OnePlus 15R Review: A Balanced Smartphone for Work, Play, and Everything In Between

I finally got my hands on the OnePlus 15R, and I have been using it for a few days to see how it performs in real life. With OnePlus bringing several flagship-level features to the R-series, I was curious to find out whether this phone lives up to the hype. From its design and display to performance, cameras, and battery, I tested it in daily use, gaming, and photography to see how it handles everything. Here’s my full experience with the OnePlus 15R.

Design

The initial feeling when I picked up the OnePlus 15R was solid. Its aluminum frame makes it feel really strong and sturdy and the frosted back of the glass is a savior it rarely collects fingerprints, so it always feels clean. The buttons are also crisp and clicking, which makes the phone enjoyable to use. I also observed the new squared off camera design immediately. It is more contemporary than the outdated circular arrangement on the 13R, and it is comparable to what other recent OnePlus and Oppen phones are doing.

It weighs 219g, which is not the lightest phone in the market, but the weight does not feel like it. It is not heavy or clumsy to hold and is only 8.3mm thin which fits comfortably on my hand. Its rear section has a matte surface with a premium touch. Among the three colors, Mint Green was my favorite, it does not seem too flashy and looks fresh.

I must tell the truth, Plus Key is a disappointment. I miss the old alert slider. The new button has some few functions such as: switching between ring, vibrate and silent, accessing camera, or making a screenshot, but that is it. It has no double or triple tap, and is not customizable. It is almost a half-decided substitution instead of an enhancement.

The good thing is that it is very durable. The IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings ensure that I do not need to be concerned with water and dust. I have even used it by the sink and in the rain, and it has stood the test of time. This is a good deal of protection, especially considering it is a phone that is not a full flagship.

Overall, I think the OnePlus 15R is well-built and looks premium. It feels sturdy, the design is modern, and it’s durable. My only real issue is the Plus Key as it doesn’t replace the alert slider well. Otherwise, it’s a solid phone to hold and use every day.

Display

The screen of the OnePlus 15R is quite impressive as a phone in the R-series. The 6.83-inch LTPS AMOLED screen looks sharp and vibrant, with a 1.5K resolution and 450PPI. It is enjoyable to watch videos on Netflix, Prime video, or JioHotstar the colors are bright, the blacks are deep and the edges are slim. The screen is bright enough even when standing out in the sunlight and when it gets dark it can be dimmed down enough so as to not strain your eyes. I also appreciated the eye-protection features as they make long scrolling or reading sessions more comfortable.

A 165Hz refresh rate can be considered one of the largest highlights. Social media is extremely easy to scroll through and browsing the UI is very natural and assisted games such as Call of Duty: Mobile or Battlegrounds Mobile India have a lower motion blur. To be honest, in everyday life, I have not seen a large difference between 120Hz and 165Hz but at least it is there and games which can utilize it are given the opportunity to do so.

The refresh rate is not dynamically adjusted since it is an LTPS panel. You can toggle between 60Hz, 120Hz and 165Hz but it will not switch automatically based on the activity that you are performing. A LTPO screen would have been preferable, although that would have probably added to the cost of the phone. Generally, the OnePlus 15R display is clear, smooth, and playable both in media and games despite the absence of some of the pricier elements.

Performance and Software Analysis

The experience of using the OnePlus 15R is easy and comfortable in day-to-day lives. There was never lag when switching apps, installing the heavy applications such as YouTube and Chrome, or watching high-resolution videos on the Prime Video. I was multitasking, chatting on the WhatsApp, looking at Instagram and listening to music in the background, but the phone managed to perform all the tasks without slowing down. The 12GB of RAM is actually felt in this case; I never had that feeling of apps being refreshed or closed without notice and even bigger apps were loaded swiftly because of the UFS 4.1 storage.

The place I could enjoy the phone the most was gaming. I had tried a few sessions on Asphalt 9: Legends and Call of Duty: Mobile and the experience was peripheral and receptive. I was able to feel the difference that the 165Hz refresh rate brought, particularly when going through menus or racing in Asphalt 9–it was smooth and responsive. The back panel on the top became a little warm after approximately half an hour of continuous gaming, though the phone remained comfortable in my hand. I also played Genshin Impact and even when the game was on the high settings the game was not stuttering, and it impressed me because I thought that the game would have its ups and downs due to its high demand.

Among the aspects that I found interesting during the gaming experience was the 3200Hz touch sampling rate. All the swipes, drags, and taps were precise and quick, which I noticed most in Call of Duty, when I was trying to aim at someone. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor was also very natural to operate. I opened the phone nearly without having to think about it and it always worked.

The haptics were the only thing that I did not like. I felt that the feedback of the vibration was not as strong in the course of intensive gaming. It is not a deal breaker but it is not as satisfying as the feedback of some older Oneplus phones.

In everyday life, the Oneplus 15R performs well on Android 16-based OxygenOS 16 and the fact that it will receive four significant updates of the operating system and a period of 6 years security patches makes me relaxed. In general, regardless of whether I am multitasking, playing games, or simply scrolling through social media, it seems to me that this phone is fast, reliable and pleasant to use.

Camera

The cameras of the OnePlus 15R are good in general, and there are certain visible shortcomings in terms of quality compared to the 13R. It has a 50-megapixel main camera and an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera. I took much time to test the camera and I was surprised with the main camera under bright light. Images are clear, colours are natural and it copes with difficult lighting balancing light and shadows. The DetailMax imaging engine performs relatively well, and though it is not as fined as the Hasselblad that the OnePlus 15 tuning is, a majority of the shots come out of the camera looking fantastic. Colours are a bit cooler, and I personally preferred the less saturated colours–it makes the pictures appear more real and not hyper saturated.

The wide-angle lens is an excellent feature in order to take up larger sceneries. During the day, the shots are accurate and detailed and colours are true. It is ideal in the landscape and group shots. I also liked the added 32 Megapixels front camera. Selfies are both sharp and transparent, unlike in bad light or in the open. The colors on the skin are a bit cold and the features of the face are well-detailed, which is very compatible with social media or video calls.

The first trade off is the absence of telephoto lens. Unlike the 13R, the 15R can only zoom in to 2x which is simply a cropped view of the primary camera. On the one hand, zoomed-in shots lack detail, on the other, portrait mode is also not so sharp compared to its predecessor, though it is quite decent during the day. Another weakness is low-light photography. The Sony IMX906 sensor is also of good quality in bright light, although on a certain moment when the light decreases the images of the objects start to lose details and some noise is noticed. But otherwise, when you need to shoot in the dark or when you need to take some quick photographs, then it can still be used.

What I like is video recording. The 15R also has 4K 120fps, which is the first in the R-series. I attempted to record both outdoors and indoors and the results proved to be amazing. Colours were precise, the balance of exposure was maintained, and the stabilisation was smooth. Slow-motion 120fps videos were also very nice, and it is nice to have a good time with them.

Generally, I enjoyed using the cameras on OnePlus 15R. The quality of daytime photos and videos is always high, selfies are very detailed, and the ultra-wide lens can be used to make wider photographs. The lack of telephoto lens and low-light capabilities are minor, but they do not prevent the phone as a good all-round content creation and photography tool.

Camera Samples:

Day:

Low Light:

Portrait:

Night:

Back vs Front:

Battery

One of the largest features of the OnePlus 15R is the battery. It has the biggest battery that OnePlus has ever installed in a phone at 7,400mAh, and I actually felt the difference in my everyday life. In my daily routine, i.e. calls, messages, scrolling social media, and capturing a few photos, the phone lasted more than two days without charging. It was still more than a day and a half which was noteworthy but even after I added roughly an hour of gaming to it. I did not need to fear that I would always have to search to find a charger.

It is also easy and quick to charge. The phone can be charged within a short period using the 80W wired SuperVOOC charger in the box. Zero to full takes approximately 58 minutes, and a fast 30 minutes top-up takes the battery to approximately 60 percent. Another useful feature that I enjoyed was the bypass charging option- it allows me to use the phone when it is charging without any impact on the long-term battery performance. That proved to be beneficial when I had the desire to continue playing games as I charged.

The only demerit is that it lacks wireless charging and should you be accustomed to the habit of dropping your phone on a pad, then it is not there. It also lacks the reverse wireless charging, which would have been a pleasant addition to charge other gadgets.

Generally, however, the battery of the OnePlus 15R is good. It also provides me with peace of mind, when used intensively, and the rapid charging feature enables me to restore full power in a short time. This is a big win to a person who games, streams or simply spends a lot of time with his phone.

Final Verdict

I used the OnePlus 15R and can state that it is a powerful all-rounder with some compromises. The design is very high quality and the frame is very strong; the back is a matte material and does not get dirty easily, but I miss the traditional alert slider. The screen is vivid, clear and fluent, and it is pleasant to stream, scroll and play games. It performs well, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip has coped with everything that I have thrown at it, both in heavy multitasking mode and games of high graphics without breaking a sweat.

The cameras are practical to use on a daily basis, more so during the day time, and the new 32megapixel selfie camera is clear and uniform. The absence of the telephoto lens and performance in low light is obvious after zooming or shooting in the dark, but the ultra-wide lens and 4K 120fps provided by the video compensate part of the latter.

Another outstanding feature is the battery life. The huge 7,400mAh battery can last me over a day, with moderate gaming, and 80W charging can quickly replenish it.

In general, the Oneplus 15R is a balanced phone that satisfies the necessities quite fine. It is a high-quality phone, works like a near-flagship, and has a good battery life. Otherwise, without any complaints about the lack of telephoto lens, lesser haptics or absence of wireless charging, this is a stable, strong phone that can easily be recommended to be used on a daily basis, to play games, and create content.