, 6x3.32GHz; Adreno 840 GPU
• 12GB RAM only; 256GB/512GB storage
• 7400mAh battery capacity
  • 80W wired charging
  • No wireless

A key differentiator between OnePlus 15 and 15R is that the former houses the top-end 'Elite' version of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 chipset, while the latter has the new 'base' version (Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, for its full name dues). It's the first handset to utilise this chip, too.

On paper, there's a clear difference: the Elite chip, despite having the same number of cores, has a higher clock rate across the board. But the base Gen 5 chip isn't so dramatically different that it's a giant real-world change.

I've been going through my usual suite of games for this review and, whether it's polygon-heavy 3D workloads or not, I've found the performance to be very strong. I've never spotted a jitter that's bothered me, irrelevant of the chipsets' inherent differences.

If anything, it's likely that the 15R's fixed 12GB RAM offering – lower than the full-fat 15's 16GB option in the 512GB version – which might hold it back a touch by comparison, particularly in multi-tasking.

In my real-world use of the 15R for a couple of weeks, I've been really happy with the way it performs. Minor caveat being (at the time of writing) that it's pre-release, so I'm yet to experience the Google security update that will permit Google Pay and other "remember this device" options in various apps – but that should be in place by the on-sale date.

A big bonus with the OnePlus 15R is that it has one of the most capacious batteries in any handset. It's even marginally larger than the OnePlus 15's significant cell, although I've found performance to be similar, by and large, as the lack of LTPO in the R model likely offsets the difference.

Nonetheless, this 7400mAh cell has been giving me more than a full day of use without fail – irrelevant of what I'm asking of the handset (including Wi-Fi hotspot tethering). Two days of use absolutely isn't out of the question, if you're cautious.

When you do need to charge, the 80W maximum is still speedy – just not in the same high-end league as the top-end OnePlus 15's 120W offering, or some competitor handsets. It's a lot faster than a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, though. There's also no wireless charging here, but that's frankly an expectation at this cut-price level.

Software

• OxygenOS 16 (over Google Android 16)

In terms of software, OnePlus' OxygenOS 16 is the very same on the 15R as it is on the OnePlus 15. That's also true of Oppo's ColorOS 16, per the Find X9 Pro, despite the name differences.

That means a reskin over Google's Android 16 with some minor differences – some for better, others more questionable in my opinion.

The AI "Mind Space" key, for example (positioned upper left when facing the display), gives access to the brand's artificial intelligence (AI) area, able to store and contextualise what's saved into there.

This "space" collects data, visuals and voice notes – much like Nothing's Essential Space – and I've found it can be useful for adding context – "what is that?", when referring to an image, say – but that's about all.

I suspect it will only continue to improve, of course, but you'll need to interact with it frequently to get the most out of it.

AI irrelevant, however, and I find that OnePlus' software runs very smoothly. I like that you can personalise the home screen scale and layout, add various animations, adjust app icons' styles, and more.

What I'm less keen on, however, is the sometimes lack of finesse. For such an 'AI-focused' software, the lack of "learned" thinking is a surprise. Take a photo and request to share it, for example, and even selecting my commonly-used WhatsApp app gives no access to my most recent contacts – making everything take longer than it ought to.

Opposite to that, however, there are some great features – but they also need further improvement to really excel. The floating pop-up window that miniaturises apps and appears for multi-tasking, for example, can't be controlled on a per-app basis. It just sometimes gets pernickety and in the way of what you're trying to achieve.

Cameras

• Dual rear cameras:
  • Main (24mm): 50-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56in size (Sony IMX906), autofocus (PDAF), optical stabilisation (OIS)
  • Wide (16mm): 8MP, f/2.2, 1/4.0in, PDAF
• Single front selfie camera:
  • 25mm: 32MP, f/2.0

Despite all this generally great performance, it's with the cameras that the OnePlus 15R compromises the most.

Unlike the 13R, there's no zoom lens of any kind here, so that '2x' in the Camera app is digital only – and the quality is often poor.

The wide-angle, too, is a low-resolution and ultimately limited in the detail and clarity that it can deliver.

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The main camera delivers a far better experience, however, echoing that of the OnePlus 15 – as both share the same Sony sensor.

While OnePlus has shouted from the rooftops about its DetailMax Engine – as the brand's Hasselblad collaboration is now done and dusted – I just find it's not able to deliver the very best results you'll find across the wider Android market.

It's not particularly great in low-light conditions, for example, going to long exposure by default and then not delivering the best results – whether that's active or not.

Ultimately, if you're happy without using any zoom and avoiding the wide-angle, then the OnePlus 15R has a decent sensor and optic for daytime or reasonably lit shots.

Outside of that, however, it's the cameras that represent the 15R's biggest compromise compared to the brand's better model and, indeed, the wider market.

OnePlus 15R review: Verdict

If you care not for cameras and want to save some cash by not buying a OnePlus 15, then the 15R is a stellar handset with a very agreeable asking price.

I've moved from the brand's top-tier model to this supposedly step-down version, but I've barely felt any difference in use. It looks and acts every bit the flagship in almost all areas.

Overall, it's the elegant design, the long battery life, and the fluid performance which present its key trio of triumphs, marking the OnePlus 15R as a superb handset.

Just park your camera expectations to one side and you'll be a very happy customer indeed.

Also consider

Mid-tier models' pricing can fluctuate a lot, with the 15R's key competition from Nothing and Xiaomi already at a cut of their original prices.

Nothing's Phone 3 has a unique rear display panel to jazz up your notifications, delivering a more distinct design, but the battery life isn't anywhere nearly as top-tier as the OnePlus.

Xiaomi's 'T' model is currently far cheaper than either, however, so if every penny counts then it's a contender – not that the software experience quite matches up.