OnePlus 15

Let's get it out of the way. When writing this review, the final price hasn't been confirmed, but it's 99% sure to be 999 Euro for the basic 12GB/256GB model. I am not sure what the review sample with 16GB/512GB costs, but we are guessing around 1150 Euro. But the price was really a great surprise, as I had feared 1300 or even 1500 Euro or more, as price increases seem to run rampant within the industry. So - great price, and it's combined with great build quality, camera, display and not least a massive battery.

I love it, 7300 mAh is just what I need, combined with OnePlus' own tweaked version of Android 16. I can do two days straight without recharging - which it does at 120 Watt / 50 Watt wirelessly. This should be standard for all phones - more than a decade dreading running out of battery life before getting home in the evening is now over. Speaking of chargers, take the bundle deal on the website, because there is no charger nor phone cover included in the package, which would have been nice, but this is to be expected.

The frame is made with aluminium undergoing Micro-Arc Oxidation, coating the surface of the metal and making it harder. The glass on the front is Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and depending on model, different types of fiber-reinforced plastic or Gorilla Glass as well - my test sample had the first and felt great, almost ceramic-like. The cameras are housed in a "camera island" design, and while I am not a big fan of this, I do accept that it's needed due to the simple physical construction of camera modules of high quality. I do wish they had kept the old round design instead, it looked a lot more distinct. The edges have been rounded, making it look a bit too much like some competitors for my taste, but a classic OnePlus sandstone case with texture could fix that problem.

The display is fantastic, great colours, fluid and very clear under all conditions. It's 6.78", 1272x2772 pixels, 1800 nits LTPO AMOLED, operating at 165Hz, and supporting Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The standard auto-brightness is a tad lower than I would have wanted, but I do accept that my preferences are usually at a very high brightness level.

The brain behind it all is the fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite CPU, so octa-core performance maxing out at 4.6GHz and an Adreno 840 GPU. It is hidden beneath Oxygen OS 16, which is a custom Android 16 solution - but it feels so much faster, coherent in its user experience, and the rapid response makes for satisfying daily use. Its implementation of AI is also a lot more subtle; instead of shoving it down your throat it asks you politely, and explains what it is doing. OnePlus has developed Google Gemini into MindSpace, that acts more like a visual notebook, and helps you track and organize things, capturing whatever is on your screen, saving and organizing it for later. Even the dedicated button on the side isn't pre-activated to use this function, it gives you a number of alternatives the first time you use it, including basic options like activating the flashlight or the camera - but I wish the alert slider had returned instead. I really, really do like this implementation of AI assistance that can be described as an upgraded version of Pixel Screenshots, as it seems a lot less forced, and you can always use Gemini just as you otherwise would. And don't start using the custom themes, it takes away your attention from the rest, in a good way.

As a small notice, it has Bluetooth 6.0, enabling LC3 Plus, a standard for 24-bit sound, and while only a few dozen devices support it, it's impressive that it's already implemented in a phone as 6.0 is very new. For sound otherwise, there are stereo speakers, while they could do with a bit more bass - these are still top-notch for phone speakers and do not have the brittle, high-pitched bright sound that plagues most speaker phones.

Then there is the camera module, with a different approach over the OnePlus 13. Some may find it lacking, but the hardware is different, and implementation is king. This doesn't mean that images are crisp and clear to the last pixel when you start zooming in, after taking 100 photos, but they do look sharp and naturally coloured. It also lacks a lot, but not all, image distortion when using it in night mode and dimly lit places. I would say that for most users, this will be an outstanding camera experience. Especially the interface deserves praise. OnePlus is using the DetailMax engine instead of Hasselblad this time, 3x50MP cameras, and a 32MP selfie cam. 24mm wide 80mm telephoto/periscope with 3.5 optical zoom and an ultrawide. For some reason, all three have different sensors from three different brands, with the main camera using Sony's IMX906, and the telephoto camera using Samsung S5KJN5, which normally would be configured for 6x zoom.

The camera interface is brilliant in seamlessly telling you what lens you are using, and doing any type of adjustment. It would have been nice with some more optical zoom on the telephoto and some standard zoom on the two others, but the image quality, which also applies to video, makes me ignore it. My only critique is that 8K video is limited to 30 FPS. I used it for a small getaway, and both photos and video are stunning, be it local historic sites or just a small stream quietly transporting water and autumn leaves.

Unless changes are made last-second before release, this phone will be cheaper than the previous model, have outstanding battery life, display and especially camera, paired with one of the best custom Android interfaces on the market. Is it perfect - no - but it is as close as can reasonably be expected. I will be returning my review sample in a short while, but for once, I will most likely go out and buy one for my own personal use.