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OnePlus 15R Review: No Longer Playing Second Fiddle

MENSXP | December 18, 2025 12:39 AM CST

After the hugely popular launch of the OnePlus 15, OnePlus has now turned its attention to the R series with the OnePlus 15R. Traditionally, the R model has been an easy bet for users. It is the phone most buyers gravitate towards because it delivers almost all the good things about a flagship, but without the flagship price tag.

This year, though, the story feels different.

The OnePlus 15R does not come across as just the sensible alternative anymore. Instead, it feels like a phone that is trying to carve out its own space. That shift also lines up with a broader change in OnePlus’ strategy. The brand seems less obsessed with chasing camera bragging rights and far more focused on performance and gaming.

I mean, how often do you see a phone that costs about ₹45,000, talking about 165Hz gaming with a straight face?

I have been using the OnePlus 15R for close to two weeks now, and one thing is clear. OnePlus wants this phone to be taken seriously, like it has its own identity. The younger sibling finally comes out of the shadows.

The OnePlus 15R looks and feels uber-premium

The OnePlus 15R gave me the impression of a phone built to last the moment I picked it up. There is an immediate sense of density and solidity that you do not always get in this segment. The flat glass sandwich design looks clean and purposeful, and more importantly, it feels properly premium in the hand. Nothing about the phone comes across as flimsy or compromised.

My Mint Breeze unit weighs around 219 grams and measures 8.3mm in thickness, and that weight is carried well. There is a reassuring balance to the phone that makes it feel expensive, almost brick-like in the best possible way. It is not light, but it never feels awkward or top-heavy either, which made it comfortable to use for long stretches.

The Silk Glass finish plays a big role in that experience. It feels smooth under my fingers and has a subtle shimmer that catches the light nicely, especially on the Mint Breeze colour. That lighter shade also does an excellent job of hiding fingerprints, so the phone stayed looking clean even after hours of regular use. The aluminium alloy frame around the edges feels cool and sturdy, and every time I picked the phone up, it reinforced the feeling that this is a well-built device.

Where the OnePlus 15R genuinely surprised me was durability. OnePlus has gone all in here with IP66, IP68, IP69, and even IP69K ratings. That level of protection is usually reserved for rugged phones, not sleek semi-flagships. Add Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the front, and the confidence goes up another notch.

All of this combined made me feel that I can truly and properly abuse the 15R, without a care in the world.

The OnePlus 15R’s display and speakers make it a content consumption machine

Living with the OnePlus 15R, the display quickly made it clear to me what this phone is trying to prioritise. The 6.8-inch 1.5K AMOLED panel looks excellent in everyday use. Despite the large size, I never felt sharpness was an issue.

Text looked crisp, UI elements stayed clean, and watching videos had that dense, high-resolution feel you expect from a good AMOLED screen. Colours are vibrant without looking overdone, and HDR10+ support really shines when I am streaming content from Netflix or watching a YouTube video.

The headline feature for me is the 165Hz refresh rate. Now, obviously, you don’t get that everywhere, as regular usage such as scrolling through the UI is capped at 120Hz. But in supported games the difference is instantly noticeable.

Animations feel ultra-smooth, touch response feels quicker, and the display clearly leans into the 15R’s gaming-focused identity. Brightness is another win. With the panel capable of hitting around 1800 nits, I had no trouble outdoors, and HDR content looks brighter and more impactful.

That said, this is an LTPS panel, not LTPO. Personally, I was hoping OnePlus would go with an LTPO display here, especially since the 15R is being positioned as a proper flagship killer. Adaptive refresh rates would have made this display feel more complete.

One area where the 15R absolutely impressed me is the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. It is placed very ergonomically and falls naturally under my thumb. Because it is ultrasonic, it is noticeably faster, works reliably even when my hands are wet or dirty, and feels more secure than an optical sensor.

For audio, you get a set of stereo speakers which get very loud. It sounds great, and is pretty clear, even at high volume. However, it does not have depth or character and can sound tiny at times.

The OnePlus 15R is a performance beast

Performance on the OnePlus 15R feels like OnePlus leaning hard into what the R series has always stood for, but with a much sharper edge this time. The 15R is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. It sits just below Qualcomm’s absolute top-tier chip, but in everyday use, it already feels properly flagship-grade to me.

In daily usage, the phone is effortlessly smooth. Apps open instantly, switching between tasks feels seamless, and I never once ran into stutters or random slowdowns.

The combination of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and UFS 4.1 storage really comes into play when I start pushing the phone harder.

You will not notice any meaningful difference during casual scrolling or light use, but during heavier workloads, the 15R continues to feel just as responsive and composed, without breaking a sweat.

But exporting large video files, downloading massive games and their assets, or transferring long 4K clips felt quick and stress-free.

As for benchmarks, in AnTuTu, my unit scored around 2.92 million, which is exactly where you would expect a phone from this class to land.

(Benchmark Screenshots)

In Geekbench, I saw a single-core score of 2862 and a multi-core score of 9531, pointing to strong CPU performance across both short bursts and sustained tasks. In 3DMark’s Wildlife Extreme stress test, the phone delivered solid stability at around 72 percent, which translated into reliable performance during longer gaming sessions.

OnePlus has also added some smart supporting hardware. There is a dedicated Touch Response Chip that noticeably improves touch latency. Inputs feel more immediate, especially while gaming. The new G2 Wi-Fi chip also focuses on network stability, and in my use, online games and high-resolution streams felt more stable.

Gaming is clearly a priority here. With support for up to 165Hz in select titles, gameplay feels incredibly fluid, and thanks to a large vapour chamber, aerogel insulation, and graphite layers, the 15R manages heat well even during extended sessions.

OnePlus 15R’s software, UI and AI is genuinely impressive

The OnePlus 15R ships with OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16, and that immediately puts it on solid footing. After using it for a while, it is clear to me that OxygenOS remains one of the cleanest and most enjoyable Android experiences out there. Everything feels smooth and well put together, with fluid animations and a UI that never feels messy or overdone.

What I continue to appreciate is how much customisation OnePlus offers without letting things spiral into clutter.

You can tweak the look and feel quite a bit, but the core experience stays simple and intuitive. It feels fast, consistent, and easy to live with on a daily basis.

There is also a noticeable push towards AI features, but thankfully, it does not feel forced. Plus, Mind stands out as the most useful addition. It is one of those rare AI features that fits into everyday usage rather than existing purely for marketing. I found myself using it regularly, which says a lot.

Update support is another area where the 15R inspires confidence. OnePlus is promising four Android version updates and six years of security patches, which makes this feel like a phone built for the long haul. Starting life on OxygenOS 16 gives it a longer update runway, and that adds to the overall sense of value and longevity.

The cameras on the OnePlus 15R are a downgrade

The camera setup on the OnePlus 15R is one area where I could clearly see OnePlus changing directions. It starts with the new DetailMax Engine, which is the brand’s updated image pipeline. I have seen this system work well on the OnePlus 15, and on its own, it is not a bad foundation at all.

But once I started using the 15R cameras regularly, it became clear that something important from the older R-series formula is missing.

Starting with the main camera, daylight performance is generally reliable. Photos look clean, with decent detail and natural colours for the most part. That said, I did notice a tendency to underexpose shots, especially in tricky lighting where highlights and shadows compete.

It is not a dealbreaker, but it does mean you occasionally need to tap to adjust exposure. Low-light performance, surprisingly, is one of the stronger aspects of this camera. The main sensor holds up well and manages to produce usable, controlled images without excessive noise or aggressive processing.

The cracks start to show once you move beyond the main camera. Ultrawide is easily the weakest part of the setup. The 8MP sensor delivers acceptable colours in good lighting, but detail is soft and low-light performance drops quickly.

It is fine for occasional wide shots, but it is not something I found myself relying on. Zoom performance also takes a hit. At 2X, the phone simply crops into the main sensor, and detail falls apart fast, making tighter framing far less dependable.

This is where the real downgrade becomes obvious. The OnePlus 15R moves to a dual-camera setup, dropping the dedicated 50MP telephoto lens that the OnePlus 13R had. That missing lens is felt immediately in portraits and zoomed shots, where flexibility and consistency are no longer the same.

Portrait mode itself is hit or miss. When it works, the bokeh looks pleasing, but edge detection can be inconsistent.

Selfies are a bright spot. The 32MP front camera handles skin tones and textures nicely, especially in portrait mode, which I genuinely enjoyed using.

Video performance is more complicated. The ability to shoot 4K at 120fps sounds impressive, but in practice, colours and stabilisation feel like they need better tuning.

Overall, the cameras on the 15R feel competent and functional, but not exciting. They do the job, but they are clearly not the main reason to buy this phone.

The OnePlus 15R has the best battery life of any OnePlus phone

Battery life is one of the OnePlus 15R’s biggest strengths, and honestly, one of its easiest wins. With its massive 7400mAh battery, it simply refuses to die. In fact, its the biggest battery that OnePlus has fitted to a phone.

During my testing, I comfortably got two full days of use without any issues, and this was with heavy usage. I am talking about benchmarks, lots of camera samples, video playback, gaming, and general daily use. Even then, the battery drain felt steady and predictable, with no sudden drops.

What helps here is efficiency. The newer chipset clearly plays a role, because despite the big screen and high refresh rate, the phone never felt power-hungry. Based on how it performed for me, I am confident that with lighter usage, squeezing close to three days on a single charge is very realistic.

Charging is fast, too. The 15R supports 80W fast charging and, despite the huge battery, it goes from empty to full in under an hour and fifteen minutes. That feels like a fair trade-off for the kind of endurance you are getting.

Overall, battery life is one of the 15R’s strongest arguments and a big reason to pick up this phone.

Verdict: Is the OnePlus 15R worth your money?

After spending close to two weeks with the OnePlus 15R, it is clear to me that this phone is no longer trying to be the safe, obvious R-series pick. It feels like a device with its own identity.

OnePlus has doubled down on performance, gaming, durability, and battery life, and on those fronts, it really delivers well. The display is excellent for both media and high-refresh-rate gaming; performance is consistently fast and stable, and the battery life is genuinely outstanding.

The compromises are hard to ignore in the camera department. I missed having a proper telephoto lens, and while the cameras are usable and reliable, they never feel excited or versatile. If cameras are your top priority, this is not the phone I would personally choose.

That said, if you want a phone that feels tough, lasts forever on a charge, and delivers rock-solid performance without hesitation, the OnePlus 15R makes its intentions very clear. It is built to push hard, and in my time with it, that confidence came through every single day.